By Dr Ralph Richards, Western Australian Institute of Sport

Stroke drills are teaching/learning applications which try to isolate some aspect of stroke technique to develop new, or more consistent, movement patterns. Coaches should always remember that swimming performance is determined by skill level as much as fitness level. Successful swimmers need to develop a comprehensive set of skills, and then refine them, under increasingly more stressful conditions. Therefore, drills are not meant to be easy, they may be just as demanding (but in a different way) as other components of the training program.

When selecting a drill and then applying it in a training program, the coach should consider these points:

• what are the complexities of the movements? are they appropriate to the current skill level of the swimmer?
• will the physical demands of the drill require low or high energy expenditure?
• how does this drill change or improve one (or more) swimming strokes?

There are three phases of progression in learning a drill. The first is to learn the movement pattern at a slow tempo. Neuromuscular-muscular patterns and kinesthetic awareness may take some time develop into a routine or automatic action. During the second phase the movement speed is increased, so that the action is performed at a rate similar to swimming speeds. During the third phase, movement speed is combined with 'pressure'; that is, some demand is placed on the swimmer. The demand may be related to the energy cost of repeated drills performed at speed, or the demand may be to maintain the correct movement pattern under conditions of fatigue or external loading (i.e. such as with a drag-suit, hand paddles, fins etc.).

There are an infinite number of drills that a coach could use. The drills presented below are but a few examples and are not meant to be comprehensive list. Note that every coach will have a somewhat different way of describing drills. The terminology used below is only one of many acceptable ways of explaining the movements and actions.

Sculling drills use some of the fundamental techniques of synchronised swimming. Sculling movements use the hands as 'wings' rather than 'paddles' to deflect water and thereby create lift force. Sculling drills enhance the swimmer's 'feel' of the water because they are sweeping motions rather than pushing motions. They also teach the swimmer to maintain a favourable angle of attack (i.e. the angle of the hand in relation to water flow) as the hands pitch in-and-out in a figure '8' movement pattern.

• standing in the water - the swimmer moves the hands in-and-out from the hips in a figure '8', feet are then taken off the bottom and forward or reverse direction is made by changing the angle and speed of hand movements (the swimmer is encouraged to experiment with this sensation)
• front sculling - the swimmer uses a pull-buoy or tube between the legs, from a prone glide position (arms extended forward) the swimmer sculls the hands in-and-out to propel the body forward [variation - arms extended at wider than shoulder width]
• middle sculling - as above, but arms are in a position similar to the finish of the outsweep/downsweep in breaststroke, or under the chest as in mid freestyle or butterfly
• finish sculling - as above, but hands are near the hips (elbows just below the surface)
• back sculling - in a supine glide position, pull-buoy or tube between the legs, the extended, middle, or finish positions are used as above to propel the body forward

• kicking from a side-on body position, lower arm extended, upper arm along the trunk, breathing every 12 kicks
• side kicking with sculling action -

• side kicking and sculling, holding a paddle against the hand (hand straps are removed from the paddle) so that the paddle does not fall off
• side kicking with sculling, every 12 kicks pull through and reverse to the opposite side; accelerate on the pull through and concentrate on a smooth roll of the body [variation - add complete stroke cycles on the changeover of sides, then time the effort over 50m and reduce the stroke count]
• slow motion perfect technique swimming swim as slow as possible but with maximum concentration on perfect technique emphasis hip rotation
• maximum effort / maximum stroke-rate / maximum hip rotation - freestylers breathe to both sides and continuous kicking
• backstroke timing - 3 left arm, 3 right arm, 6 right/left cycles

