Why do we teach rockets?

When teaching 2–5-year-olds streamline, we refer to this position as a rocket.

We ask for the student to put their chin to their chest which will help maintain correct head positioning, straight arms which will keep them buoyant and on top of the water, and pointed kicking toes for a fast forward motion. Each of these skills contribute to the swimmer's flat body position, assisting in a smooth glide on top of the water.

Learning rockets builds knowledge and habit when moving onto complex strokes such as freestyle or breastroke. For example, when learning freestyle, we ask for swimmers to 'snap' into their rockets after each stroke. Likewise, when learning breastroke, we ask swimmers to 'shoot' into their rockets following each kick and pull.