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SwimmingDrills 1-98 89899-337-3(2011) 20.05.

2011 15:42 Uhr Seite 1

THE 100 BEST SWIMMING DRILLS


SwimmingDrills 1-98 89899-337-3(2011) 20.05.2011 15:42 Uhr Seite 2

DEDICATION

To the many members of the many venues of the Swimming


Technique class, whose ongoing passion for better swimming has
inspired me all these years.
SwimmingDrills 1-98 89899-337-3(2011) 20.05.2011 15:42 Uhr Seite 3

THE 100 BEST


SWIMMING DRILLS
Blythe Lucero

Meyer & Meyer Sport


SwimmingDrills 1-98 89899-337-3(2011) 20.05.2011 15:42 Uhr Seite 4

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data


A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

The 100 Best Swimming Drills


Maidenhead: Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2008
ISBN 978-1-84126-337-3

All rights reserved, especially the right to copy and distribute,


including the translation rights. No part of this work may be reproduced—
including by photocopy, microfilm or any other means—
processed, stored electronically, copied or distributed in any form whatsoever
without the written permission of the publisher.

© 2008 by Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd.


3rd edition 2011
Auckland, Beirut, Budapest, Cairo, Cape Town, Dubai, Indianapolis,
Kindberg, Maidenhead, Sydney, Olten, Singapore, Tehran, Toronto
Member of the World
Sport Publishers' Association (WSPA)
www.w-s-p-a.org
Printed by: B.O.S.S Druck und Medien GmbH, Germany
ISBN 978-1-84126-337-3
E-Mail: info@m-m-sports.com
www.m-m-sports.com
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Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................................10

How to Use this Book ............................................................11

1. In Pursuit of Efficient Swimming ......................................13


The Art and Science of Swimming..........................................13
The Technique of Economic Swimming ..................................14
Turning Workout into Practice ................................................15

2. What Drills Are All About ..................................................17


What Is a Drill? ......................................................................17
Types of Swimming Drills ......................................................21
History of Swimming Drills ..................................................22

3. Using Swimming Drills......................................................25


When to Use Drills ................................................................25
How to Use Drills ..................................................................25

4. THE 100 BEST SWIMMING DRILLS ......................................27

DRILLS FOR FREESTYLE ..........................................................28


Body Position Drills ..............................................................29
1. Downhill Float..............................................................29
2. Log Roll ........................................................................31
3. Twelve Kick Switch ......................................................33
Kick Drills ..............................................................................35
4. Toe Point Drill ..............................................................35
5. Floppy Foot Drill ..........................................................38
6. Vertical Kicking Sequence ..........................................40
7. Single Leg Kicking ......................................................42

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The 100 Best Swimming Drills

Arm Stroke Drills ..................................................................44


8. Pull/Push Freestyle ....................................................44
9. Catch Up ......................................................................47
10. All Thumbs Drill ........................................................49
11. Sculling ......................................................................51
12. Fist Freestyle ..............................................................54
Recovery Drills ......................................................................56
13. Floppy Hand ..............................................................56
14. Shark Fin ....................................................................58
Breathing Drills ....................................................................60
15. Inhale Arm/Exhale Arm..............................................60
16. The Weightless Arm ..................................................63
17. Temple Press ..............................................................66
18. Dead Arm Freestyle....................................................68
Leverage Drills ......................................................................70
19. Three Stroke Switch Freestyle ....................................70
20. The Pendulum Effect ..................................................73
21. Hip Skating ................................................................75
Coordination Drills ................................................................77
22. Heads Up Freestyle ....................................................77
23. Horizontal Rope Climbing..........................................80
24. Freestyle with Dolphin ..............................................82
25. Bilateral Breathing ....................................................84

DRILLS FOR BACKSTROKE ......................................................86


Body Position Drills ..............................................................87
26. Float on Spine ............................................................87
27. Water-Line Drill..........................................................89
28. Twelve Kick Switch Backstroke ................................92
Kick Drills..............................................................................94
29. Boiling Water Drill ....................................................94
30. No Knees Streamline Kick ........................................97

