Purpose
- Similar to Scull #1, Scull #2 focuses on the phase of the stroke between the catch and pull through phase, under the head
- It’s a very useful drill to help you correct a wide S shape or straight arm pull through
Key Points
- Always use a pull buoy, push off and keep your head on the surface looking forwards
- Keep your chin on the surface or tip your face in to see what you're doing
- Scull the water directly under your head
- Keep your elbows in a fixed position, scull just with the lower arms and hands, pitched to keep a light pressure on your palm, changing the angle of the elbows between 90-160°
- Scull side to side just wider than shoulder width and into the centre
- You may feel less supported than with Scull #1, just stay relaxed and breathe smoothly
Progression into full stroke
- Sculling is best performed over short distances before immediately transitioning into freestyle
- You can use it in combination with other drills which work on the same areas of your stroke e.g. 12.5 Scull #1 + 12.5 Scull #2 + 50 freestyle
- This sequence helps you ‘feel the water’ during the catch phase and pull through phases
- As you transition into freestyle, think about lightly pressing the water back to the wall behind you
- Bend your elbows and keep your hands in line with your shoulders throughout the catch and pull through
- Don’t be surprised if your stroke rate naturally picks up straight after sculling- this is perfectly normal and means that you’ve improved your catch technique!
Scull #2 is one of the fundamental drills of the Swim Smooth drill pack, all swimmers should perform it regularly in their training sessions to develop their ‘feel for the water’, catch technique and stroke rate. |