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Swimming

Prone Streamline Glide

The prone streamline glide is a swimming drill where you push off the wall face down and coast without kicking. It develops body alignment and control while reducing resistance in the water.

  • Intermediate
  • Moderate injury risk
  • Rest 45 sec

How to do it

  1. Place both feet against the pool wall below the surface, with your knees bent and your body facing down the lane.
  2. Lower your face into the water, looking toward the pool bottom.
  3. Extend your arms overhead with one hand stacked over the other.
  4. Push away from the wall by straightening your legs.
  5. Hold your stretched-out, face-down position without kicking as your speed decreases.
  6. Use gentle arm strokes to return to the surface.

Form cues

  • Keep your ribs over your pelvis
  • Squeeze your legs together
  • Point your toes
  • Keep your neck long

Common mistakes

  • Pushing off too hardUse a light push until you can leave the wall without twisting or losing your body line.
  • Diving too deepAim your push horizontally just below the surface rather than toward the pool bottom.
  • Forcing your arms behind your headKeep your arms within a comfortable shoulder range rather than forcing a narrow streamline.

Safety

Extending the glide to delay breathing can lead to underwater blackout and drowning. An uncontrolled push-off can also cause a collision with another swimmer or the pool bottom.

  • Practice in a lifeguarded pool with another person directly watching your attempts.
  • Check the depth and leave enough clear space ahead before pushing off.
  • Breathe normally between attempts; never hyperventilate or compete for underwater distance.
  • Surface at the first urge to breathe, even if you are still moving quickly, and stop if you feel dizzy or distressed.

If you cannot float face down and return to the surface independently, learn those skills with qualified swimming instruction before attempting this drill.

Muscles worked

Front
Back

Primary muscles

  • Core

Secondary muscles

  • Front Delts
  • Glutes
  • Serratus Anterior

Equipment

  • Pool Lane Line (optional)

Sets and reps

Sets
2–3
Target
4–6 reps
Rest
45 sec

Count each push-off and glide as one rep; recover your normal breathing before repeating.