Log Roll Along the Wall
Holding the wall with one hand, swimmers roll from front to back and swap hands – rotation with the wall as a safety net.
- Stages
- Stage 2
- Difficulty
- Developing
- Skills
- Front Float, Back Float, Rotation
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 5–99 years
- Group size
- 1–8 swimmers
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Leave plenty of space along the wall between swimmers.
What it develops
- Float on front and back and return to standing
- Roll from front to back and back to front
How to run it
- Swimmer floats on the front holding the wall with one hand, other arm by the side.
- They roll onto the back, swapping to hold the wall with the other hand.
- Roll back onto the front and swap again.
- Travel along the wall with each roll.
Teaching cues
- Head turns first.
- Roll like a log – keep long.
- Swap hands as you roll.
Make it easier
- Keep both hands on the wall and just turn the head and hips.
- Assistant guides the hips.
Make it harder
- Roll and let go for a moment before grabbing the wall again.
- Roll three times in a row.
Common faults
- Bending at the hips and sitting up.
- Letting go too early.
Corrections
- 'Log, not a ball.'
- 'Hand finds the wall before you let go of the other.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Move along the wall with a swimmer, placing a hand under their hips to guide the roll until they can do it alone.