Category: Swimming

Body Position Kick

This is a series of 3 drills to improve your body position and balance so watch them in order from top to bottom.

Body positioning is where it all begins for swimming. Even if you are a seasoned competitive swimmer, body positioning should be practiced – it will help you swim more smoothly, with less effort and you WILL swim more quickly.Body positioning is where it all begins for swimming. Even if you are a seasoned competitive swimmer, body positioning should be practiced – it will help you swim more smoothly, with less effort and you WILL swim more quickly. Kick gently in this drill, don’t kick hard or for speed, kick just enough to give yourself some forward momentum. Keep a nice straight line and don’t tuck your chin to your chest or you will start to somersault. If you find it awkward to lift your head to breathe – it is OK to stop. Just stop, stand up, take a breath or 2 and then carry on. When you have mastered this drill with hands by sides, switch to performing this drill with arms extended. When performing this drill an observer should be able to see: the swimmer’s eyes to the bottom of the pool, a straight spine, a dry back and high hips.

Side Body Balance

In addition to balancing while on your front, you also need to be able to balance on your side. This drill will further enhance the balance you have acquired doing the body position kick and will imprint rotation in your stroke. If you find your hips and feet starting to sink, shrug your shoulder that is out of the water. This helps to shift weight forward and lift your hips

 

 

Fingertip Drag – Freestyle

This is a very useful and commonly used drill in swimming. It promotes high elbow recovery, continues from wrist drag drill in practicing good balance and also promotes good body rotation. This is a lot to gain from a drill that is relatively simple to execute. This YouTube clip from the folk at GoSwim has really good commentary with some excellent footage from all angles.

Polo Drill – Freestyle

This is one of the best drills for freestyle when done properly. What is not mentioned in the commentary is that this drill is great for learning body rotation, good catch early in the stroke and also corrects over-reaching. Ensure you keep your head very still (no swinging from side to side) and you should be able to hold your chin above the waterline. Here is the link to the video:

Freestyle Catchup Drill Wide Arm

Finally I found a You Tube clip demonstrating this swimming drill done the way I like it to be done. Most people will perform this drill with the hand of the working arm touching the hand of the stationary arm before the switch occurs. This promotes over-reaching. The correct entry point for freestyle (and backstroke and butterfly) is 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock; or in line with your shoulders so this is the same line that you should use when performing the catchup drill.

To do this drill the working arm strokes and ‘catches up’ to the stationary arm, and then the stationary arm becomes the working arm. In other words you are swimming one arm at a time, alternating.

Why do this drill? By isolating each arm you can focus your attention on one arm at a time and make sure you perform really top notch technique on each and every pull. It is good for ensuring full extension at the front and good body roll.

Here is the link to the You Tube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVceC6pUBzw

A big thanks to former New Zealand Olympic swimmer Dean Kent for taping this drill with wide arms rather than narrow arms like everyone else on You Tube. If you really want to focus even more on your technique (say you are learning a new aspect) you can perform a slight variation on this called the 6-kick catchup. Do this exactly the same but with 6 kicks in between each switch over (both arms are extended). This gives you a bit of time to gather your thoughts and really set yourself up for a great catch and pull through.

Resistance Training For Swimming

I was asked by a master’s swimmer to provide some simple resistance training that could be done from home. You can do weight training from home easily. You just need a few dumbbells and a swiss (gym) ball. In fact you don’t even need the swiss ball because you can improvise here too. If you you have a chin up bar across a doorway then there are extra exercises you can do but it isn’t a necessity. If you don’t have dumbbells, you can substitute with stretch cords.

Usually you will do resistance training 3 times per week in order to get stronger and later on to maintain your strength. I’ve given 3 exercises per muscle group so you don’t get bored (believe it or not, muscles have a memory and know when they are doing the same thing day in day out – they will go on autopilot), hence there are 3 weeks of programmes for you to rotate. You don’t need to do all the exercises each time, it is OK to pick and choose, but try to do at least 2/3’s. If you have time to do the whole session then that is even better.

Another way you can mix it up is like this: one week do low repetition with high weights (e.g. 2 sets of 8 reps of each exercise); this is power training. The next week you do endurance training – high repetitions of low weights (e.g. 2 sets of 18 repetitions of each exercise, or 3 sets or 16 repetitions).

If you alternate power weeks with endurance weeks and rotate the 3 different weekly programmes then you will find yourself having the variety of a six week programme.

Following the programme I have included links to YouTube clips that show the correct way to do each exercise. Even if you think the exercise is a simple one and you know how to do it, it’s a good idea to have a quick look at the clips because doing the exercises properly will keep you safe and free from injury.

Here’s the programme:

Warm up first in your own fashion: walk, skip, star jumps, burpees etc

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3
Biceps Concentration Curls Reverse Dumbbell Curls Hammer Curls
Triceps Dumbbell Triceps Curls Triceps Kickbacks Bench Dips
Shoulders Dumbbell Military Press Front Raises Lateral Raises
Back Pull Ups With Wide Grip (if you have a chin up bar) Bent Over Dumbbell Rows Dumbbell Shrugs
Chest Push ups Incline Dumbbell Bench Press Flyes (on bench or swiss ball)
Quads Squats With Dumbbells Step Ups with Dumbbells (from close to step) Lunges with Dumbbell
Rest of Legs Step Ups – step from 1m away from step Calf Raises Dumbbell Single Dead Lift
Abs Standard Crunches 3 sets of 40 Elbow to Knee Crunches 3 sets of 40 Bridge – hold for 30 seconds x 4 – can do side bridge, swap sides

Here are the links to YouTube clips showing how to properly do each exercise.

Bench Dips (use bed or chair lodged against a wall so it doesn’t move)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0326dy_-CzM

Bent Over Dumbbelll Row   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnc8JL_KjSI&NR=1

Bridge   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ar2iRusnnc&feature=related

Bridge (Side)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TpiiJ1PWUU

Calf Raises (can use indoor stairs too or a sturdy book)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxdbianNKAQ

Concentration Curls   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZWjCPJsX5k

Crunches   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUnAWuDVDHA

Crunches (Elbow to Knee)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5TuNH4o5Dg

Dumbbell Military Press   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgICP3JUCQA

Dumbbell Single Leg Dead Lift   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eACTTzeh-E

Dumbbell Shrugs   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6qbq4Lf1FI

Dumbbell Triceps Curls   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vyt2QdsR7E

Flyes (lie back on Swiss ball so spine parallel with floor)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2WwbNNJGgs

Front Raises (tip: once you raise your arms beyond a ninety degree angle with your body, you begin to focus more on your traps than your shoulders)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5dqbChlsBg

Hammer Curls   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrmksPdytOQ

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (can use swiss ball, improvise or just lie on floor if necessary)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2dSVevAe5A

Lateral Raises (same tip as for front raises)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6tJgGAnJik

Lunges With Dumbbells   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7KaRcUTQeE

Pull Ups with Wide Grip (if you have a chin up bar) – works lats and traps   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_7_9Qw8X5Q

Push Ups   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgkzpe9e2pg&feature=related

Reverse Dumbbell Curls (palms down)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXLWKzw4U9U

Squats with Dumbbells   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJGk-imwcHc

Step ups (step from close in to work the quads)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQwB8E4WRu4

Step Ups from far Away (as above but without dumbbell and take steps from 1m away – this will now work your hamstrings instead of your quads).

Triceps Kickback (use swiss ball, bed or chair)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO81bExngMI