What it is
A long flat body held neutrally at the surface, with the hips and shoulders rotating with the arms as they spin through Position 11, underwater, and to the hip-line.
Essentials
- Body should be mostly flat or neutral at the surface from chin to toes.
- Rotate on the spinal axis.
- Chin slightly tucked; avoid banana body.
- Arms travel through Position 11 but do not pause; any pauses should be minimal and in "soldier" or at the hips.
- Hand exits the water with the thumb up, at apex of the arm stroke (90° to water) rotate palm out, then the pinky finger enters the water in Position 11.
- Maintain a constant flutter kick.
Progression
- Focus on body posture first: a long flat body held neutrally at the surface.
- Once basic body line and balance is mastered, add hip and shoulder rotation drills.
What goes wrong
- Dangling Feet (weak kick, no leg movement, or distraction causes feet to sink): Encourage swimmers to "boil the water" near the surface with their flutter kicks to keep feet up and maintain the long body line so the body can rotate well. Compound correction: kick, squeeze their tummy gently, and slightly tuck their chins.
- Wiggle Hips (hips and spine curved like a banana, causing dramatic wobble during arm movement): Enforce a straight narrow line of the spine from chin through toes. Focus on good long body posture to fix.
How you know it worked
The body is long and flat from chin to toes at the surface, hips and shoulders rotate with the arms through Position 11 on the spinal axis, and the flutter kick is constant with no visible foot-sink or lateral wobble.
How you teach it
Teach body posture before rotation. A long flat body held neutrally at the surface is the foundation; hip and shoulder rotation drills are added only after basic body line and balance are mastered. The "boil the water" cue targets the feet specifically—pair it with the compound correction (kick, gentle tummy squeeze, slight chin tuck) when feet sink. For the banana-body / wiggle-hips problem, do not try to fix the rotation itself; instead enforce a straight narrow spine line from chin through toes and let the natural rotation follow a stable axis. Arms should never be added at the expense of a sloppy hanging belly, a drooping hip, or flailing legs. When swimmers rotate their head to breathe, the goal is to rotate the head within a maintained body posture, not to lift or alter the body into a U-shape. Spend significant time on streamlines, glides, and holding a long tight body posture before layering in kicks and then arms.