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Written by:  Brian Grasky, Head Coach
July 10, 2011

Swimming is good, but correct swimming is better.  We recommend incorporating drills into each swim session in order to ensure correct swimming through correct neuromuscular timing, stroke development, and 'feel' of the water.  Get in the pool, swim easy for 100-400yds, then do drills and kicking for about 25-40% of your planned swim volume for that day.  Then hit the sets.  After, cool down by revisiting drills and swimming easy to reduce soreness and promote recovery. 

Distance Per Stroke (DPS)

Getting maximum distance per stroke. Emphasize a long body line, hip and shoulder rotation, minimizing resistance. Steady the rhythm, and swim in the front quadrant of all strokes (both hands in front of your shoulders at one point in the stroke—not “windmilling.”

Fist Swimming

Swimming with hands completely in a fist. No cheating! Concentrate on body position, using your forearm in the catch by maintaining a high elbow bend through the stroke. When you return to swimming with an open palm, your hands will feel as large as kickboards! Have fun and think Distance Per Stroke!

Sculling

Sculling is performed by sweeping your hands through the water, holding your elbows still. Your hands are acting like propeller blades, and subtle changes in hand pitch and speed will change your body position and speed. There is no recovery motion. When you are treading water, you are sculling your hands through the water to hold yourself up and counteract gravity. To propel yourself down the pool, simply change your hand and forearm angle to be perpendicular to the pool bottom and parallel with the pool walls. Keep your elbows high at the surface of the water, and sweep your hands underneath. Note that your swimming strokes are a combination of sculling motions that allow you to hold the water as your large body core muscles act as the engine.

Kicking

Kicking without a kickboard will allow you to perform your kick in the same body position of the stroke. Kicking with a kickboard will allow you to get to know your lane mates.

For freestyle, kick on your side with your bottom arm (the one closer to the bottom of the pool) extended straight out of your shoulder line before your head. Keep your palm facing down and your extended hand about 8 inches under water. The top arm (the one on the surface of the water) should be relaxed at your side with your hand on your hip and out of the water. Maintain a head position as though you were swimming freestyle, with your head in line with your spine. Press your arm pit toward the pool bottom to get your hip at the surface of the water. Your extended arm should feel weightless.

Golf

While swimming 50's repeats, calculate your "score" for each 50 by counting your strokes in both directions (one arm equals one stroke) and adding it to your time. For example: If you swim 50 freestyle with 24 strokes per 25 in a time of :38, you would have a score of 86 (24 + 24 + 38). Descend your score by taking fewer strokes and/or completing the 50 in a faster time…or both!

4/6/8-Count Drill

This can be done for both Freestyle and Backstroke. Kick on your side for a count of 4, 6 or 8 kicks (or counts). Take one full arm stroke to rotate to your other side for another 4, 6, or 8 kicks, and continue through the swim. While on your side, focus on correct body position (leading arm about 8 inches under the surface of the water, trailing arm out of the water with hand on hip, chin on your low shoulder, press armpit to the pool bottom). When executing the switch, begin by lifting the elbow of the arm on the water surface (top arm) and recovering it over the line of your body. The extended arm (bottom arm) stays extended to maintain a streamlined body position, until the elbow of the recovery arm has passed over your head. Then execute a quick switch to your opposite side. Use core body muscles to rotate, while maintaining a hold of the water with your bottom arm.

Gallop Drill

This is the same as the 6-Count Drill above, but you take three strokes as you switch from side to side. Focus on long strokes and quick hips in these three strokes, completely rotating from one side to the other. Maintain great body position while kicking on your side!

Catch-Up Drill

Pull with one arm at a time, assuming the Superman flying position with both arms out front before starting the alternate arm’s stroke. Keep your extended hands about 8 inches under the surface of the water for improved body position. Concentrate on swimming in the front quadrant and keep a long, streamlined body line.

Another version of this is to hold the Superman position for a count of 2 before beginning the next stroke.

Fingertip Drag Drill

This drill is swimming normal Freestyle while dragging your fingertips along the surface of the water very close to your armpit on the recovery. Focus on a high elbow recovery, which ensures proper hand and elbow position at your hand entry. You should also check your body position during this drill, focusing on good side-to-side rotation.

An alternate version of this drill involves dragging the entire hand, wrist-deep, through the water. This helps build strength and speed of the arm recovery motion.

Single Arm (R, L) Drill

Single arm freestyle swimming can be done in one of two ways.

Streamlined: With the opposite (nonworking arm) at your side. Breathe to the side of the working arm. During the stroke concentrate on the catch, initiating body rotation with the core body muscles. Take this drill slowly: technique is more important than speed.

Leading Arm: With the opposite (nonworking arm) extended in front. Breathe to the side of the working arm. Focus on high elbow recovery, hand entry, and hand acceleration.

Rhythm Drill

Single Arm freestyle with opposite arm at your side (see description above), executing 2 right arms and then 2 left arms. This takes some practice, but may very well become your favorite freestyle drill once you master it. Focus on rhythm and timing from the hips. Remember to take your breath with an arm extended out front (on the opposite side of the extended arm). If you swim this drill easily and well, your technique is close to perfect.

Open Water Swimming Drills (done in the pool)

Sighting Drill: Swim normal freestyle. On every 5th stroke, raise your head straight forward and "sight" on an object off in the distance. You can place a target object or sight something already in place, i.e.: a tree. After sighting the object, lower your head back into normal position. Practice maintaining a balanced stroke rhythm and rotation while clearly seeing the target object.

Blind Swimming: Swim normal freestyle with your eyes completely closed. On every 5th stroke, raise your head straight forward and "sight" on an object off in the distance (above). Make sure you are maintaining a straight path down the pool. You can do this drill swimming side-by-side with your lane mates to reinforce swimming in a straight path.