Competitive swimming requires extensive technical skill knowledge, strength, conditioning, coordination and training. While strength and coordination can be developed outside of the pool with weight training programs and various types of exercises, swimming drills will help improve your speed, conditioning, the power of your stroke and other swimming techniques, which may translate into better results at your next competitive swim meet.
Swim With Your Fists
To help master the body position required to swim, try swimming with your fists. This drill requires that you ball your hands into fists as you swim laps. As you concentrate on maintaining body position, use your forearms in place of your open hands to help propel you forward. Be sure to concentrate on your elbow bend as well. This will help bring your hands, or in this case your fists, closer to the water throughout the recovery phase of swimming. Once you complete a lap, swim regularly with open hands and utilize the skills you just learned.
Fingertip Drag
Strengthen your freestyle stroke and practice proper hand and elbow position during the recovery phase of swimming with the fingertip drag drill. This drill requires that you drag your fingertips over the water during the recovery stage of swimming. This will help you better maintain a high elbow, which also helps make sure your hands and elbow are at the proper position when it's time to complete the stroke. This drill will also help you master the side-to-side body positioning that is used during the freestyle stroke. To make this drill more challenging, as well as build up some strength in your stroke, try dragging your entire hand in the water instead of your fingertips.
Board Wag
Both the freestyle and backstroke require hip rotation. To help ensure proper hip rotation, try the board wag drill. This drill requires the use of a kickboard. Place the kickboard into the pool so that the first half is in the water and the second half sticks straight up like a shark. Choose your swimming stroke and swim a lap across the pool with the kickboard in this position. The resistance caused by the kickboard will require that you use more hip rotation in order to complete the stroke. After a few laps, try the stroke without the kickboard. What you will experience is a stronger hip rotation, greater arm power and more core force during the stroke.
Breaststroke Kick Variation
Prevent overuse injuries as well as strengthen the muscles in your legs with the breaststroke kick variation drill. Start off by swimming the breaststroke using your normal kicking position. Once you complete the lap, swim the next lap using a narrower kicking position. After you complete that lap, swim the next lap using a wider kicking position. Vary your kicking position for each set of drills.
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