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.