Back-to-Front Roll and Go
Swim backstroke or tread on the back, then roll quickly onto the front and sprint head-up – the change used when a defender becomes an attacker.
- Stages
- Water Polo – Stage 9
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Rotation, Head-Up Swimming, Water Polo Movement
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 1–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Swimmers roll in their own space, looking before they sprint.
What it develops
- Swim with the ball under control
- Understand basic positions and spacing
How to run it
- Swimmers kick on their back with hands sculling.
- On the call, they roll to the front by turning the shoulders and pulling one arm across.
- Immediately swim five strong head-up strokes.
- Roll back and repeat across the width.
Teaching cues
- Turn your shoulders first.
- Kick through the roll.
- Head up as soon as you're on your front.
Make it easier
- Roll in two steps: onto the side, then the front.
Make it harder
- Roll to the side the teacher points to.
- Receive a pass after the roll.
Common faults
- Slow roll with a pause.
- Head goes under during the roll.
Corrections
- 'Throw one arm across your body.'
- 'Keep your chin up through the roll.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Call the roll for the group on the far side so everyone hears it at the same time.