Welcome to the “Drill of the Week” sponsored by The Fitter and Faster Swim Tour presented by Swimoutlet.com. Swimming World will be bringing you a drill, concept, or tip that you can implement with your team on a regular basis. While certain weeks may be more appropriate for specific levels of swimming (club, high school, college, or masters), Drill Of The Week excerpts are meant to be flexible for your needs and inclusive for all levels of swimming.
This week’s drill involves one of the most commonly seen pieces of equipment around the pool deck: a bungee cord. Having one partner, a swimmer wears the bungee cord around their waist while their partner on deck holds the cord. Kicking until the cord is taught, the swimmer in the water kicks against the resistance for a prescribed amount of time.
While this drill can be made to be very, very difficult through multiple repetitions of :30, :60, or longer, it is also a great way to develop awareness of your kick and how to make it as efficient as possible. The purpose of this drill is not to overkick. Rather, swimmers should think about the width of their kick behind them and what provides the most resistance to the pull of the bungee cord. Feet just below the water with high tempo should be the goal.
This is a great drill to use with swimmers of all levels, and with older athletes a great drill to incorporate into circuit days or sprint practices. An example of a set using this drill could be:
3 Rounds:
3 x bungee kicks → time once cord is taught, take :30 rest between each rep
#1: 10 seconds
#2: 20 second
#3: 30 seconds
Happy swimming!