Home › Stage 6

Canoe Scull

Sculling on the front with hands under the hips – supports a flat front position and builds feel for the water.

Stages
Stage 6, Stage 7
Difficulty
Advanced
Skills
Sculling, Body Position
Equipment
None, Pull Buoy
Age
8–99 years
Group size
1–12 swimmers
Time
About 4 minutes
In a lesson
Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
Shared by
SwimShare Resource

Safety notes

  • Breathe as often as needed – lift the head or roll to breathe.

What it develops

  • Scull and tread water with control
  • Tread water and scull efficiently for longer

How to run it

  1. Lie on the front, face in, arms under the hips.
  2. Scull with small figure-of-eight movements to keep the body flat.
  3. Lift the head to breathe; try to travel slowly head-first.
  4. Swim a short distance and stand.

Teaching cues

  • Hands under your hips.
  • Small figure eights.
  • Stay flat.

Make it easier

  • Pull buoy between the legs.
  • Stationary only.

Make it harder

  • Travel a width.
  • Link canoe to torpedo scull.

Common faults

  • Legs sinking.
  • Hands too far forward.

Corrections

  • Light kick to begin with.
  • 'Hands stay under your belly button.'

Assistant / L1 role

  • Watch the hands and tell swimmers whether they stayed under the hips.

Helps with