Last Updated on March 18, 2024 by admin
In this article, we’ll provide advice, hacks, tips and drills as an introduction to swimming sculling.
What is swimming sculling?
Swimming sculling is often overlooked and is an undervalued key set of swimming skills.
- Sculling is a series of swimming techniques.
- Which focuses on the pitch and position of the swimmer’s hands and forearms in the water.
- Helping to improve your stroke technique and propulsion.
The benefits of swimming sculling
There are many benefits of swimming sculling to the swimmer, these include,
- The development of the swimmer’s sense of the pressure in the water.
- This increases their ability to ‘feel the water’.
- Which can help the swimmer to correctly adjust the pitch and position of their hands and forearms.
- This, in turn, can enable them to gain maximum purchase of the water.
- Which can result in them obtaining increased propulsion and lift through the water.
Types of swimming sculling drills
There are many types of swimming sculling drills, these include,
Vertical sculling drills
Vertical sculling drills include sculling with high knees, treading water or an egg-beater kick.
- These are great introductory sculling drills.
Competitive sculling drills
Sculling drills can be used to improve all of the competitive swimming strokes.
- There are sculls for the different parts of each of the competitive stroke’s propulsive phases, these include.
Front-End Sculls
Front-end sculls are those which focus on the catch phase of the stroke.
- Which is the first propulsive phase of a competitive stroke, as the hand or hands enter the water.
Mid-point Sculls
Mid-point sculls focus on the main propulsive phase of the competitive strokes .
Backend Sculls
Backend sculls are those which focus on the exit phase of the stroke.
Sculling in training
The swimmer should be introduced to sculling at an early part of their swimming development.
- Swimmers should regularly practice and develop their sculling techniques as a part of their ongoing training routine.
- Sculling drills can be practiced as a part of a stroke technique set, as part of a recovery swim or as a part of a warm-up/cool-down.
The key components for effective sculling are
Pace and technique
Swimmers should perform sculling at a slow drill pace and focus on the correct technique.
Hands and forearms
Swimmers should focus on sculling with both their hands and forearms and ensure they are positioned correctly.
Resist arm stroking
Swimmers should focus on a sculling action and should not stroke or pull with their arms.
Handshape
Swimmers should ensure their hands are in the correct sculling shape (see below).
Body position
Swimmers should focus on the correct body position, to make each scull effective.
Reduce leg kick
Whilst sculling, swimmers should only use their leg kick for buoyancy.
- This will help to ensure they are in the correct body position to perform the scull
- Kicking should not be used for any extra propulsion.
Use swimming equipment to help
When first learning a new scull, swimmers may benefit from extra buoyancy, by using a pull buoy or noodle/woggle.
- They may also find the use of a snorkel useful when first practicing any sculling in a prone (face down) position.
Practice consistently and persistently:
When mastering the many sculling techniques, like most of the other key swimming skills, it takes time and should be practiced consistently and persistently
The sculling handshape
The most effective hand position for sculling is for the swimmer to have their fingers very slightly apart and their hands slightly cupped.
To obtain the correct sculling hand shape:
Swimmers should place their hands on the cheeks of their faces, ensuring that their fingers are very slightly apart.
- Now the swimmers should remove their hands from their faces, whilst keeping their fingers very slightly apart and their hands slightly cupped.
- Their hands are now in the correct hand shape for effective sculling.
Introductory swimming sculling drills
There is a large variety of sculling drills for all strokes.
- Listed below are some introductory sculling drills and progressions.
Please note These drills were originally devised for a 25m (short course) pool. However, they can easily be adapted for use in a 50m (long course) pool.
Headfirst supine scull
Introduction: This drill is a great introduction to basic sculling techniques.
How to perform this scull: The swimmer begins this scull by floating on their back in a horizontal/supine position, and with their head in the water, at one end of the pool.
- The swimmer’s feet are in a pointed plantar flexion position.
- The swimmer’s arms are outstretched, perpendicular to their body (90 degrees) with a slight bend at the elbow
- The swimmer sculls headfirst.
- Complete this drill for one length of the pool (25m)
Feet first supine scull
Introduction: This scull further develops the swimmer’s basic sculling techniques
How to perform this scull: As above, the swimmer begins this progression, at one end of the pool, by floating on their back and with their head in the water (horizontal/supine position).
