Warm Up Games

Warm ups can be boring for recreational athletes although they are essential. We need to make sure that we warm up the body well before any vigourous activity to prevent injury! Always try to do a dynamic warm up on land BEFORE entering the water as once you are in the pool you are adding resistance.

Always check that the area is safe before playing the game. For example, you probably shouldn't be playing land games that involve running on a wet pool deck.

Lots of these games can be used for recreational athlete and aquasquirts to insure a fun practice, as well as for competitive level athletes to add something fun in everyonce and a while. Remember to concider the age and ability of your athletes before playing any of these games, you can always adapt them to bring them into a land warm up or try them in the shallow end!

Remember you can always change the game by changing the way the participant is moving! They don't always have to be running or doing Free style. Try hopping or back stroke if appropriate for the activity! (Other options include but arn't limited to: Skipping, galloping, breast stroke, dolphin kick... Use your imagination!)

Water Polo

Ages 7+, 4+ People

Water Activity

Ball, 4 flutter boards

Why not play a little game of water polo to warm up in the pool? All you need is a ball, and to set up a couple flutter boards as goals. Score a point by knocking down the flutter boards.

You do not need to play with very many rules and can play in the shallow or deep end. If you want to add rules here are some basic ones you can:

-Only one hand on the ball at a time

-Start by touching the wall, Coach will drop ball in middle of pool and teams will sprint to start

-No goalies OR goalies.

Again, make it simple and it can be a fun way to start off your practice.

Of course you can do this with any game on land as well. Start with a game of soccer or ultimate or handball if you have the room!

This is a fun one! Divide your class into groups of 3. One person starts by running / swimming and the other two people are at oposite walls. The runner runs to one wall and tags off with who ever is there. Then the runner stays at that wall and the person who was there becomes the runner, running back to tag off with the person who is at that wall. So basically there is always 1 person from each group running / swimming and 1 person at each wall.

The coach either stops the music or blows a whistle and who ever is the person in the middle (the runner / swimmer) has to stop where they are and do as the coach says before continuing on (ie, 10 jumping jacks OR 3 body boosts OR 10 bobs).

Stuck in the Middle

Ages 8+, 3+ People

Land or Water Activity

No Equipment, Music or whistle helps

Theme Dynamic

Ages 5-10, 1+ People

Land Activity

No Equipment

When doing dynamic warm up with younger athletes, make it into a theme. It can be different each day!

Maybe you do an olympic theme and your head tilts are 'watching the tennis match' and your arm circles are 'swimming to 50m Free'.

Get creative and don't be afraid to look silly! Learn what your athletes are interested in and go from there!

If you have theme idea's but are looking for help on incorperating your dynamic warm up into them then feel free to message me and I can help brainstorm! Same goes if you just need a theme in general!

Rabbits VS Roosters

Ages 6+, 6+ People

Land or Water Activity

No Equipment

This game is very similar to Cat, Mouse, Elephant except it is much quicker.

Divide the group into 2 teams and have them on either side of the middle line. Name one team rabbits and the other team roosters.

Coach calls either rabbits or roosters. If they call rabbits then rabbits chase the roosters, if they call roosters the the roosters chase the rabbits. Role you rrrrrr's for suspence!

If the coach calls rabbits then the rabbits run / swim after the roosters until they get to wall. If a rooster gets tagged before they reach the wall the become a rabbit. Visa versa for if roosters get called!

You can also play this game in partners and just keep switching who is chasing who. In this case they can move in free space and get a point if they tag their partner.

Partner Warm ups

Ages 6+, 2+ People

Land or Water Activity

No Equipment

Have the athletes do their warm up synchronized with a partner. This can be everything from dynamic warm up to strokes in the pool!

To make it even more fun, for the laps in the pool tell the athletes that they have to be attached to their partner.

Pick Your Warm up

Ages 6+, 2+ People

Land or Water Activity

No Equipment

Let the athletes pick their own warm up and encourage them to be creative.

Each athlete can pick a 50 or 100 depending on the number of athetes you have.

This is something simple you can add into practice to make it more exciting.

Swimming in the Box

Ages 5+, 1+ People

Land or Water Activity

No Equipment

Why always swim in lanes? Ok yes it is the most efficient use of space but sometimes it is fun to change it up!

Have your group swim in a box, or zig-zag or circle even to warm up. It changes things up and makes it fun!

