Doggy Paddle Catch
Front crawl with the arms recovering under the water, so swimmers can concentrate on catching and pressing water back in front of the face.
- Stages
- Swimming – Stage 8, Swimming – Stage 9
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Front Kick, Front Crawl Arms
- Equipment
- None, Short Fins
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 1–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Head-down swimming: keep lanes clear and send swimmers off at intervals.
What it develops
- Front crawl: long body line with breathing timed to the pull
- Front crawl: rotation, early catch and bilateral breathing
How to run it
- Swim front crawl leg kick with the face in and arms making short, alternating front crawl pulls that finish at the waist.
- Recover each hand forward under the water close to the body.
- Concentrate on the hand and forearm facing backwards as early as possible.
- After a width, swim normal front crawl and keep the same feeling at the front of the stroke.
Teaching cues
- Hands face the back wall.
- Short, strong, alternating.
- Steady kick behind.
Make it easier
- Head up for the first width, then face in.
- Use short fins (if your pool allows) to keep the legs high.
Make it harder
- Lengthen each pull a little each width until it becomes full front crawl.
- Breathe to the side without stopping the arms.
Common faults
- Hands pull under the chest crossing over.
- Kick stops while concentrating on the arms.
- Palms face the floor.
Corrections
- 'Hands stay in line with your shoulders.'
- 'Keep the engine running – kick all the time.'
- 'Show your palms to your feet.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Stand at the turn end and remind each swimmer of the cue 'hands face back' before they set off, while the teacher watches the catch from the side.