Game version
Pool-deck follow-the-leader: one person leads a dryland movement and the group copies. Swap the leader each time.
Swim long and steady while you keep your stroke count the same on every length.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Swim 400 freestyle at a steady pace.
Core: As written. Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time.
The steps
Coaching point
Hold your shape when you get tired.
Safety: Swim only with a lifeguard or coach watching and, under 14, a grown-up within arm’s reach.
Make it fun
Game version
Pool-deck follow-the-leader: one person leads a dryland movement and the group copies. Swap the leader each time.
Challenge
Pick a level: Less (slower or smaller), Core (as written), More (one extra twist). Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time.
Story
You are an explorer crossing the pool deck like a jungle.
My best
Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
Free for families and teams
Sign up and the free swimming week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.
14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free
Does your child's coach know about this?
An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.