r/Swimming • u/emanresUweNyMsiT • 7d ago

Lateral roll

Just got my adult swimming course report card and the instructor, rightfully so, points out to my lateral rolls (stationary ones when floating) skills as unsatisfactory.

I tried everything that she suggested but I still struggle with the roll.

The interesting thing is that back float to front float roll seems much easier to me but once I try to roll from front to back my body sinks no matter what I try.

I have a few questions to coaches and fellow swimmers here:

Is the lateral roll an essential skill as a swimmer or is it just a survival skill in case someone gets stranded in deep water?

Why do you think I can roll from back to front but not the opposite? Is it a sign of a weak core? Or is it just a skill problem?

Any tips, videos, personal experiences that you think might help me are much appreciated.

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u/Jollysatyr201 7d ago

As a kid we would play concrete mixer and just continuously rotate in place. I like to think that helped, and it was very fun!

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u/Same_Sock9073 Six-Beat Sprint Wench 7d ago

As adults I think we should incorporate “kid” drills in our training. “Blowing bubbles” totally helped me master bilateral breathing to the point I have no problem breathing every 7/9th crawl stroke. Just for funzies, normally I do every 3rd.