Video Stroke Improvement - Session 2

Comments:The focus this week is to be sure that everybody understands how to perform the drills recommended to address the issues uncovered by the initial video session.

There are examples of most drills on the Videos pages, and dryland exercises are recommended for most swimmers. See:

• Dry Kicking for Freestyle & Backstroke
• Dryland EVF Exercise

Drill Mindfully
Most people drill too fast, and consequently swim too slowly. Focus on performing the drill perfectly - and that almost always means slowly to begin with. Get the movements exactly right first, and then by all means speed it up. But it makes no sense to perform a drill badly - you will just be training a bad habit. For more information see the excerpt about Mindful Practice.

Drill Descriptions

"Half-Bad" Drills: This is a type of drill where you perform half of the distance using purposefully bad technique, then you correct the flaw during the second half of the repeat and your body experiences (and hopefully learns to recognize) the difference between good and bad form. The following are a few examples:

• Head Position: For half of the first length, swim with your head too high - totally out of the water. For the second half, lower your head to good freestyle position (think belly in, neck tall, chin back). Turn around at the wall, and for the first half of the second length drive your head too deep into the water (totally submersed). At the halfway point correct your head position.
• Entry Placement: First 25: Land too far ahead, then back off landing closer to head. Second 25: Too close to the head, then "just right."
• Recovery Force: First 25: Place hands gently, then more assertively. Second 25: Smash hands forward, then "just right."
• Extension: First 25: Extend your arm at surface, then correct. Second 25: extend your arm too deep, then "just right." (This is a lot like the above)

Posture or Body Position Drills

• Back Balance: arms at sides
• Dynamic Back Balance: arms at sides, rotate 1 hip slightly every 3rd kick
• Extended Back Balance: one arm
• Side Balance: ams at sides
• Dynamic Front Balance: arms at sides, rotate every 3rd kick
• Extended Side Balance: one arm extended, with swimming breathing

Kicking/Rotation Drills

• Back Balance: arms at sides
• Dynamic Back Balance: arms at sides - rotate 1 hip slightly every 3rd kick
• 9-3-9 Drill: 9 kicks, 3 crisp strokes

Breathing Drills 1 (this is a sequence of drills)

• Extended Side Balance: leading arm extended, other resting on side; switch sides at each wall
• Freestyle Breathing Every Other Stroke: Learn good technique on your strong side first, then weaker side. Finally every third stroke.
• Breath Control. Breathe your normal count for one length, add one stroke the next. Repeat (adding one stroke each time) until you cannot continue. For example, if you normally breathe every 3rd stroke, your lengths would be: 3, 4, 3, 5, 3, 6, 3, 7...

Breathing Drills 2 (a more advanced sequence of breathing drills)

• Side Balance. Kick with both arms at sides, roll face to air to breathe; switch sides at each wall
• Dynamic Side Balance. Arms at sides, rotating to each side every third kick (this is basically swimming freestyle with no arms). Learn to breathe on the stronger side first, then the weaker side, then every third stroke.

Arm Drills

• Catch-up Drill: Practice 100% (using stick or kickboard), then 90%, then 80%. At this point you will probably be closer to 75% and that is the endurance stroke.
• Underwater Recovery Drill: Freestyle, but your arms never leave the water.
• Single Arm Drill: Swim freestyle with the unused arm extended out front. Maximize rotation to both sides. Learn to breathe to both sides. When the drill becomes comfortable, learn to do it with the unused arm resting at your side.

General Drill-Focus Workout Guidelines

Spend about five minutes each warming up and cooling down. For your main sets, select three drills and perform each for about five minutes, alternating each drill set with a five-minute set of swimming. For example, perform the catch-up drill for about five minutes, and then swim freestyle for about five minutes. A complete workout might look like the example illustrated below.

Sample Workout

• Warm Up - 5 minutes easy freestyle
• Main Sets
• Catch-Up Drill - 5 minutes
• 5 x 50 yds freestyle on 50 seconds with 10 seconds rest
• One-Arm Drill - 5 minutes
• 3 x 100 yds freestyle on 1:40 with 20 seconds rest
• Half-Bads - Head Position (too high, too low, just right) - 5 minutes
• 5 x 50 yds freestyle on :45 with 15 seconds rest
• Cool Down - 5 minutes easy freestyle
  

Back.