As a mid-pack adult onset swimmer, I’ve dutifully done whatever seemingly random swim drills for the masters classes and stroke clinics I’ve taken over the years, with generally no idea what they are trying to do. Obviously most of the drills are trying to fix something wrong in your stroke, or reinforce something good. But it’s never been clear to me what some of them are working on, and I would guess there are other people here with drills that they’ve wonderd about.
So to kick things off- Tarzans. What is swimming free style with your head always out of the water supposed to fix or teach you?
I really think those swim drills really only can be effectively done if you know exactly what you’re fixing and also have a real deficiency in that area.
Raw beginners are bad at everything, so they can do drills randomly and improve. Once you’re past that, it does take specific knowledge.
I did a group video swim class where 12 of us were all videod and then all the videos jointly reviewed with a coach. It became pretty clear that some drills would be very useful for some people, and near-useless for others, and everyone had different emphases. Without the coach or video, I think it would be very difficult to self-diagnose once you’re past raw beginner stage. I for example, had no idea how dropped my elbow was despite making big improvements in speed in the past year - only the video exposed it, and now I’m doing a LOT of high elbow drillage and work with a Finis fulcrum to fix it. In contrast, many people in my same class would have had much less benefit from doing the same.
I think many swim drills are only work as designed if you have a kick strong enough to provide adequate propulsion. Try some of the drills with small fins and see if that helps.
For guys in your position, the drills should be for you to get a better feel for the water. Drills isolate certain things, pay attention to how that thing feels. You don’t have all the noise from all the other outputs, so it is a good time to try and visualize what coaches and people tell you about what you should be feeling. That is always the hard thing for adult onset swimmers to get, what we mean by feel of the water. You may just never get it though, so be ready for that too. But you can just always get your old shitty stroke in better shape too… (-;
Tarzan drill is great if you’re a water polo player. Not much of a drill for eliminating the technical deficiencies of a middle-of-the-pack swimmer, and highly unlikely it addresses an actual need that you have. Sounds like your previous coaches dropped the ball if they didn’t offer a clear rationale for each drill prescribed. It takes time to learn a new drill, time to get it right, time to connect the dots between the drill and whole stroke swimming. You’ve learned firsthand that this process often breaks down before any meaningful payoff occurs. Freakin swim drills work best when a dedicated coach works through the process with you, correcting any misconceptions or execution errors along the way, until the desired correction has been achieved. But drills don’t work if you aren’t taught how to do them properly. They don’t work if you don’t understand both the upsides and potential downsides of the drills (catch up drill has plenty of both, for example.) They don’t work when the coach suggesting them presumes the benefits are both self evident and automatic if you just do them.
Have a reputable coach evaluate your stroke mechanics and offer specific, detailed strategies to correct any errors. Then have that coach guide you through that process until you’re satisfied with your progress. If you can find a coach who is up to the task it will be money well spent. An interesting thread would be “how to find a reputable swim coach.” I would probably disqualify someone who thinks picking your head out of the water will raise your hips.
Ill say this, I have been a swimmer my whole life. I coach swimming, I help triathletes with their stroke. You can never do enough fist drill (just make a fist while you swim), focus on keeping your elbow up. I still do it. Other than that you’ll probably need someone to look at your stroke. If you’re in Chicago, let me know.
As an adult onset swimmer I like fist drill. I also really like one arm drills (except for backstroke and that sucks), kick drills, catch up and most of the other drills we do at masters.
I went & swam with a tri squad once and they did a chicken wing drill which just seemed like a pointless exercise in sinking under water. What the hell is that one about besides amusement for the coach?
As an adult onset swimmer I like fist drill. I also really like one arm drills (except for backstroke and that sucks), kick drills, catch up and most of the other drills we do at masters.
I went & swam with a tri squad once and they did a chicken wing drill which just seemed like a pointless exercise in sinking under water. What the hell is that one about besides amusement for the coach?
one arm backstroke and catchup drill for backstroke are awesome drills.
Lifelong swimmer here. For freestyle, I like one arm swimming, out front sculls (both with a pull buoy) and finger-drag/catch-up drills as they help me get my stroke so so right.
Things I focus on:
Head position, body line and balance in the water. Straight from feet to head, feeling relaxed in the water and not struggling to stay balanced, riding high. IMO, this is both the most neglected and most important aspect of an effective stroke.
Catch. Dropping the thumb a bit, raising the elbow, getting “over the barrel”. Minute changes in hand position can make a big difference.
Shoulder roll and recovery: droping my non-recovery arm, using body roll to get my arm out of the water rather than hyperextending my arm over my back. This helps me avoid shoulder injury.
DPS. Not leaking any water in my stroke, pulling hard and effectively, maintaining glide and hip height in the water.
I do drills in every workout as I find they really help.
I also have all of my ‘student’ use a snorkel while doing drills. Especially for new swimmer. Breathing is a slight necessity, and typically with new swimmers taking a breath can throw everything out of wack. This can limit how effective a drill is. Toss on a snorkel so you can forget about the whole breathing thing and focus on keeping the elbow high, rotating the hips, whatever it might be…
I make a point to ask my coach for each drill “What part of the stroke is this supposed to help?” Doing a drill blindly can start to help, doing a drill knowing what you’re supposed to be working on will make it that much more effective.