Breakwater Freestyle 1
Step 3: Breathing & Fingertip Drag Drills

On the Deck

Review Standing Exercises: Think butt, belly, neck, chin! Standing Streamline, Standing Side Balance, Standing Sharkfin.

Standing Setup (Recovery to Side Balance): Standing with good posture, move through the sharkfin position to the extended side balance position. Perform this without allowing your "hull" to go out of alignment.

Standing Catch & Pull: From the side balance position, leave your elbow right where it is (pointing to the ceiling) and drop your forearm and hand onto the top of a tall cardboard box. Then crush the box.

Arm Rotation on the Mat: On your belly, extend arms to 9 and 3 o'clock. Rotate your elbow to the ceiling. Over time, progress your hands toward 11 and 1 o'clock while performing the same action.

In the Pool

Bobs (named for Bob Busby, former Olympic coach)

Holding the wall with your feet on the bottom, lower your head into the water and exhale gently through the nose for a count of about four. Raise your head, get a quick and deep breath and repeat about four times. Bobs are used to establish a comfortable breathing pattern before pushing off from the wall.

11 Breathing Drill: Kick on your belly, face down. To breathe, rotate your body to one side - let your body lead your head, sliding the arm on that side out of the way. Get a quick breath and rotate back onto your belly.

Review: Side Balance Drill, add swimming breathing.

Review: Side Sharkfin Drill, add swimming breathing.

6-1-6 Fingertip Drag: As your setup hand passes your head, get a quick catch and perform a long pull, breathing and resting the stroking arm at your side at the end. Take a second breath and get balanced before repeating on the other side.

How to practice? See the Sample Practice Session Following Lesson 3.

For more detail about the arms, see:

See Freestyle Arm Stroke Setup.

Back to Program Notes Directory.