Swim Drills I use

My shoulder feels good, so the lighter workout schedule worked. It is so hard to work out less when my mind wants to do more. But I have to listen to what my body is saying.

Here are the six core drills I use for my swim training, and in parentheses the skill set they are supposed to help. I use some others, but these are the core.

1. Vertical kicking (kick)
Upright, head out of water, arms at sides in the deep end, with or without flippers. Kick enough to keep your head out of water. Kick using the form you do while swimming: legs nearly straight, power from the hips, flexible ankles. The flippers are really good for getting the ankles to relax.

2. Swimming downhill (body balance)
Swim relaxed freestyle focusing on keeping my head down and pressing down on my chest so my feet and legs come up (i.e., so my legs are dragging down). This helps you get a feel for the correct balance your body should have while swimming--your butt cheeks should just poke out of the water--if they are underwater you are using your legs to create too much drag.

3. Spear (entry, extension, and body roll)
When entering the water to start the stroke, I poke my hand quickly into the water in front of me to get a good long extension that integrates into my body roll. It's like your hand is the spear of a spear gun and you are shooting it in front of you. Your body should be loooong at the end of your entry.

4. Fist swim (catch and pull)
Grab your thumbs with your fingers and swim. Forces you to get a better catch and pull, using your forearms. Then when you open your hands back up you get an amazing pull.

5. Power stroke drill (catch and pull)
This is from the seminar I took. Basically, after entry, keep your elbows high and your hands/forearms parallel to the wall behind you and give a powerful pull. The acceleration is amazing when you do it right. Video can be found here. That's Marty, the guy that taught the seminar I took.

6. Finger drag (recovery)
Keep your elbows high during the recovery, as it strains your shoulders less, and gets your hand where it's going faster. Gently drag your fingertips along the surface of the water after exit, until entry.