Crocodile Chase
When the crocodile snaps, swimmers kick fast with their floats to escape to the wall – short bursts of fast, small kicks.
- Stages
- Stage 2
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Forward Travel, Front Kick
- Equipment
- Float, Noodle
- Age
- 4–9 years
- Group size
- 3–12 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Stagger swimmers so they don't crash at the wall.
What it develops
- Travel about 10 metres on the front
- Kick on the front and back
How to run it
- Swimmers hold floats a few metres from the wall.
- The teacher (crocodile) lurks behind them.
- On 'Snap!', swimmers kick as fast as they can to the wall.
- Discuss who was quickest: usually the small fast kickers, not the big splashers.
Teaching cues
- Small fast kicks.
- Kick from your hips.
- Look down at the water.
Make it easier
- Start closer to the wall.
- Noodle instead of a float.
Make it harder
- Face in for the whole chase.
- Escape on the back.
Common faults
- Huge splashy kicks that go nowhere.
- Head lifts to look at the wall.
Corrections
- 'Quiet fast feet are faster than noisy ones.'
- 'Eyes on the water, I'll tell you when you're close.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Stand at the wall to make sure swimmers stop safely, and note who is kicking from the knees for the teacher.