• minimum / maximum drill

• Catch-up stroking - (this traditional drill has some limitations because it does not allow the body to roll freely) from a prone glide using a 6-beat kicking tempo the swimmer executes one complete right armstroke (left arm held extended), then one complete left armstroke (right arm held extended), this pattern continues (alternating right and left arms) while increasing stroke rate; concentrate on maximum distance per stroke [variation - this drill may be done in the supine position for backstroke]
• one arm stroking - from a prone glide with 6-beat kicking tempo the swimmer uses only one arm (the other arm is held extended), this drill helps the swimmer roll the body and may assist with the timing of breathing on the non-dominant side [variation - this drill may be done in the supine position to assist the shoulder roll in backstroke, non-stroking arm may be held at the side of the body]
• finger drag - swim freestyle with a high elbow on the recovery while dragging the fingers along the surface
• thumb slide - similar to the 'finger drag', except that the thumb touches the side of the trunk as the hand swings forward on the recovery
• hesitation - as above, except there is a pause in the recovery as the elbow comes into line with the shoulders; the swimmer attempts to have the upperarm (of the recovery arm) in line with the shoulders and opposite upperarm (of the underwater arm)
• half sidestroke - swimmer on the side using a 6-beat kicking tempo, one arm extended forward (stroking arm) and one arm at the side (similar to a sidestroke body position); the hand reaches down and sweeps up to the surface (level with the shoulder), this is similar to the catch and upsweep used during the backstroke
• backstroke finish - swimmer on the back using a 6-beat kicking tempo, both arms remain underwater along the sides of the body; right elbow bends and the hand moves outward (at mid chest level), right hand sweeps down (throwing water toward the bottom of the pool); repeat with left arm
• backstroke hesitation - swim backstroke, but pause with the arm overhead (at right angles to the body) concentrate on rotating the palm outward, then drop the arm down to the catch position (little finger edge of the hand leading)
• turns - When learning freestyle and backstroke tumble turns, squad drills can be organised using the lanelines. Swimmers stand facing the laneline with feet apart in chest deep water and practice rotating over the laneline. Two general rules apply: (1) drop the chin onto the chest and hold it there during the rotation, and (2) touch the heels to the buttocks during the rotation. The laneline is held with the hands in a thumb under position and at shoulder width (arms slightly bent). Once confidence in tumbling is gained the swimmer can practice the skill in the end lane; tumbling over the laneline, feet striking the sidewall and push off with a streamlined glide under the laneline.

• streamline the stroke by pausing with the arms extended (head down), count strokes over 50m
• kick breaststroke while on the back (arms streamlined overhead), keep the knees below the surface of the water (increase tempo and time efforts)
• kick breaststroke with the arms at the sides (hands near the buttocks), try to touch heels with fingers at the finish of leg recovery (complete this using knee flexion, not hip flexion) [variation - focus on timing a breath as the heels touch the hands and then lower the head and shoulders as the kick is performed]
• from a dive use three underwater armstrokes, no hesitation in front, high turnover [variation - use long armstroke and dolphin kick to increase the speed at which pulls are taken, try to stay under for 20-25m]
• complete the outsweep of the arms, slide hands together (non-propulsive) while recovering the legs, kick and streamline forward with the head and arms
• complete armstroking using a single dolphin kick as the arms recover, hold the streamlined position
• three armstrokes with dolphin kick after the first and second (as above), breaststroke kick after the third
• timed 50m swim (maximum effort) with minimum number of strokes; add time to stroke count for efficiency figure
• practice turning with a pivot to the right, practice turning with a pivot to the left
• time swimmers from hand touch on the turn until the feet leave the wall (time turns to the right and turns to the left)
• turn and use 2-3 breaststroke kicks to drive to the surface (arms extended in a streamlined position) [variation - same drill with pull only, no kick]
• kicking in deep water with the body vertical (head and shoulders above the surface) [variations - lift both arms overhead or hold a weight above the head]
• vertical kicking with chest/stomach close to the side of the pool, hands at the sides; this will force the swimmer to recover the legs without flexing very much at the hip

• push off and dolphin kick 20-25m underwater, then dolphin kick on back (arms streamlined overhead in front of the body)
• progressive drill for stroke finish, kicking and breathing

• swim 50m of butterfly in 'slow motion', breathing every 3 strokes and concentrating on two kicks per stroke cycle, count strokes
• one arm swimming - swim with only one arm (concentrate on two kicks per cycle), the non-stroking arm held at the side, breathe to the front [variation - non-stroking arm held extended in front]
• timing drills -

• swim 50m, maximum effort / minimum number of strokes; add time and stroke count for efficiency figure
• dolphin kick without a kickboard in various positions (i.e. prone, supine, side), arms extended, arms folded at the shoulders, or arms at the sides
• in deep water, dolphin kick in a vertical position, keeping the head and shoulders above water [variation - arms held overhead]
• from a dive time a 25m maximum effort kick, add this to your best 25m swim (from a push-off); how close is the total to your best 50m swim time?
• from a push-off kick a set number of kicks (i.e. 15 or 20 kicks, for example), measure how far you've gone; repeat and try to go further