Swimming
Vertical Scull
The vertical scull is a swimming drill that uses small, continuous hand sweeps to keep you upright in deep water. It develops control of water pressure and forearm endurance.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 45 sec
How to do it
- Take an upright position beside the pool wall, with your feet off the bottom.
- Bend your elbows with your hands submerged slightly in front of your waist.
- Sweep your hands outward with your palms angled slightly down and outward.
- Reverse the sweep inward with your palms angled slightly down and inward.
- Continue alternating sweeps for the interval, keeping your mouth above water.
- Grasp the wall to end the interval.
Form cues
- Keep your shoulders away from your ears.
- Change direction smoothly, without pausing.
- Breathe normally throughout.
- Keep your head stacked over your hips.
Common mistakes
- Making wide arm sweepsKeep the movement compact, with your elbows close to your sides rather than reaching far outward.
- Relying on a strong kickReduce your kick to light support so your hands provide most of the lift.
- Chopping through the waterLet your palms press against the water rather than slicing through it edge-first.
Safety
In deep water, fatigue or ineffective hand pressure can let your airway slip underwater, creating a drowning risk. Forceful sweeps can also irritate your wrists or shoulders.
- Practice only in a lifeguarded pool with a clear space around you.
- Stay within immediate reach of a solid wall; do not rely on a lane line for support.
- End the interval as soon as staying above water becomes difficult.
- Start with gentle hand pressure rather than forceful, fast sweeps.
If you cannot comfortably tread water and return to the wall independently, practice the hand action while standing in shallow water under qualified supervision instead.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Pool Lane Line (optional)
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–4
- Target
- 15–30 seconds
- Rest
- 45 sec
Start at the short end of the range until you can maintain a steady upright position.