The 100 Best Swimming Drills

WHAT DRILLS ARE ALL ABOUT

WHAT IS A DRILL?

A drill is a structured method of practice used to acquire a skill, procedure or sequence. We use drills to acquire a vast array of everyday and specialized skills. We use drills to learn everything from cursive writing to tying our shoes, from cheer leading formations to military exercises. Drills are designed to make a particular skill, sequence or procedure easier to absorb, retain and recall. They combine a thinking and feeling approach to learning, so skills can be developed, practiced and performed better.

Drills are widely used by athletes to master and excel at physically demanding skills that require precise technique, and quick, continuous application. In swimming, a drill can be defined as:

An activity designed to develop and practice good stroke habits

A repetitive exercise for improving and perfecting stroke technique

A way of isolating part of a complex stroke sequence, to learn and perform it correctly

Swimming drills address various aspects of the stroke, including:

BODY POSITION

As human beings, we are comfortable and agile moving about on land. We have mastered vertical balance. To be a good swimmer, we must become equally comfortable and agile in the water. We have to master horizontal balance, or floating. Just as we are able to shift our weight forward and from side to side to do things better and easier on land, we must learn this skill in the water. Learning to float well is an essential skill for swimming efficiently. Our spine and core strength are key in allowing us to stand erectly, and they are equally crucial in floating correctly. Swimmers are well served by giving special attention to learning how to stabilize their core in the water. Developing this skill allows the swimmer to be in control of how he or she floats. It reduces drag, improves feel for the water, and increases access to power. It encourages the swimmer to achieve the important feeling of swimming "downhill".

KICK

The role of the legs in swimming is to provide forward momentum, rhythm, and counterbalance to other actions of the stroke. While the large muscles of the legs are an invaluable resource to swimmers, they demand a great deal of oxygen. It is therefore worthwhile to develop good kicking skills. Swimmers should strive to develop both a productive and a sustainable kick. A productive kick can relieve the upper body of some of the workload. A sustainable kick is economical in terms of energy expenditure. Although a consequence of kicking is that the legs will float better, this should not be the primary focus of kicking. Kicking should be used for forward motion, not to correct floating problems. Kicking well requires a swimmer to have relaxed feet and ankles, fluid motion, and above all to keep the feet connected to the water.

ARM STROKE

The power phase of the arm stroke, or what the arms do underwater to move us forward must be worked on in three dimensions: length, width and depth. Although the path of the arms is unique to each stroke, the arms have three basic functions in all strokes. The arms are the primary tools we use to maximize the length of our stroke. Longer strokes mean fewer strokes. Fewer strokes mean less energy to cover a certain distance. The arms are also used to move the body forward, in the straightest, most direct path to our destination. Using sculling or sweeping motions, the arm action increases speed as it travels through the stroke, causing the body to advance. Most importantly of all, the arms are used to position our hands so we can best feel the water. Hands that are able to feel the water are able use the water like a handle. With a firm hold on the water, the swimmer can best move his or her body forward past the point at which the hands are anchored.

RECOVERY

The recovery follows the underwater arm stroke, returning the arm to its starting point in front for another stroke. In all strokes except breaststroke, recovery is the phase when the swimmer's arms can rest momentarily. Learning to relax during recovery is an important skill to develop in working towards the most economical swimming style. Alignment of the recovery is often overlooked as a factor in swimming efficiency. A misaligned recovery can lead to a misaligned arm stroke, requiring constant correcting to be done, at the expense of forward motion. An aligned recovery is also an excellent preventive measure in remaining pain and injury free in the vulnerable shoulder area. Lastly, a relaxed and aligned recovery works to balance the rest of the stroke. Even though the recovery does not itself move a swimmer forward, it is by nature connected to the other actions of the stroke. It is important to recover in a way that complements and perpetuates the forward motion of the stroke.

BREATHING

Replenishing the body with oxygen is an integral part of any sport, but in swimming, the added challenge of doing so while in the water makes breathing a primary aspect of swimming technique. Swimmers must learn to breathe rhymically to best fuel their bodies. In addition, they must learn to inhale and exhale within the line of the stroke to avoid disrupting the forward motion of their swimming. In general, timing the inhale with the stroke's recovery, and timing the exhale to the power phase makes breathing fit into the forward motion best, without creating insurmountable drag. This timing also places the exhale to the part of the stroke that demands the most exertion. So as in other sports, and in life in general, the swimmer can summon more power by expelling air while applying force. Some scholars of swimming believe that the rhythm of swimming should actually be determined by a swimmer's natural breathing rhythm. This theory makes breathing the central focus in developing the most effective stroke rate, pace, and strategy. Whether you are sprinting a 50 or swimming a mile, breathing technique is a factor in your ability to swim better.

LEVERAGE

Although we use our limbs to press against the water, the power to use them comes from our core. Like a ceiling fan, with its blades turning, what is propelling the movement is the motor in the middle, or in the case of the swimmer, the core. This core-centered power is visible in many forms of athletics. Observe a baseball pitcher preparing to throw the ball. It is the pitcher's arm throwing the ball, yet look at the pitcher's hips and shoulders turn to the side in preparation. As the ball leaves the hand, the same side hip and shoulder snap forward. It is actually the core that is powering that pitch. You can observe this same core leverage in action with the batter as well. You can see it in a golfer, a boxer, and an ice skater, among others.

Leverage is also present in the limbs while swimming. To access available leverage, swimmers must learn to stabilize their joints, especially the elbows and the knees. Observe fish. They don't have elbows or knees. If our goal is to swim as efficiently as fish, we have to learn to stabilize our joints, and not allow them to collapse and weaken our levers.

COORDINATION

The numerous actions that make up swimming are each pieces in a puzzle, that when fitted correctly together, create fluid, graceful and powerful forward motion. Each action has its purpose, and its relationship to the whole. While it is important to develop each action in itself, connecting them together so they work in harmony is what efficient swimming is all about. We must learn to use our kick with our arms, not just in addition to our arms. We must learn to breathe within the line of the stroke, so the necessary act of breathing does not interrupt our forward motion. We must learn to deliberately use good body position to access leverage, which affects the arm stroke, recovery, breathing and kick.

Swimming efficiently is a matter of coordinated action. We must learn to time each action so that it complements the other elements of the stroke, rather than working against them. We must strive to develop our weakest actions, and make the most of our strongest ones. All of this must be done with one goal in mind: to move through the water with less effort so it can be done faster and longer.

TYPES OF SWIMMING DRILLS

Swimming is a complex sequence of actions. Like driving, playing guitar, or typing, multiple crucial actions are performed at once, or in tight succession. Correct technique is necessary or the result is unsatisfactory. Certain types of drills are very successful for developing skills that are complex in nature, like swimming. These include:

PROGRESSION BASED DRILLS

Swimming drills based in "progression" allow the swimmer to build a stroke, one piece at a time. Beginning with a basic skill, the swimmer can concentrate on developing the stroke in steps, from simple to complex. Once the first action is mastered, the swimmer can add on another part. Eventually, all the parts of the stroke are connected, and the swimmer can then feel and understand them in the context of the coordinated stroke.

PART PRACTICE

When a stroke flaw is identified, new stroke habits can be established with "part practice" drills. Part practice encourages positive change by isolating a particular action of the stroke, and providing repetitive practice of just that part of the stroke. By narrowing the focus, the swimmer is able to relearn a weak part of their stroke, and implement the new correct technique upon resuming the full stroke.

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