A Wise Athlete Sport and education. Both.
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The base at home, the sport at a club

Swimming at home

A pool with a lifeguard or an instructor, and a parent in the water at first; at home, water-safety knowledge.

1 cards at home 3 for a park or court 5 for the club

What should we practise today?

Tell us where you are and who is playing. You get one card and the reason.

Where are you?
Who is playing?

Start a session

New to swimming? The game in a minute

Read this once before the first card.
The sport in short

Moving through water using the arms and legs. Every child first learns to be safe and calm in water: getting in and out, putting the face in, floating, gliding and kicking. Then come the four strokes.

The four strokes

Front crawl (freestyle), arms over the water in turn and a flutter kick; backstroke, the same on the back; breaststroke, a pull, a breath, a frog kick and a glide; and butterfly, both arms over together with a dolphin kick. The individual medley (IM) is all four in one race.

How races work

Swimmers race in lanes over set distances, from 50 m to 1500 m. They start from a block or in the water for backstroke, turn at each wall, and the first to touch the end wins. A swimmer is disqualified for breaking a stroke's rules, such as a wrong kick or a one-hand touch in breaststroke.

Rules children break first
  • Never swim without an adult watching every second.
  • No running on the pool side, no pushing or dunking.
  • No breath-holding or underwater games.
  • Feet first into the water; head-first only once a coach has taught it.
  • To help someone in trouble, call, reach or throw; never go in yourself.
At home and in the shallow end you start with

Water confidence games, floating, gliding and kicking, and water-safety knowledge on dry land. Strokes, stroke parts and safe entries are taught at the pool by an instructor.

Words you will hear (25, in plain language)
Shallow end
The parts of the pool where a child can stand, and where they cannot.
Lifeguard
The trained person watching the pool.
Swivel entry
Getting in from sitting on the edge by turning onto the tummy and lowering in.
Bubbles
Blowing out slowly under the water, and breathing in a steady pattern.
Front float
Lying on the water face down or face up; a starfish has arms and legs spread wide.
Glide
Pushing off the wall and sliding through the water long and narrow, like an arrow.
Kickboard
A float held in the hands for kicking; a float held between the legs for arm practice.
Flutter kick
The straight-leg kick of crawl and backstroke; the circling kick of breaststroke; both legs together like a dolphin.
Front crawl
The four strokes.
Individual medley
One race using all four strokes.
Arm recovery
Bringing the arm back to the start of the stroke, over the water.
Log roll
Turning over from front to back in the water; turning round on the spot.
Sculling
Moving the hands in a figure-of-eight to hold or move the body.
Width
Across the pool, and from one end to the other.
Lane
A marked strip of the pool, and the rules for sharing it.
Turn
Turning at the wall, and the way a race begins.
Pace clock
The big clock on the pool wall used to time swims.
Split
The time for one part of a race.
Disqualification
Being removed from a race for breaking a rule.
Taper
Easing training before a big meet.
Call, reach, throw
The rescue order: shout for help, reach with a pole or noodle, throw something that floats.
Rescue aid
Something that floats or a pole used to help someone from the side.
HELP
In the water with a life jacket, knees hugged to the chest alone, or a group holding together, to keep warm.
Treading water
Staying upright in deep water by moving the hands and legs.
Survival strokes
Slow strokes swum with the head up to save energy.

Try it, nothing to buy

Mark the space once. Every card starts from it.

The cards, level by level

Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.
Basic 4 cards · show· hide Comfort in the water (getting wet, face in, bubbles, floats on front and back, safe entry and exit), then kicking in all four strokes, basic arm movements, breath control and the first turns and starts. Short sessions, 2 or 3 a week; young children listen only briefly, so show, keep them moving and praise effort.

Move on when the child meets the self-checks on b1 to b4.

Intermediate 4 cards · show· hide All four strokes, sculling and feel for the water, underwater kick, turns and starts, pacing and lane etiquette; then steady fitness (an aerobic base), with growth watched and much more training than racing.

Move on when the coach confirms all four strokes and starts and turns.

Advanced 1 cards · show· hide Racing seriously: high fitness for long and short efforts, choosing main events, race plans and tapering (easing training before a big meet), open-water sighting and drafting, a support team, and correct classification for para swimmers. Mental and life skills run through every stage.

Teaching this at home

Movement, safety and the words at home. The sport itself needs water, a boat, a horse or a coach.

You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at. Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal. End every session on one that works.

Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.

How to warm up before playing is at workonfitness.com. The rules of the game are at sportsmaze.com.

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