What it is
A Level 3 testable skill: front crawl with side breathing over 8 meters. Strong kick, long reaching arms returning to position 11 with each stroke, head down except for side breathing.
Essentials
- Strong kick; long reaching arms returning to position 11 with each stroke
- Head remains down when not breathing; turns only to the side when breathing
- Spine straight
- Streamline first underwater, turns into FR at surface
- Breath during arm stroke, done by recovery
- Cues: "Position 11" · "Streamline" · "Locked Thumb, Squeezed Ears, Face down" · "Avoid lifting head" · "look at bottom"
Progression
- Level 2 prerequisite: horizontal progress, streamline and glides (front and back)
- Start pushing off the wall on the surface; build up to pushing off the wall in streamline underwater
- Side Glide Drill: 3 × SL + 3 FR + lay on side, one arm in 11, face down, float with 10 kicks
- Build to full front crawl with repeated side breathing over 8 meters
What goes wrong
- Lifting head vertically on streamline or freestyle: every repetition reinforces the bad habit. Correct by encouraging the swimmer to look at the bottom and giving specific actions to achieve the desired result.
- Sloppy free arms or lazy streamline and Position 11: when feedback is lackluster or direction is lacking, swimmers get sloppy. Fix immediately with direct, specific language.
- Arm raised forward goes into the air and swimmer looks up (side glide drill): goal is looking down, nose in armpit. Cue: "Smell your sticky armpits."
- Lifting head to breathe without a strong stabilizing kick: legs sink, body bows like a banana, making proper arm strokes and efficient breathing virtually impossible.
- Belly laying instead of side laying in the side glide drill.
How you know it worked
Swimmer completes freestyle (front crawl) with repeated side breathing for a minimum of 8 meters without interruption.
How you teach it
Position 11 is a crucial habit-building skill; spend significant time teaching it with excellent straight arms. In Level 3 all swimmers need to be doing streamline correctly—the three things are Locked Thumb, Squeezed Ears, Face down. Watch for swimmers picking their head up vertically on streamline and freestyle; every time they do, they are learning a bad habit. The correction is not simply "don't lift your head" but rather encouraging the swimmer to look at the bottom and giving them actions to get the desired result. Approach the problem sideways: discuss alternative actions rather than just telling them to stop.
Freestyle and side breathing will be the bulk of Level 3. The kick is the critical, non-negotiable link: it provides the stability and propulsion necessary to support the body-line-disrupting action of side breathing. Without a strong, stabilizing kick, a swimmer who lifts to breathe will have legs sink and body bow, making coordinated arm work impossible.
Give specific feedback as often as possible, scaled to the number of swimmers on each side. Progressive feedback that references the swimmer's changes and previous feedback is best. When instructors go silent or give only generic "good job" feedback, bad habits form and swimmers get sloppy.
In the side glide drill, the goal is laying on the side. Most swimmers will get confused with the arm raised forward and will put it in the air and look up. The goal is looking down, nose in armpit. "Smell your sticky armpits."