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Table of Contents

31. Pigeontoed Kicking ....................................................99


32. Quarter Roll with Cup on Forehead ..........................102
Arm Stroke Drills ................................................................104
33. One Arm Pull/Push ..................................................104
34. Up and Over ..............................................................107
35. Fist Backstroke ........................................................109
36. Corkscrew..................................................................111
Recovery Drills ....................................................................113
37. Clock Arms ................................................................113
38. Two-step Recovery....................................................116
39. Locked Elbow Drill....................................................118
40. Dog-ears ..................................................................121
Breathing Drills ..................................................................123
41. Rhythmic Breathing Sequence ................................124
42. The Breathing Pocket ..............................................126
Leverage Drills ....................................................................128
43. Three Stroke Switch Backstroke ..............................128
44. One Arm Rope Climb ................................................131
45. Opposition Freeze Frame ..........................................133
46. Armpit Lift ................................................................135
Coordination Drills ..............................................................137
47. Roll, Pull, Roll, Push ................................................137
48. Pinkie Lead ..............................................................140
49. Backstroke Balance Drill with Cup ..........................142
50. Opposition Overlap ..................................................145

DRILLS FOR BREASTSTROKE ..................................................148


Body Position Drills ............................................................149
51. Streamline ................................................................149
52. Rocking Drill ............................................................152
Kick Drills ............................................................................155
53. Duck Feet ..................................................................155
54. Breaststroke Kick on Your Back................................158

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The 100 Best Swimming Drills

55. Vertical Breaststroke Kick ........................................162


56. Heads up Breaststroke Kick ....................................164
Arm Stroke Drills ................................................................166
57. 3D Breaststroke Arms ..............................................167
58. Breaststroke Sculling ..............................................169
59. Half-stroke Breaststroke ..........................................172
60. Corners Drill ............................................................174
61. Hand Speed Drill ......................................................176
62. Breaststroke with Fists ............................................179
Recovery Drills ....................................................................181
63. Growing Your Recovery ............................................181
64. Shoot to Streamline ................................................184
65. Fold and Shrug ........................................................186
Breathing Drills ..................................................................190
66. Inhale at the High Point ..........................................190
67. Eyes on the Water ....................................................192
68. Tennis Ball Drill........................................................195
Leverage Drills ....................................................................197
69. Breaststroke with Dolphin ......................................197
70. Breaststroke Alternating Dolphin
and Breaststroke Kick ..............................................199
71. Stroke Up to Breathe, Kick Down to Glide ................202
Coordination Drills ..............................................................204
72. No Stars ..................................................................204
73. Stroke, Breathe, Kick, Glide Mantra ........................207
74. Glide Length/Glide Speed ........................................210
75. Thread the Needle ....................................................213

DRILLS FOR BUTTERFLY ........................................................216


Body Position Drills ............................................................217
76. Taking a Bow ............................................................217
77. Weight Shifting ........................................................220
Kick Drills............................................................................222

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Table of Contents

78. Ribbon Writing ........................................................223


79. Deep to Shallow Dolphin ........................................225
80. Dolphin Dives..........................................................228
81. Vertical Dolphin ......................................................230
82. Back Dolphin ..........................................................233
Arm Stroke Drills ................................................................235
83. Pitch to Press ..........................................................235
84. Sweeping Question Marks ......................................238
85. One-arm Butterfly....................................................240
86. Left Arm, Right Arm, Both Arms ..............................242
87. The Round Off ..........................................................245
Recovery Drills ....................................................................247
88. Pinkies-up ..............................................................247
89. The Flop ..................................................................250
90. Reaching to a “Y” ....................................................252
Breathing Drills ..................................................................254
91. Breathing Timing Drill..............................................254
92. Flying Dolphin Dives ................................................257
93. Eyes on the Water Butterfly......................................259
94. Hammer and Nail ....................................................262
Leverage Drills ....................................................................265
95. Advanced One-arm Butterfly ..................................265
96. No Kick Butterfly......................................................267
97. No Pause Fly ............................................................270
Coordination Drills ..............................................................272
98. Chest Balance ........................................................272
99. Coordination Checkpoint ........................................274
100. Quiet Butterfly ......................................................276

5. Conclusion ......................................................................279

Credits................................................................................280

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Introduction

As long as I have been a swimming coach, I have shied away from


the “self help” approach to swimming improvement. The reason is
that I believe there is no replacement for an experienced eye
observing a swimmer’s stroke in action. While a particular stroke
may seem right to a swimmer doing it, analysis by a coach can
provide valuable insight about subtle, but important stroke flaws
that are present. Unchecked, the swimmer can end up practicing and
perfecting flawed technique. Without intervention, stroke flaws may
be repeated over and over again, becoming habit. This can slow
progress, cause frustration with the sport, and, in some instances,
eventually lead to injury.

