One-Arm Front Crawl
Single-arm front crawl with the other arm stretched forward, breathing to the side of the working arm, to isolate entry, catch, pull and rotation.
- Stages
- Swimming – Stage 8, Swimming – Stage 9
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Rotation, Front Crawl Arms, Front Crawl Breathing
- Equipment
- None, Float
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 1–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 6 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Allow swimmers to stand or hold the wall to rest; stagger starts to avoid collisions.
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
- Push off with both arms extended; keep the left arm stretched forward throughout.
- Swim with the right arm only, rotating the body with each stroke and breathing to the right as the arm pulls.
- Swap arms at the end of the width or length.
- Progress: breathe to the opposite side of the working arm (harder timing).
Teaching cues
- Rotate your whole body with the arm.
- Long reach, push past the hip.
- Lead arm stays still and in front.
Make it easier
- Hold a float in the resting hand.
- Breathe every two strokes, with a short pause in front if needed.
Make it harder
- Rest the non-working arm by the side instead of in front.
- Three strokes right, three left, three full stroke.
Common faults
- Swimmer stays flat and swings the arm round.
- Lead arm sinks or crosses the centre line.
- Lifts the head to breathe.
Corrections
- 'Show your shoulder to the ceiling.'
- 'Keep the front arm on its railway track.'
- 'One goggle stays in the water.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Hand a float to any swimmer the teacher identifies for the easier version and collect it when they finish.