Home › Stage 5

Pull Buoy Crawl

Front crawl with a pull buoy between the thighs so swimmers can concentrate on the arm action and breathing timing.

Stages
Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7
Difficulty
Developing
Skills
Front Crawl Arms, Front Crawl Breathing
Equipment
Pull Buoy
Age
7–99 years
Group size
2–16 swimmers
Time
About 5 minutes
In a lesson
Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
Shared by
SwimShare Resource

Safety notes

  • Check swimmers can stand and remove the buoy easily.

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

  1. Place a pull buoy high between the thighs; ankles relaxed.
  2. Swim front crawl arms only with side breathing.
  3. Focus on one arm point per width: entry, catch, push, recovery.
  4. Remove the buoy for the last width and keep the same arms.

Teaching cues

  • Reach and hold.
  • Push to your thigh.
  • Breathe as you pull.
  • Hips stay up.

Make it easier

  • Shorter distance and breathe every two.
  • Add a gentle kick if the hips sink.

Make it harder

  • Bilateral breathing every three.
  • Count strokes and try to take two fewer.

Common faults

  • Hips swinging side to side.
  • Crossing the centre line.
  • Short strokes that stop at the tummy.

Corrections

  • 'Hands on train tracks.'
  • 'Thumb brushes your thigh before it comes out.'

Assistant / L1 role

  • Hand out and collect pull buoys at one end, and watch hand entry: tell swimmers if they cross the centre line.

Helps with