Show Your Shoulder
Front crawl where swimmers roll enough for one shoulder to break the surface each stroke – easier breathing and a longer reach.
- Stages
- Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Rotation, Front Crawl, Body Position
- Equipment
- None, Pull Buoy
- Age
- 7–99 years
- Group size
- 1–14 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
What it develops
- Front crawl with breathing timed to the arm action
- Swim with fewer, longer strokes
- 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 slow front crawl.
- As one arm reaches forward, roll the opposite shoulder up so it peeks out of the water.
- Roll from the hips, not just the shoulders.
- Breathe on the roll.
Teaching cues
- Show your shoulder.
- Roll from your hips.
- Long reach.
- Breathe on the roll.
Make it easier
- Six-Kick Switch or Side Kick Breathing first.
- Pull buoy so the legs stay up.
Make it harder
- Full stroke with bilateral breathing and rotation.
- Count strokes – rotation should reduce them.
Common faults
- Swimming flat.
- Over-rotating onto the back.
- Rolling only the head.
Corrections
- 'Hips and shoulders turn together, like a log.'
- 'Stop when your shoulder shows – not your tummy.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Observe from the end of the lane and check one thing: do the shoulders appear on both sides?