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Band Shoulder Rotations

Keep your shoulders healthy with the small rotation muscles that swimmers use most.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Tie a light band at elbow height and hold it with your elbow at your side.

Core: As written. Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time.

Ages
14 and up
Time
10 min
Players
Just you
Space
Small room
Bring
Light resistance band
Level · skill
Advanced · Endurance

The steps

How it works

  1. Tie a light band at elbow height and hold it with your elbow at your side.
  2. Rotate your hand out away from your belly 12 times.
  3. Turn around and rotate in 12 times.
  4. Do 3 sets each arm.

Coaching point

Elbow glued to your side, slow.

Safety: Use a light band. This should feel easy to moderate, never painful.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Pool-deck follow-the-leader: one person leads a dryland movement and the group copies. Swap the leader each time.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (slower or smaller), Core (as written), More (one extra twist). Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time.

Story

You are an explorer crossing the pool deck like a jungle.

My best

Beat your own count

Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free swimming week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

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An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.