Did you know you don’t have to know how to swim to have some fun, friendly “competition” with your friends and family? It’s true! You can plan fun swimming pool ‘contests’ that don’t leave anyone out of the fun and that can be done in the deep or the shallow end of the pool. You will want to modify the contests depending on the age and swimming capabilities of those involved and in the depth of the pool.
Remember, not everyone who owns a swimming pool knows how to swim. It’s true! If you have a four foot deep swimming pool, many pool owners find that anyone can easily stand there and not be underwater. If you don’t know how to swim, though, you definitely want to wear a life vest for a measure of safety — even if you’re in the shallow end of the pool.
Whether you want to have a friendly competition or if you simply want to show off — these may be fun for everyone!
Plan Fun Swimming Pool ‘Contests’
The cannonball
Come on! Who can resist the cannonball?! No one that we know of! When you do a great cannonball you make a — well, um — great splash at any party! A good cannonball causes a great splash and can soak anyone and everyone who is within distance of the splash you’ve made. It’s just fun — probably more fun for the cannonballer than for those poolside who are soaked, but all’s fair in pool games.
No matter your swim skill (and you don’t need any!) you can become a cannonball wizard. What you need to do is to jump into the air, tuck your knees up toward your chest, srap your arms around your legs and holler, “CANNONBALL!” Viola!
(you can do a cannonball even if you can’t swim and if you’re wearing a life vest)
Dive master
If you know how to swim and you know how to dive, this is fun! Keep in mind, do NOT dive into a swimming pool that is full of people. You can get injured. Another MUST is to always keep your arms extended above your head — that way if you run into someone or something, your hands will hit before your head.
The measure of a win in this competition can be:
- to dive without making a splash
- to go as far as you can underwater once you’ve dove
Ask others to vote on the furthest and the less splashy dive and crown a winner!
Handstand
Synchronized swimmers do a lot of underwater handstands, and you can too!
Here’s how to perform a handstand:
- go into water that isn’t above your head
- propel your body toward the bottom of the pool
- place your palms flat on the pool floor
- kick your body upwards and keep your body straight until your feet are straight out of the water
- Ta-da you’re doing a handstand!
Somersault
Have you seen those swimmers on television who do underwater flips? If you have and now you want to try one of your own, here’s how:
- practice in water that’s not over your head
- bend at the waist
- propel yourself forward
- move in a circular motion
- Imagine yourself rollowing down a hill in an inner tube and you can imagine your somersault
There really isn’t a way to pick a “winner” in this “competition” but you can certainly impress friends and family by doing a somersault!
If you want to have a bit more friendly competition, you can swim laps and see who wins. You can see who can swim underwater the farthest, but truly, who doesn’t want to crowned the cannonball king or queen?