Technique: Balance and Stabilize Your Hull

Objective: When swimming freestyle your body is a displacement hull. To move forward efficiently, a displacement hull must be balanced from bow to stern, and must not flex to port or starboard.

Warm Up

4 X 200 (+20s) as follows:

FS easy
w/PB: Breathe 2/4/2... always breathing to same side of building
FS moderate
w/PB: Breathe 3/5/3...

Test

Two sets freestyle with 5 seconds rest between each repeat.

1. 8 X 50 w/PB (no kicking)
2. 8 X 50 plain freestyle, no tools

Drill Sets

If test set #1 (with pull buoy) feels easier, this indicates that your bow-to-stern balance if off. This is most likely a head position problem or a kicking problem. If this is you, spend extra time this week practicing drill sets 3 & 4!

3. 4 X 50 FS focus on eyes down
4. 4 X 50 FS focus on big toes tapping when passing

If test set #2 (regular freestyle) feels easier, this indicates that you experience side-to-side drag because you allow your upper body to absorb lateral pressure from your arm stroke, or your hip-shoulder connection is not stable. If this is you, spend extra time this week practicing drill sets 5 & 6!

5. 4 X 50 Single-Arm Drill focus on whole body stroke
6. 4 X 50 FS focus on rotating core as a unit

Conditioning

800 FS as 25 hard, 25 easy (no rest - the 25 easy is active recovery)
Focus on maintaining a stable hull form when swimming fast and also at recovery pace.

Cool Down

400 FS easy

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