BEYOND WARM-UP CARDS
A CASE STUDY IN BUILDING BETTER PRE-POOL WARM-UPS
Building better pre-pool habits at Basingstoke Bluefins Swimming Club
We introduced pilot cards for The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck at Bluefins in early May 2026. Swimmer buy-in was almost immediate, with a level of engagement in pre-pool we had not previously seen.
By late July, the process was fully embedded across our development and age group squads.
The poolside challenge
For the most part, effective pre-pool preparation simply was not happening on poolside.
Some swimmers completed their own warm-up, but many waited for instructions or copied others without understanding the movements. Younger swimmers often had little enthusiasm for land-based preparation when what they really wanted to do was get into the water.
The issue was not a lack of information. Guidance was already available through PDFs, online resources and governing body materials. The challenge was turning that information into something swimmers would use and understand as part of everyday training.
We also wanted swimmers to begin understanding why they were warming up, what different movements were intended to develop and why some exercises placed different demands on the body.
Any solution had to work in a real club environment with limited poolside space, different ages and abilities plus coaches delivering sessions in their own style.
Starting with two cards
We introduce pre-pool gradually across our five development squads.
At Foundation level, swimmers begin with just two cards: Raise and Streamline. Coaches guide the movements while swimmers become familiar with a simple routine.
Additional cards are introduced as swimmers progress. By the highest development squad, the warm-up includes around 10 exercises. Swimmers are not expected to learn a full routine from the outset. The routine grows with their familiarity, understanding and independence.
The deck groups movements into five stages:
RAISE → MOBILISE → ACTIVATE → PRIME → EXPLODE (optional)
This gives coaches a clear framework without requiring every squad to complete the same warm-up.
Simple for the swimmer, detailed behind the scenes
The cards use clear exercise names, visual guidance, coaching cues and swimming-specific references. The aim is to help swimmers understand what they are doing without removing the coaching behind it.
The Exercise Companion Guide adds the detail: movement explanations, coaching cues, common faults, easier and harder options and swimming-specific Stroke Insights. Quick Reference resources support coaches working across different squads.
The cards make the routine visible and easier to follow. Coaches still teach the movements and decide what is appropriate for the swimmers in front of them.
Making it work on poolside
Using the Pro Coach Deck, selected cards are laid out in stage order across clear, dry areas of poolside. Swimmers work through the sequence in small groups. As one group moves forward, the next follows.
This makes the warm-up easier to follow and helps organise swimmers through wet or busy poolside areas without unnecessary movement.
One simple addition had a particularly noticeable effect: the Warm-up Builder.
The first swimmer to arrive becomes the Warm-up Builder, selecting the day’s warm-up with coach guidance and laying out the cards ready for the squad. Other swimmers often join in to help.
Being the Warm-up Builder quickly became something swimmers wanted to do.
Late arrivals still complete their warm-up before entering the water. Pre-pool is part of training, not an optional extra.
Creating interest in the movements
Each card includes Movement Scores for Coordination, Flexibility, Impact, Strength and Intensity. These are descriptive comparisons, not scientific measurements.
Almost immediately, swimmers began comparing scores, discussing exercises and asking why movements had different ratings. These were conversations we had rarely heard during our previous pre-pool routines.
The Top Score Challenge builds on this through a simple card game. Swimmers compare movement scores, challenge teammates and revisit favourite exercises. Some also used the game before training, during race-day downtime and at home.
What coaches observed
Within the first four weeks, coaches noticed more punctual attendance, faster organisation on poolside, greater engagement with pre-pool and more consistent routines across squads.
Over time, swimmers arrived earlier to become the Warm-up Builder, more experienced swimmers encouraged teammates to complete their warm-up and groups moved through the sequence with less prompting.
Importantly, these behaviours were not introduced as formal coaching objectives. They developed through regular use of the deck as part of the normal training routine.
Responsibility also changed as swimmers progressed. Within Development and County Development, swimmers increasingly organised their warm-ups and supported teammates. By Age Group Performance, swimmers were expected to arrive ready to complete an established routine independently.
Although the deck was not developed specifically around the Optimal Athlete Development Framework (OADF), we saw the growing ownership, independence, readiness and positive training habits as consistent with its wider principles.
What changed
By late July, the biggest change was not simply that more swimmers were completing a warm-up. Their approach to pre-pool had changed.
Swimmers were helping to set up, discussing the movements and encouraging each other to complete the routine. What had previously needed repeated direction had become part of how the squads prepared for training.
For us, that has been the most important outcome. The deck helped turn pre-pool from something that was mostly absent or coach-driven into a visible part of everyday training and contributed to a more positive club culture around preparation.
These are coaching observations from the club where the deck was developed, not measured improvements in swimming performance. The deck has been used alongside coach guidance, clear expectations and consistent delivery.