Home › Stage 2

Captain's Coming

A pool version of the ship game: each command is a skill – scrub the deck, man overboard, lie on deck – done as quickly as possible.

Stages
Stage 2, Stage 3
Difficulty
Beginner
Skills
Water Confidence, Submersion, Back Float, Front Kick
Equipment
None, Sinkers
Age
5–11 years
Group size
4–16 swimmers
Time
About 6 minutes
In a lesson
Introduction / Warm-up, Game / Consolidation
Shared by
SwimShare Resource

Safety notes

  • Standing depth only; watch every swimmer surface after 'overboard'.

What it develops

  • Go fully under and pick up an object
  • Float on front and back and return to standing
  • Kick on the front and back
  • Submerge confidently and retrieve objects
  • Rotate front to back and back to front while moving

How to run it

  1. Teach the commands:
  2. Scrub the deck – hold the wall and kick.
  3. Overboard – go fully under and come back up.
  4. Lie on deck – back star float.
  5. Row the boat – travel with arms only; Captain's coming – stand and salute.
  6. Call commands in any order; the slowest crew member helps the teacher call the next one.

Teaching cues

  • Listen carefully.
  • Do the skill properly, then move.
  • Find a space.

Make it easier

  • Fewer commands.
  • Overboard means face-in only.

Make it harder

  • Add 'Barrel roll' – front to back to front.
  • Add 'Dive for treasure' – retrieve a sinker.

Common faults

  • Rushing skills so they're sloppy.
  • Bumping into each other.

Corrections

  • Praise the best-performed skill, not the fastest.
  • Ask everyone to 'check your space' before each command.

Assistant / L1 role

  • Watch the 'overboard' command in particular, standing near swimmers who are less confident going under.

Helps with