What it is
Swim continuous front and back crawl for 50 meters. A Level 4 distance skill requiring good technique throughout, with no stopping, pausing, or holding the wall or lane lines.
Essentials
- Head down when not breathing; head turns to side only during the arm stroke. Head remains still, chin slightly tucked, eyes above body targeting over the toes.
- No interruption of arms and kick when breathing. Kick stays steady (rumble kick) through arms and breaths, driving movement and tempo.
- Body rotates with arm strokes no more than 45°. Hips swing with the arm stroke to pull water using the torso.
- Arms return to position 11, not X. Hands catch water early. Arms pull underwater with bent elbow, finishing at the thighs.
- Must be good technique without stopping, pausing, holding wall or lane lines.
- Long body lines, long reaching arms, streamlines off walls, strong kick, arm strokes that push water.
Progression
- Front crawl 20 meters with bilateral breaths
- Back crawl 20 meters with body in soldier
- 3 × streamline (no kick) + 1 × (11, Y, Eat, Reach), then 1 × (BR kick in position 11)
- Streamline + 2 strokes fly with breath on stroke #2
- Swim 50 meters front or back crawl
What goes wrong
- Stopping, pausing, or grabbing the wall/lane lines → must maintain continuous good technique for the full 50 m.
- Head up or turning when not breathing → head stays face-down; turns to the side only during the arm stroke.
- Arms or kick stop during a breath → no interruption; kick and arms continue through every breath.
- Body rotation exceeds 45° → limit rotation to 45°; hips swing with the stroke, not beyond.
- Arms cross to an X or pull with a straight elbow → return to position 11, bent elbow, finish at the thighs.
How you know it worked
Swimmer completes 50 meters of continuous front and back crawl with good technique, no stopping or pausing, no holding the wall or lane lines, maintaining long body lines, steady kick, and arm strokes that push water throughout.
How you teach it
This skill sits at Level 4 (ages 3+, often 6+) for swimmers who can already swim laps of freestyle and backstroke. It is the transition point toward swim-team work; it is not full breaststroke or full butterfly yet. Set up in lanes with or without benches based on the height and ages of your swimmers—benches are still effective but not required; remove them to swim whole lengths. Work in drills, fins, kickboards, pull buoys, and swim-team sets. Use lap-swim pools or shallow ends so swimmers can stand; deep end is acceptable provided there are areas to rest and recover.
Instructors can walk alongside the lane outside the pool or remain in the water, whichever gives the best vantage point to see swimmers as they move. Focus on the most important element: body position and the motion of the arms rather than "swimming" in general. Every stroke starts in 11—cue "long reaches to 11." Be dynamic, keep reps high, change it up, keep swimmers interested. Be loud, fun, talk a lot, play games with purpose. If a swimmer is not getting it, change the delivery or the activity.
With longer distances, instructors tend to space out—check in, give feedback, stay engaged with the class. For back crawl, watch that the underwater pull is not an "S" curve and not a straight arm; the correct motion moves from 11 through the eat position. For front crawl, confirm bilateral breathing, hip rotation, head position, early catch, and elbows higher than hands on recovery.