A Roll of the Dice: Try This Combination Training Game
By Mauro Pacsi, Swimming World College Intern
In a previous article, I introduced a fun game for swimmers to try out in their Winter training. However, yesterday my team and I played a game that could be a good option at any time of the year. It includes multiple stations, multiple strokes, and a wide variety of exercises. It may seem complicated, but let me break it down for you.
What You Will Need
- Several pairs of dice. We had 22 dice in total (11 pairs).
- Sheets of paper with each station’s workout. We had 12 pieces of paper for 12 stations.
- Kickboards! These will be essential for a station in the pool.
- Medicine balls! These will be used at a dryland station.
- Jump ropes for another dryland station.
- Resistance bands with handles for another dryland station.
How to Set Up
- Grab the papers that you have ready to label. It is time to write down the workouts!
- Station 1- Butterflies with resistance bands (Roll 1 dice and multiply by 10) then go to Lane 1.
- Station 2- Butterfly swim (Roll 1 dice and multiply by 100) then go to Station 3.
- Station 3- Medicine ball slams (Roll 2 dice and multiply by 10) then go to Lane 2.
- Station 4- Backstroke swim (Roll 1 dice and multiply by 100) then go to Station 5.
- Station 5- Jumping jacks with medicine ball (Roll 3 dice and multiply by 10) then go to Lane 3.
- Station 6- Breaststroke swim (Roll 1 dice and multiply by 100) then go to Station 7.
- Station 7- Burpees (Roll 2 dice and multiply by 10) then go to Lane 4.
- Station 8- Freestyle swim (Roll 3 dice and multiply by 100) then go to Station 9.
- Station 9- Bicycles, Flutter Kicks, and V-Ups (Roll 1 dice and multiply by 10) then go to Lane 5.
- Station 10- IM swim (Roll 2 dice and multiply by 100) then go to Station 11.
- Station 11- Jump ropes (Roll 3 dice and multiply by 10) then go to Lane 6.
- Station 12- Kick with kickboard (Roll 2 dice and multiply by 100) Go to Station 1.
- Place the workout papers at their training stations. Note that there are both dryland and pool stations. Placing the papers for the pool stations on a kickboard is a good idea! The pool stations are: Station 2 (Lane 1), Station 4 (Lane 2), Station 6 (Lane 3), Station 8 (Lane 4), Station 10 (Lane 5), and Station 12 (Lane 6).
- Distribute the gear you will need to each appropriate station.
- Place the appropriate number of dice at each station. As listed when writing the workouts out above, some stations have more dice than others.
How the Game Works
Now that the hardest part of explaining is over, here is how the swimmers will take their fate into their own hands.
- Split up your swimmers individually or into small training groups. Everyone will start at a different station.
- Once the swimmers arrive at their stations, they will roll the dice and multiply with the given number on the sheet. For example, in Station 2, a group would roll the dice and multiply by 100. Let’s say a swimmer rolls a 5 and multiplies by 100. That would mean that they would have a 500-yard butterfly swim.
- Swimmers will rotate through each station upon completing their swims or dryland exercises.
- The swimmers will only stop once they complete each station once.
Hopefully this layout is straightforward and easy to follow. Of course, if you or your team cannot match everything specifically, feel free to adjust it! Overall, myself and my teammates found the game to be really challenging. While it was fun time for some it was a rough time for others. So, on the day that you play it, be sure to have a lucky roll of the dice on your side!
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.