5.4. What does body rotation look like during the stroke cycle?

Now that we know why it matters, what does proper body rotation actually look like?

Try the following great drill that will show you exactly how much to rotate.

• Try swimming the slowest crawl you can, using a snorkel and a pull buoy between your ankles.

The slower your crawl, the more unstable your balance, which clearly reveals whether your body is properly rotated.

Do you keep rolling back onto your stomach? Then you probably need to rotate a bit more.

Do you end up rolling onto your back? Then you’re likely rotating too much.

Stretch your arm forward and recover it above water for as long as possible.

As your hand passes by your head—about three-quarters of the stroke cycle—your body initiates the switch and rolls over to the other side. This dynamic rotation connects directly to an extended glide phase.

• Then try the same drill without the pull buoy. Use either a two-beat or a classic six-beat kick, but focus on dynamic rotation combined with a long glide.
• And finally, add breathing to the mix — doing the entire crawl without any equipment. Dynamic rotation and an extremely long glide.

Another great tool for practicing proper rotation is stopping—simply pause during your crawl or any side-glide drill. We already talked about this in Chapter 3 on gliding and body position.

For example, every fifth stroke, stop with one hand at your side. The easier version is to keep kicking while you’re stopped on your side. A more advanced version is to lock your ankles together and stop kicking—or use a pull buoy between your ankles.

The goal is to find the perfect angle that doesn’t tilt inward or outward.