Body Control – swimming activities

Holding, changing and moving the body shape with tension and balance.

Activities

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.
Back Tuck Somersault – From a tuck on the back, roll backwards in a tight ball using the hands, surfacing in a back layout – a controlled, introductory rotation.
Backward Roll in the Water – A tucked backward somersault in the water from a back float, introducing backward rotation safely and calmly.
Balance Point Float – Swimmers experiment with arm position in a back float to find their own balance point – where the legs stay up without kicking.
Balance Stance Hold – Poolside balance practice: rise onto the toes with arms above the head and hold steady, building the control needed for a calm take-off.
Basic Sculling Control – Small, continuous figure-of-eight hand movements that hold the body still on the back, then move it head-first – the foundation skill for swimming, water polo and artistic swimming.
Bent-Knee Lift Preparation – From a back layout, slide one foot up the other leg to a bent knee and hold it – the preparation for leg lifts, kept firmly at introductory level.
Body Tension Check – Hold a rigid straight body on the back while a partner gently moves you by the feet – if you stay in one piece, your body tension is ready for positions, entries and rotations.
Diving Warm-Up Mobility – A gentle poolside warm-up before entries: shoulder circles, arm reaches into the grab, calf rises and tension holds – preparing the body for jumps and dives.
Entry Shapes Judge Panel – Swimmers take turns as a three-person judging panel scoring jumps on shape, control and entry – learning what good looks like.
Entry Splash Detective – Partners judge the size of the splash on each entry – the smaller the splash, the more streamlined the entry – making 'quality' easy to see.
Forward Roll in the Water – A tucked forward somersault in the water – the safe way to feel forward rotation long before any rotation in the air.
Forward Tuck Somersault – From a front layout, tuck and roll forwards in a tight ball, finishing back on the surface – calm, controlled rotation.
Half-Turn Jump – Jump out and turn half a circle in the air to land feet-first facing the wall – with a clear, safe distance from the edge.
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.
Jump Sequence Relay – Teams perform a sequence of different feet-first jumps one at a time – pencil, star, tuck, turn – scoring for control and safe exits, not speed.
Jump, Shape, Straighten – The teacher calls a shape as the swimmer stands ready – star, tuck or pike – and the swimmer must show it and be straight before entering.
Jump, Sink and Push Up – A pencil jump where swimmers let themselves sink a little in the straight shape, then push water down with the hands to rise – calm control after entry.
Log Roll in Layout – Roll slowly from back layout to front layout and back again, keeping the body straight like a log.
Mirror Partner Sculling – Two swimmers face each other sculling and one leads simple movements while the other mirrors – the start of synchronisation.
Mushroom to Starfish – Tuck into a mushroom float, then open slowly into a starfish on the front – controlled changes of shape with calm breathing.
One-Arm Wave in Layout – Scull in a back layout with one hand while the other arm lifts slowly out of the water and waves – keeping the body steady as the support changes.
Partner Shape Call – A game: one partner secretly chooses a shape, the jumper performs it, and the partner checks it matches – lots of jumps, lots of fun.
Pencil Jump – A straight feet-first jump out from the edge – arms by the sides, legs together, toes pointed – the basic diving entry shape.
Pencil Sink and Rise – From an upright position, sink calmly in a straight pencil shape, then rise back to the surface with control – the first controlled submersion.
Pike Reach Jump – Jump up, lift straight legs and reach the hands towards the toes in a pike, then straighten fully before a feet-first entry.
Poolside Shape Freeze – Dry-land practice on a poolside mat: swimmers freeze in straight, star, tuck and pike shapes on command, building the body awareness needed in the air.
Position Chain Calls – The teacher calls positions in a random order and swimmers change smoothly – testing control, memory and transitions.
Presentation Posture – Practise how to look and hold yourself at the surface – tall, chin level, shoulders back, face expressive – while eggbeating or sculling.
Quarter-Turn Jump – A straight jump with a quarter turn in the air, landing feet-first facing the side – the first controlled twist.
Roll and Stretch – Link a forward or backward roll in the water straight into a long, streamlined stretch – rotation that finishes in a tight, straight shape, as a dive should.
Scull Switch – Change between sculls on the teacher's call – stationary, head-first, feet-first, spinning – without losing the back layout.
Shape Freeze in the Water – A game: swimmers move freely, then freeze into the shape the teacher calls – layout, tuck, star, pencil – and are scored on control and stillness.
Side Layout Hold – Float on the side in a straight line with the top arm along the body and the bottom arm sculling – builds balance in a new position.
Smooth Speed Control – Perform the same movement – a roll, a tuck or an arm shape – at three speeds on the counts, learning to control speed rather than rush.
Spinning Scull – Rotate on the spot in a back layout by sculling with one hand pushing towards the head and the other towards the feet – like a slow clock hand.
Springboard Approach Walk – Specialist facility only: practise a calm, controlled walk to the end of the board and a balanced stance – first on poolside, then on the board – before any take-off.
Star Jump Entry – Jump out, open into a star shape in the air, then close back to a pencil before entering – the first shape that must be finished before entry.
Starfish to Pencil Float – Change slowly between a wide starfish float and a narrow pencil float on the back, feeling how body shape changes balance.
Support Scull on the Spot – Hold a back layout completely still beside a floating marker using a support scull – the skill behind every stationary artistic position.
Toes Over the Edge Stance – Set up a stable diving stance at the edge – toes curled over, feet hip-width, knees soft, arms in the grab above the head – and hold it before any entry.
Tuck Jump Entry – Jump out, bring the knees to the chest in a tuck, then straighten before entering feet-first.
Wall-Supported Leg Extension – With the hands holding the wall behind, swimmers lift one extended leg towards vertical from a back layout – an introductory, supported version of a leg-lift position.