A coach’s input is important. By looking beyond what seems to be


even a picture perfect stroke, to the heart of swimming efficiency, a
coach can identify problem areas and teach the swimmer to avoid
poor stroke habits through correct practice. One of the ways coaches
encourage correct practice is with swimming drills. Specific drills,
targeting specific aspects of the stroke, help the swimmer practice
correct technique and relearn ingrained swimming patterns. Once
stroke flaws are identified, the swimmer can use stroke drills to
address problem areas, and successfully practice on his or her own.

So, the purpose of this book is not to encourage coachless


swimming, but to give you tools to work on stroke problems
identified by your coach. And while the quest for better swimming
is universal, every coach has his or her favorite drills. There are
many paths to swimming efficiency. Out of the thousands of
swimming drills that have been developed by coaches and
swimmers over time, these represent this coach’s 100 favorite. Study
them. Know their purpose. Try them. Practice them, and practice
more. But above all, ask your coach for feedback. There is nothing
more valuable than that.

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How to Use this Book

This book has been designed for use in two ways. If you are seeking
to improve your swimming efficiency all around, you can start with
the first drill and work your way through the book, one stroke at a
time. The book is organized into sections by stroke: freestyle,
backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. Within each stroke section,
the drills are arranged into subsections addressing body position,
kick, arm stroke, breathing, leverage and coordination. Working from
start to finish, you can build the technique of one stroke, and then
move on to the next.

Or, if you wish to focus on a particular stroke problem, you can turn
directly to the section for that stroke. As often, one drill is built upon
the skills of the previous drill, it is advisable to read the whole
stroke section. After becoming familiar with the basic concepts of the
stroke, then focus in on the particular subsection addressing the
aspect of technique that you want to work on. Build your technique
one drill at a time. Finally, turn to the subsection on coordination,
and use these drills to reintegrate your stroke with your new
technique.

Whichever approach you choose, it is important to study the purpose


of each drill, and to keep that purpose in mind while practicing.
Follow the steps and refer to the diagrams and photos to perform the
drill correctly. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t fall into place right
away. Drills are meant to be repeated, and repeated again. Check the
Drill Feedback Charts to identify problems. Make modifications and
try again. Practice over several visits to the pool. Above all, spend
lots of time in the water, and enjoy every minute of it.

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The 100 Best Swimming Drills

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In Pursuit Of Efficient Swimming

IN PURSUIT OF EFFICIENT
SWIMMING 1
THE ART AND THE SCIENCE OF SWIMMING
The process of becoming an efficient swimmer involves using both
the body and the brain to “feel” and “understand” what is going on.
When a swimmer “feels” fluid movement through the water, and
“understands” the cause and effect of specific actions, that swimmer
is prepared to pursue efficient swimming.

The art of swimming is all about “feeling” effective movement


through the water. It is probably best described as “being at one
with the water”. A good example of the art of swimming is when
good swimmers refer to feeling fishlike in the water. The movement
achieved by efficient swimmers is fluid, like the strokes of an artist’s
brush. It is also graceful, as a swimmer uses balance, rhythm and
posture, much like the art of dance. And, it is powerful, like musical
harmony, as the combined actions of the swimmer’s body produce a
greater result to each action alone. The art of swimming means a
swimmer is able to “feel” the water, rather than fight it.

The science of swimming is all about “understanding” movement


through the water. There is a lot of physics at work in swimming. By
understanding these principles, a swimmer can learn to apply them
to the water. Coach Doc Counsilman, revered as “the father of
modern swimming” described the ingredients in successful
swimming as “water, brains and guts.” Using the science of
swimming, a swimmer can study movement through the water as an
equation, and can begin to figure it out. The science of swimming
means a swimmer is able to “understand” how to produce the most
propulsion with the least effort.

Because good swimming is a matter of feeling and understanding,


the most beneficial practice engages both body and brain.

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