Drills and exercises for pulling it all together

Swimming drills can help you isolate technique points you want to work on. They are most effective when done deliberately and consciously. Don’t hurry them. After you’ve worked on the drill, swim full stroke while focusing on the same technique point.

Catch-up

In catch-up, you do one full stroke with your left arm and then one full stroke with your right. Your hands ‘catch-up’ with each other at the front of the stroke. Not everyone is a fan of catch-up as it disrupts the timing and continuity in your swimming, but it can be useful if you want to slow things down to improve your focus. Do it with control and focus on one thing at a time such as getting your hands in the right position to initiate the catch while linking your kick, hip rotation and pull through.

Single arm swimming

You can do this either with your unused arm stretched out in front or by your side. The first is easier, the second, often, is more useful. As with catch-up, do this slowly with focus and concentration. Sometimes when I do this, I might only do three or four strokes during the length as I want to check the position of my arm, shoulder, head, hips and legs before I take the stroke. If I don’t make the catch as I want to, I might reverse it under the water and try again.

Single length swimming

This is an exercise rather than a drill.

The idea is to swim single lengths at an unhurried pace with total focus on a particular technique point. Take enough rest after each length to fully recovery and get your mind ready for the next length.

Easy swimming

Swimmers often try to swim faster in training: try harder, push more, dig deeper etc. For a change, how about trying to swim easier? Can you relax, smooth out your stroke, make yourself more streamlined, soften your kick and maintain the same speed?

Remember, drills are about practice, not fitness or speed or showing off. Do them in a way that is meaningful and useful to you. Swimming is a sport that rewards patience, thinking and skills development as much as, or more than, it rewards brute force and hard grind. Stick with it and you’ll be making improvements for years to come.