Noodle Crawl
A noodle under the chest keeps the body high so swimmers can focus on front crawl arms and breathing.
- Stages
- Stage 3, Stage 4
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Aquatic Breathing, Front Crawl, Coordination, Front Crawl Arms, Front Crawl Breathing
- Equipment
- Noodle
- Age
- 5–99 years
- Group size
- 1–10 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Check the noodle can't slip off in a way that alarms the swimmer.
What it develops
- Swim about 10 metres on the front
- Show early actions for all four strokes
- Keep a flat, horizontal body position
- Swim front crawl with side breathing
How to run it
- Place a noodle under the chest and armpits.
- Swimmers kick and use front crawl arms, reaching over the noodle.
- Face in, turning to breathe.
- Swap the noodle for no support once the arms are smooth.
Teaching cues
- Reach long.
- Face in, eyes down.
- Turn to breathe.
Make it easier
- Walk and practise arms with the noodle.
- Face out.
Make it harder
- Noodle between the legs instead (arms only).
- No noodle for the last few metres.
Common faults
- Arms pushing down on the noodle.
- Lifting the head forwards.
Corrections
- 'Reach past the noodle.'
- 'Eyes on the floor.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Hold the ends of the noodle to steady nervous swimmers, then let go for a few strokes at a time.