Head-Up Swimming – swimming activities

Front crawl or breaststroke with the head up and eyes forward, used to see team-mates, the ball and the goal.

Activities

• Back-to-Front Roll and Go – Swim backstroke or tread on the back, then roll quickly onto the front and sprint head-up – the change used when a defender becomes an attacker.
• Ball Handling Warm-Up Lines – Two lines pass across the pool while swimmers tread, with each pass followed by a swim to the back of the opposite line – a busy, efficient warm-up.
• Ball Push Dribble – Head-up front crawl with the ball pushed along on the bow wave between the arms – the basic water polo dribble.
• Ball Retrieval Relay – Teams swim head-up to a ball, pick it up one-handed and pass it back to the next swimmer – a fun way to rehearse swimming, pick-ups and passing together.
• Breaststroke Head-Up Travel – Head-up breaststroke with a quick, narrow kick and small arms – an easier way to move while watching play, and a bridge to head-up front crawl.
• Counter-Attack Swim – On the whistle, defenders switch to attack, swimming head-up to the other end to receive a long pass – practising quick transitions.
• Dribble Slalom – Dribble the ball around a slalom of floats, changing direction without losing control.
• End Zone Ball – Teams score by passing to a team-mate who catches the ball inside an end zone – no goals or goalkeepers needed.
• Follow the Leader Patterns – A line of swimmers follows a leader around simple pool patterns – a curve, a figure of eight, a circle – keeping even spacing.
• Head-Up Crawl – Front crawl with the head up, eyes forward – builds a stronger kick and prepares for water polo, lifesaving and open-water sighting.
• Head-Up Crawl Spotting – Head-up front crawl while watching the teacher's hand signals – swimmers must keep their eyes up to see which way to go, just like watching the ball in a game.
• Mini Water Polo – A short, modified game with small goals or targets, simple rules and an emphasis on passing, space and fair play.
• Stop and Go Squares – Swimmers move around a marked square, stopping to tread on command and sprinting off again in a new direction – builds the stop-start movement of water polo.
• Swim, Turn and Receive – Swimmers swim away from a passer, turn quickly on a call and show a hand to receive – combining direction change and receiving.
• Wet Pass to Space – Pass the ball onto the water in front of a swimming team-mate so they can swim onto it without stopping.
• Whistle Turns – Head-up swimming that reverses direction on every whistle, teaching quick turns without stopping or standing.