Rock, Paper, Sissors

Ages 8+, 2+ People

Land or Water Activity

No Equipment

A fun twish on a classic. Partners line up either at the center of the pool, or center line of playing area. They have a rock paper sissors showdown. Whoever wins gets to run / swim forwards and tries to tag the person who lost before they get to the wall. So, if you loose you have to turn around and sprint to the wall!

If the winner tags the looser before they get to the wall then the winner gets a point, if they don't then the looser gets a point. Play up to however many points you want!

If you are playing on land make sure you set up boundries so that kids are not actually running into walls.

Rubber Chicken Game

Ages 10+, 8+ People

Land or Water Activity

Rubber Chicken or Ball

I think this game is SOOOO much fun, and I only call it the rubber chicken game because the first time I played it that is what we used. Don't worry, it works just as well with a ball!

Start by dividing your group into two teams. One team starts as the throwers, the other team starts as the chasers.

The throwers through the ball as far as they can away from themselves. As soon as it is thrown they immediatly circle up and take turns running or swimming around the circle. They see how many people the can get to do a lap (or maybe some people got to do more then one) around the circle before the catchers yell STOP!

The catchers run or swim to the ball as fast as possible. once they get there they line up and past the ball over and under (over one persons head, between the next persons legs, then over again, then under again...) untill the ball gets to the end of the line. Then the yell STOP!

Teams switch roles and the new throwers see if they can get more laps around the circle then the old ones!

Cat, Mouse, Elephant

Ages 7+, 8+ People

Land or Water Activity

No Equipment

Another rock paper sissors type game but on teams. Cat chases mouse, mouse chases elephant and elephant chases cat.

Divide the group into two and in their group have them pick 3 animals in a row (ex. cat, cat, mouse OR Elephant, Cat mouse etc). They should pick 3 as it keeps the game moving faster in case both teams pick the same animal.

The teams line up across the center line from eachother. On the count of three they both act like which ever animal they picked. If they picked the same animal then have them repeate with their second animal or third if it happens a second time.

Based on which animals they were one team chases the other (again: Cat chases mouse, mouse chases elephant and elephant chases cat). If a player gets tagged before they reach the wall then they join the other team.

The game is played until all players are on one team.

Knee & Toe Tag

Ages 7+, 2+ People

Land Activity

No Equipment

Right now I can't think of an adaptation for this in the water but if you think of something let me know!

For knee tag you have the group split into pairs. The partners stand across from eachother and try to tag eachothers knees with their hand. Make sure they are tagging nicely! Everytime they tap their partners knee they get a point!

Toe tag is very similar. Partners put hands on eachothers shoulders and try to tag the top of the other persons toes by steping (Lightly) on them. Everytime they tag their partners to they get a point.

You can play up to as many points as you want!

Make sure both partners are either wearing shoes or not wearing shoes!

Team Warm ups

Ages 8+, 3+ People

Land or Water Activity

No Equipment

Have the group do their warm up in a pattern. Challange them to keep this pattern through their dynamic warm up and laps.

Make sure that there is lots of run if the group is going to be doing their laps in a pattern, so probably better for a practice where you have more pool space.

Watch out for a pattern during laps, to avoid collisions during flip turns try to stay in either a line pattern or two staggered lines.

To make it more challanging, ask them to stay synchronized or have them be attached for part of their warm up.

Tag Games

Ages 4+, 6+ People

Land or Water Activity

No Equipment

Adding in a tag game is easy and can get the athletes moving. This is really effective for this little kids because the love to run around for no reason anyways.

Remember the MAX rule when playing tag games. Avoid playing games where people are 'out'. Instead, play a game where if you get tagged then you help or become the tagger!

Remember to switch the game up often (make little variations, change the tagger, add a new tagger etc.) and stop the game BEFORE the kids get bored of it.

There are endless possibilities for tag games and they are all fun in and out of the water. Here are just a couple:

Chain tag- If you get tagged you hold the taggers hand and help them tag people. Avoid playing in deepend with weaker swimmers

Ameba tag- Like chain tag but once your chain gets to 4 people you split into two chains of two.

British Bull Dog- Tagger on center line and yells 'british bull dog' to cue for group to move across pool. If you get tagged you join tagger in middle of pool.

Freeze Tag- If tagged you have to hold something (plank, back layout) untill someone steps over or swims under you (or other variations)