In my opinion, body roll is the single most important aspect of the freestyle stoke, so much so that I call it the foundation on which the freestyle stroke is built.
What is ‘body roll?’
Body roll is the rotation of your shoulders, torso, hips and legs around the long axis of the body.
It is rare to see someone with too much body roll although it is very common to see too little roll. It is also common to see swimmers rolling well to one side but not to the other.
Notice that the head is specifically excluded from the definition of body roll. The head should remain stationary and not roll with the body unless you are breathing.
There are numerous reasons why body roll is so important, but here is what I believe are the four most important ones:
1) A Longer, Smoother Stroke
Good body rotation allows you to reach further forward during your hand entry into the water. It also allows for a seamless transition through the entire stroke – entry, the catch, pull/push and recovery. That translates to a longer, smoother, more efficient stroke.
2) Easier Arm Recovery
To demonstrate, try this – Lie flat on the floor on your belly and try to recover your arms as you would while swimming. Even if you are VERY flexible in the shoulder, this is difficult to do. You’re going to struggle to clear the water’s surface (the floor). When you are in the water, the surface you have to clear is actually higher on your body then when you are lying on the floor.
Also notice how the hand has to lead the elbow to get around – this swinging path creates sideways momentum and when you enter the water at the front of the stroke your hand will tend to cross the center line.
Now, lay on your side with your lower arm outstretched in front of you. In this position it becomes very easy to recover the hand high over the water. The shoulder is much more neutral and the arm movement is ‘up and over’ as opposed to ‘around.’ There is no longer a tendency to cross the center line at the front of the stroke because the sideways momentum during hand entry has been eliminated by the body roll.
3) Using Your Larger Muscles and Core for Power
With a good body roll, you are using your lats, pecs and core muscles to power the stroke. This is a good technique because these muscles are very strong and powerful.
Conversely, when you swim with a flat body position you are only using your shoulder muscles to power the stroke. These are a lot weaker than your chest and back muscles.
4) Good Body Roll Promotes Good Leg Position
Body roll and leg position tend to go ‘hand in hand.’ You can’t have good body roll without good leg position. Good body roll means your entire body – shoulders, hips, and legs – rotating around the long axis of the body. If your legs are ‘dragging’ you simply cannot roll properly. (I will address some of the common cause of ‘leg drag’ in the kicking section).
How Do I Know I Have a Good Body Roll?
When you develop a good body roll a couple things will happen:
- Breathing becomes much easier and more natural.
- Your stroke lengthens and becomes more efficient.
- Your recovery is more natural with better clearance over the water.
- Your entry will naturally position your hand for a strong catch and pull.
- Your entire stroke will become smoother and more fluid.
So How Do I Develop A Good Body Roll?
There are two things I recommend to facilitate a body roll. I won’t go so far as to call them drills, because they are simply thought processes that are incorporated into the overall stroke.
1) Reach for the wall – After your hand enters the water, reach for the far wall, stretching your hand as far forward as you can. This will promote rolling into the stroke, thereby enhancing your body roll. Some of you may have heard about ‘over-reaching.’ When I talk about the entry I will discuss how to transition from the entry into the catch without over-reaching.
2) Brush Your Hip with Your Thumb – As you begin your recovery, brush your hip with your thumb. Visualize your thumb helping to rotate your hip up, or stated another way, your thumb brushes your hip out of the way. The effect of this is twofold. First, in order for your thumb to brush your hip, you must have full extension in your stroke. Second, it will facilitate proper body roll at the recovery end of your stroke.
Body Roll Problems and How to Avoid Them
- Single Sided Breathing Causes Unbalanced Body Roll – virtually every swimmer that only breathes to one side will have an adequate body roll to the breathing side and an inadequate body roll to the non-breathing side. The simple solution is to learn to breathe on both sides – known as bi-lateral breathing. Without ever considering body rotation, bi-lateral breathing will equalize body roll all by itself. It will force your stroke to become more symmetrical and will cause you to swim straighter – very handy in open water.
- Trying to Swim to Fast – Newer swimmers, especially beginners, are under the mistaken impression that ‘faster is faster.’ That is not necessarily true. Are you trying to beat the water into submission with a short, scrappy stroke and little or no body rotation? To develop your body roll you need to give yourself more time on each stroke to lengthen your stroke. To accomplish this, consciously think of slowing your stroke down, rotate around the long axis of your body and reach for the far wall on entry. The speed you gain from improved stroke efficiency will more than compensate for the reduced turnover rate. Plus, as an added benefit, you will use far less energy to swim the same distance.
