What it is
The cue sequence for Supported Back Floats, reviewing the progression from full support to limited support.
Essentials
- Seated back to chest
- Head on shoulder
- Head in hand
- Fingertips on neck
Progression
- Seated back to chest — full support; swimmer seated with back to instructor's chest.
- Head on shoulder — support moves to the head resting on the instructor's shoulder.
- Head in hand — support moves to the head held in the instructor's hand.
- Fingertips on neck — limited support; only fingertips on the neck.
What goes wrong
No specific errors or corrections are stated in the source for this cue set.
How you know it worked
The swimmer holds the back float with only fingertips on the neck (limited support), having progressed through all four stages.
How you teach it
Scripts work: practice saying the four cues aloud and repeating them frequently. They should be spoken every lesson to every swimmer. The physical positions move from full support (swimmer seated, back to your chest) through intermediate hand/shoulder contacts to the minimal fingertip touch on the neck. Each step reduces your involvement by one contact point, so the swimmer gradually owns the float. Because the cues are short and fixed, consistency of delivery matters more than variation — say them the same way each time so the swimmer builds a reliable internal script.
Source: Lesson Coordinator Handbook for Fun and Effective Instruction, 1st Edition, 2023, p. 34.
back glide script (cue)
Definition: The back glide script is one of the scripts that are wonderful to use, practice aloud, and repeat frequently; it should be spoken every lesson to every swimmer.
Core cues:
- Seated back to chest
- Head on shoulder
- Head in hand
- Fingertips on neck
Coach interpretation:
- Seated back to chest: full support — the swimmer is seated with their back to the instructor's chest.
- Head on shoulder: reduced support — the swimmer's head rests on the instructor's shoulder.
- Head in hand: reduced support — the swimmer's head is supported in the instructor's hand.
- Fingertips on neck: limited support — the instructor supports the swimmer with fingertips on the neck.
Teaching strategy:
Review the progression from full support to limited support. Practice saying the script aloud and repeating it frequently. Speak it every lesson to every swimmer.
Common errors and corrections:
- Not applicable from source.
Progression:
Supported Back Floats progression: Seated back to chest → Head on shoulder → Head in hand → Fingertips on neck. The front glide script and the back glide script are wonderful; use them.
⚠ Language below was not found in the source — do not publish as-is. Most often this means the original sits inside a table or a multi-column layout that extraction could not read cleanly:
- “The front glide script and the back glide script are
wonderful. Use them. Practice saying them aloud
and repeating them frequently.”
- “They should be spoken every lesson to every
swimmer.”
Short verified cues (confirmed present; check by eye): “Seated back to chest”, “Head on shoulder”, “Head in hand”, “Fingertips on neck”