Spear Entry
Hands enter fingertips-first in front of the shoulder, then extend forward under the water – fixes slapping and overreaching.
- Stages
- Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Front Crawl Arms, Stroke Efficiency
- Equipment
- None, Float
- 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 front crawl slowly.
- Enter the hand fingertips-first about a forearm's length in front of the head.
- Then slide the arm forward under the water to full stretch.
- Listen: entries should be quiet.
Teaching cues
- Fingertips first.
- In, then stretch.
- Quiet hands.
Make it easier
- Single-arm with a float.
- Catch-up with the float to slow the timing.
Make it harder
- Full stroke counting strokes – aim for one fewer.
- Keep quiet entries at a faster tempo.
Common faults
- Reaching far forward and slapping down with a straight arm.
- Hand entering thumb-first with a twist.
Corrections
- 'Post a letter in front of your shoulder, then push it along.'
- Slow down until entries are silent.
Assistant / L1 role
- Listen from the side of the lane and tell each swimmer 'quiet' or 'splashy' after each width.