5 Drills Every Coach Should Know, From a Swimmer’s Perspective

Photo Courtesy: SW

By Ashlee Weingarten, Swimming World College Intern

Every coach knows that drills are the key to swimming correctly and perfecting a swimmer’s form. To a swimmer, drills can be boring and sometimes it seems like the only good that comes out of them is being able to swim 25s in practice.

The following five drills are simple, easy ways to learn components of all four strokes that swimmers will like to do.

1. Kicking

It’s an integral part of every stroke. Although swimmers complain about it, they know it’s necessary. Finding balance in each stroke will help perfect the motion for all strokes; and for butterfly and breaststroke, it will help the timing for breathing.

Finding your balance point in all strokes while kicking is just the start for a seamless stroke. Each of the following four drills take a focus on one stroke.

2. Freestyle: Head Touch

This is a simple drill that helps with the entrance of your hand while you are swimming freestyle. Slowly taking a stroke and pausing at your head before rotating allows you to focus on the entrance of your hand as you begin rotating to the other side.

3. Backstroke: Triple Back

This drill focuses on the rotation of your body as you swim backstroke. Taking three strokes and pausing on your side after the third, helps your body become accustomed to being on its side while swimming backstroke.

4. Breaststroke: Dolphin Breast

Although the concept of combining dolphin kick with breaststroke arms may seem foreign, it allows swimmers to focus more on the timing of their breaths, rather than trying to combine all elements of the stroke at once. Breaststroke is a complicated stroke, and it is easier to accomplish the feat of swimming it correctly when your breathing is right.

5. Butterfly: Stone Skip

The idea of stone skip is not to focus on the dolphin kick or butterfly arms, but rather on when your head should come up for air, in relation to the movement of your hips. Instead of a full on kick, you simply pulse your hips and have your arms in a superhero position. As you pull your arms down (like the beginning of a full butterfly stroke), your head should come up for a breath. You will not complete a full stroke, but rather bring your arms back up by sweeping them under the water back to the starting point.

Drills are essential, but there is no need to make them boring and repetitive. Focus on the key elements of the strokes that may be hard for swimmers to grasp and perfecting strokes becomes something swimmers want to do, rather than dreading drills.

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Daniela Nuncio

8 years ago

Roberto Dominguez Ortiz???

John Sargent

8 years ago

Adam Barnes Jake Lloyd

John Sargent

8 years ago

Adam Barnes Jake Lloyd

Victor Sgd

8 years ago

Comment on fait c bulle? ?

Nick Cummins

8 years ago

The backstroke is a good one

Cathleen Barber

8 years ago

Reply to Nick Cummins

The marlins do all of these. Especially the freestyle one only the don’t touch their heads they just pause with it above their heads.

Cathleen Barber

8 years ago

Reply to Nick Cummins

The marlins do all of these. Especially the freestyle one only the don’t touch their heads they just pause with it above their heads.

Nick Cummins

8 years ago

Reply to Nick Cummins

The free is real similar to the 4 point recovery they were doing last year. But I like just the pause. And I agree if you touch your head they’re not getting the separation in conjunction with the high elbow.