- The swimmer’s feet are in a pointed plantar flexion position.
- The swimmer’s arms are outstretched, perpendicular to their body (90 degrees) with a slight bend at the elbow
- The swimmer sculls feet first.
- Complete this progression for one length of the pool (25m)
Headfirst prone scull
Introduction: This scull introduces the swimmer to further basic sculling, in a face-down in a horizontal/prone position.
How to perform this scull: The swimmer begins this scull by floating, at one end of the pool, on their front in a streamlined prone position with their head in the water, lifting their head only to breathe.
- The swimmer’s feet should be in a pointed plantar flexion position.
- The swimmer should move their outstretched arms to a position slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with their palms down.
- The swimmer then sculls by moving their hands from side to side, with a thumbs up scull on the in sweep and with a thumbs down scull on the out sweep. (see diagram below)
- They should ensure that they are performing a strong and steady freestyle (flutter) kick.
- This drill should be completed for one length/lap of the pool (25m)
Doggy Paddle
Introduction: An undervalued scull, the doggy paddle is great for developing and maintaining the swimmer’s sculling skills and feel for the water, during the pull phase of the freestyle stroke.
How to perform this scull:
Starting with the swimmer in the horizontal/prone position, with their head out of the water.
- The swimmer should proceed with a series of alternate arm sculls,
- By extending their arm fully into the catch position,
- Continued with the sculling motion with their wrists up and their fingers pointing down to the bottom of the pool, in a straight line, back to their chest.
- Ensure the swimmer is performing a strong and steady flutter kick.
- The swimmer’s feet should be pointed in a plantar flexion position.
- Complete this progression for one length of the pool (25m)
‘Tucked’ feet first scull
Introduction: An advanced sculling technique, which adds resistance and fun.
How to perform this scull: The swimmer should perform this scull in a ‘tucked’ (semi-recumbent), position.
- Raising their knees and trunk into a semi-recumbent sitting position
- With their body at approximately 45 degrees
- However, some swimmers may find it easier to sit in an upright position.
- The swimmer’s arms should be outstretched perpendicular to their body (90 degrees) and bent at the elbow, the swimmer sculls feet first.
- This drill should be performed for one length/lap of the pool (25m) (See diagram above)
Takeaways
In this article, we’ll provide advice, hacks, tips and drills on the benefits of swimming sculling and how it can improve swimming technique and performance.
- Sculling is an often overlooked and undervalued key set of swimming skills.
- Sculling is a swimming technique, which focuses on the pitch and position of the swimmer’s hands and forearms in the water.
- The benefits of correct swimming sculling are that it teaches the swimmer to place their hands and forearms in the water in the correct position with the correct pitch, for all strokes.
- This develops the swimmer’s sense of the water pressure and their ability to ‘feel the water’.
- This enables the swimmer to adjust their hands and forearms pitch and position, enabling them to gain maximum purchase and thus increase their propulsion and lift through the water.
Related article on 20 ways to improve your competitive swimming
We have produced a related article, on 20 ways to improve your competitive swimming. Which you can view by clicking this link: 20 ways to improve your competitive swimming
Swimming resource library
We have produced a swimming resource library.
- This contains links to our ever-expanding portfolio of blog posts.
- Which are subdivided by swimming category
Categories include: Swimmer Development | Swimmers Health | Swimming Coaching | Swimming Competition | Swimming Drills | Swimming Dryland/Land Training | Swimming Equipment | Swimming Psychology | Swimming Training
To access our library simply click on the attached page link: Swimming resource library
Swimming Publications
We produce a growing range of publications on a wide range of swimming subjects.
- These include competitive swimming drill publications for backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.
- For information regarding our portfolio please follow our link: Swimming publications
The Competitive Swimming Exchange – Facebook Group
The Competitive Swimming Exchange is a Facebook group to help exchange ideas and information to collectively improve the sport we love.
- It’s an international group for all swimmers, coaches, teachers, masters, triathletes and swimming parents.
- In fact, it’s for all those who are interested in competitive swimming, either in the pool or in open water.
For more information about joining this group please use the following link: The Competitive Swimming Exchange