Table 2.
Swimming Drills. Drills used by swimmers to focus on technique during various phases of the stroke cycle.
| Drill | Guidelines to Perform Correctly | Focus of Drill | Phase of Stroke Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fingertip drag | The swimmer's face remains facing the bottom of the pool while the torso rotates on an imaginary long axis. As the swimmer begins the recovery portion of the arm stroke, he drags the fingers tips along the water surface during recovery. | Promotes a bent elbow recovery and symmetrical body roll | Recovery |
| Shoulder, Head, Enter | The swimmer performs freestyle, focusing on a high elbow that is flexed and recovers high out of the water. During the recovery, the swimmer taps the axillary's region, the head and then reaches in front of the body at the position of 1:00 on a clock to grab the water for hand entry. | Promotes high elbow recovery, symmetrical body roll, and proper hand entry | Recovery/Hand Entry |
| 6/6 | The swimmer is positioned on his side with the arm closest to the bottom of the pool over the head(ear against bicep). The swimmer performs 6 kicks on one side, takes three long freestyle stroke cycles focusing on a high elbow recovery, and 6 kicks on the opposite side. | Promotes symmetrical body roll | Recovery/Hand Entry/Early Pull Through |
| Left arm, right arm, both arm | Swimmer performs three strokes on the left side focusing on placing the hand in the water at 11 and 1 o'clock, and keeping a steady rhythmic kick (6‐beat). The swimmer repeats the same motion on the right side. | Promotes proper hand entry, bent elbow recovery, symmetrical body roll | Hand Entry/Early Pull Through |
| Flutter kick without a kick board on side | Swimmer maintains tight core, arm closest to the bottom of the pool is extended next to the ear, and the swimmer should try to maintain this straight body position. | Core body strength | Early Pull Through/Late Pull Through |
| Catch up | Swimmer exaggerates the recovery and catch phase of the freestyle stroke. The left arm catches up to the right arm. The 6 beat kick should be focused on. | Promotes proper hand entry | Hand Entry |
| Fist | Swimmer makes a fist while performing the pull through phase of the stroke. Focus is on the rotation of the torso and the high elbow during the early pull phase of the stroke. | Helps to appreciate the sensation of the forearm while pulling the water. This is also known as appreciating the “feel the water” with the hand and forearm as a unit | Early Pull Through/Late Pull Through |
| 4 strokes of backstroke/4 strokes of freestyle | Swimmer does four cycles of backstroke and four cycles of freestyle. Exaggeration can be placed on the roll of the body when switching from back to front. The hips/torso should drive the body rotation. | Promotes high elbow pull through | Early Pull Through/Late Pull Through |
| Distance per Stroke (DPS): | Swim freestyle trying to extend the arms and maximize stroke length. Swim freestyle, roll the body and extend the arms with each pull. As the body is extended, focus on rotating the hips from side to side and extending the arm. Try to reduce strokes with each 25 swam. This is best if performed in sets of 25's. | Helps to “feel the water” with the hand and forearm. | Early Pull Through/Late Pull Through |
| Sculling | Can be performed prone or supine. Slight motion of the hand and forearms back and forth just under the surface of the water to propel the swimmer forward. This is best if performed in sets of 25's. | Helps to appreciate the sensation of the forearm while pulling the water. This is also known as appreciating the “feel the water” with the hand and forearm as a unit | Hand Entry/Early Pull Through |