Home › Artistic Swimming – Stage 8

Back Layout Hold

The basic artistic swimming position: body straight on the surface, face, chest, thighs and toes at the surface, held with a support scull.

Stages
Artistic Swimming – Stage 8, Artistic Swimming – Stage 9
Difficulty
Developing
Skills
Sculling, Body Control, Body Positions
Equipment
None, Float
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

  • Practise in standing depth first; spread swimmers out.

What it develops

  • Standard and support sculls
  • Basic body positions
  • Body positions with full extension

How to run it

  1. Lie on the back with arms by the sides and hands sculling near the hips.
  2. Lift so the face, chest, thighs and toes are at the surface; legs together, toes pointed.
  3. Hold still for ten seconds on the spot using small sculling movements.
  4. Progress to 20 seconds, and then hold while travelling slowly head-first.

Teaching cues

  • Four points at the surface: face, chest, thighs, toes.
  • Squeeze your legs together.
  • Small, constant sculling.

Make it easier

  • A small float between the ankles.
  • Partner supports gently under the lower back.

Make it harder

  • Hold the position while moving feet-first.
  • Hold while a partner counts aloud in eights.

Common faults

  • Hips drop into a sitting position.
  • Flexed feet.
  • Big arm movements.

Corrections

  • 'Lift your hips to the ceiling.'
  • 'Ballet toes.'
  • 'Hands stay near your hips.'

Assistant / L1 role

  • Watch two swimmers and tell them which of the four points (face, chest, thighs, toes) is under the water, using the teacher's wording.

Helps with