Fist Swimming
Swim front crawl with closed fists, then open hands – swimmers feel how much the forearm helps pull.
- Stages
- Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Skills
- Front Crawl Arms, Stroke Efficiency
- Equipment
- None, Pull Buoy
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 1–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
What it develops
- Efficient front crawl with rotation and rhythmic breathing
- Improve stroke efficiency on all strokes
- Efficient front crawl over distance
- Keep technique and stroke count as distance increases
How to run it
- Swim a width of front crawl with hands closed in loose fists.
- Notice the forearm has to do the work – bend the elbow and push back.
- Swim the next width with open hands and feel the extra grip.
- Count strokes on each width.
Teaching cues
- Fist, feel your forearm.
- Elbow up, push back.
- Open hand – feel the grip.
Make it easier
- One width fist, one width normal, with a pull buoy.
Make it harder
- Alternate: three strokes fist, three open, within a length.
- Aim for fewer strokes on the open-hand width.
Common faults
- Straight-arm pull, pushing water down.
- Rushing strokes to make up for less grip.
Corrections
- 'Hold a big beach ball under you and pull round it.'
- Slow it down and count strokes.
Assistant / L1 role
- Count the strokes on each width and tell the swimmer the difference between fist and open-hand widths.