Home › Stage 3

Corkscrew Glide

Swimmers roll a full turn during a streamlined glide – rotating while staying long and travelling straight.

Stages
Stage 3, Stage 4
Difficulty
Advanced
Skills
Rotation, Streamlining, Push and Glide
Equipment
None
Age
6–99 years
Group size
1–8 swimmers
Time
About 4 minutes
In a lesson
Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
Shared by
SwimShare Resource

Safety notes

  • Clear glide path; swimmers can become disorientated.

What it develops

  • Streamlined push and glide on front and back
  • Rotate front to back and back to front while moving
  • Push and glide in a tight streamline

How to run it

  1. Push and glide on the front in a streamline.
  2. During the glide, roll onto the back, then onto the front again.
  3. Keep the arms squeezed together the whole time.
  4. Stand when the glide finishes and check: did you stay straight?

Teaching cues

  • Squeeze your ears.
  • Roll like a corkscrew.
  • Stay straight.

Make it easier

  • Half roll – finish on the back.
  • Arms by the sides.

Make it harder

  • Two full rolls in one glide.
  • Kick through the rolls.

Common faults

  • Arms coming apart to help the roll.
  • Veering off course.

Corrections

  • Roll with the shoulders and hips together.
  • Pick a target before pushing off.

Assistant / L1 role

  • Stand at the end of the glide path, facing the swimmer, as a target to aim for.

Helps with