Breaststroke Head-Up Travel
Head-up breaststroke with a quick, narrow kick and small arms – an easier way to move while watching play, and a bridge to head-up front crawl.
- Stages
- Water Polo – Stage 8, Water Polo – Stage 9
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Breaststroke, Head-Up Swimming, Water Polo Movement
- Equipment
- None, Noodle
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 1–20 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Introduction / Warm-up, Skill Development 1
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Swimmers travel in one direction with space between them.
What it develops
- Head-up front crawl with a strong kick
- Swim with the ball under control
How to run it
- Swimmers swim breaststroke with the chin on the water and eyes forward the whole time.
- Keep the arm pull small and quick in front of the shoulders, with a short kick and almost no glide.
- The teacher moves along the side; swimmers keep their eyes on the teacher.
- Switch to head-up front crawl for the last few metres.
Teaching cues
- Eyes up all the time.
- Small, quick arms.
- Short kick, no long glide.
Make it easier
- Use a noodle under the arms for the first width.
Make it harder
- Change to head-up front crawl on the teacher's whistle and back again.
- Follow a ball pushed by the teacher.
Common faults
- Long glide so the swimmer slows and sinks.
- Head bobbing up and down.
Corrections
- 'Keep moving – no glide.'
- 'Chin stays on the water.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Walk with the swimmers on the opposite side so those on that side can watch you instead of the teacher.