Home › Artistic Swimming – Stage 8
Hips-Up Sculling Check
Partners check that the hips stay at the surface while sculling, using a light touch cue and short holds – a direct fix for sinking hips.
- Stages
- Artistic Swimming – Stage 8, Artistic Swimming – Stage 9
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Sculling, Body Position, Body Control
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 2–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Standing depth; physical support only with the swimmer's agreement and as directed by the teacher.
What it develops
- Standard and support sculls
- Sculling in a variety of positions
How to run it
- Swimmer sculls in a back layout; partner stands beside them in standing-depth water.
- Partner watches the hips: if they drop, the partner says 'hips'.
- Swimmer tightens the tummy and bottom and pushes water towards the feet, not the floor, to lift the hips.
- Swap after 20 seconds; repeat travelling head-first.
Teaching cues
- Squeeze your tummy and bottom.
- Push water to your feet, not the floor.
- Toes at the surface.
Make it easier
- Partner places a flat hand just under the lower back as a reminder (only if the swimmer is happy with this).
Make it harder
- Scull with arms further from the hips.
- Hold one leg bent with the toe at the knee.
Common faults
- Hands push straight down.
- Swimmer sits in the water.
Corrections
- 'Hands under your hips, palms angled to your feet.'
- 'Lie on a bed, don't sit on a chair.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Be the partner for a swimmer without one, using only the verbal cue 'hips' unless the teacher has asked you to give hand support.