From Idea to Poolside: Building a Pre-Pool Warm-Up Habit
Updated: Aug 22
The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck began with a recurring problem I kept seeing.
A swimmer may spend their early years arriving at the pool, getting changed and getting straight into the water. As they progress further into competitive swimming, we start asking them to arrive earlier and complete a pre-pool warm-up before the session begins.
That can be quite a change.
At ten, eleven or twelve, simply telling a swimmer to complete a series of exercises does not automatically create understanding or engagement.
How could we introduce pre-pool preparation in a way that young swimmers could follow from the beginning and gradually take more responsibility for as they developed?
Why cards?
My background before working full-time in swimming was in design and visual communication. That naturally influenced the way I approached the problem.
I wanted something structured but not rigid. It needed to be simple enough for a swimmer encountering pre-pool preparation for the first time and flexible enough to remain useful as their experience grew.
Rather than another exercise sheet, one prescribed routine or a collection of online clips, I kept coming back to physical cards.
One movement on each card.
Something swimmers could pick up, arrange and follow on poolside.
An entry-level squad might begin with three or four movements selected by the coach. As swimmers progress, more variety can be introduced and they can begin contributing to the choices themselves.
Building the system
The Deck developed around the RMAP sequence used within swimming: Raise, Mobilise, Activate and Prime, with an optional Explode stage added for movements involving greater speed and explosive intent.
Each stage was numbered and colour coded so that the order could be recognised quickly. This created a consistent framework while allowing coaches to select different movements for different swimmers, squads and situations.
Every card also needed to communicate quickly.
The illustration had to make the exercise recognisable. The movement name and Perform target needed to remain short and the stage of the warm-up had to be immediately clear.
More detailed guidance was placed in the Exercise Companion Guide rather than added to the cards themselves. This allowed the physical Deck to remain simple while giving coaches and parents additional information about each movement, its purpose and how it should be performed.
Testing it on poolside
A significant part of the development came from using the cards with young swimmers.
That is where you quickly discover whether something actually makes sense.
A movement that appears straightforward on paper can be interpreted differently when a swimmer tries it. An instruction can be too long. An illustration may need adjusting or the intended action may not be as obvious as expected.
Watching swimmers use the early versions led to changes across the exercises, illustrations, wording and card layouts.
It also showed how differently the Deck could be used. A coach could lay out a short sequence for a younger squad or give more experienced swimmers the opportunity to arrange movements and discuss their choices.
The cards did not replace coaching. They gave the coach a clearer way to introduce the process and gave swimmers a reference they could return to while completing it.
From prototype to finished Deck
Like many finished designs, the final Deck looks considerably simpler than the development process behind it.
Exercises were reviewed. Illustrations were refined. Instructions became shorter. The stage structure, introductory booklet, Exercise Companion Guide and packaging all developed alongside the cards.
Through those changes, the original purpose remained consistent: to create a clear visual system that could help coaches introduce pre-pool preparation and help young swimmers build the habit over time.
That is how The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck moved from an idea into something young swimmers and coaches could use on poolside.
Prepare. Move. Perform.
Spencer Turner
Creator, The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck
Related: The Swimmer’s Warm Up Deck | Behind the Deck | Case Study | Explore The Decks
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