Drills can greatly improve a swimmer’s form. It is suggested that a WSU Masters coach look at your stroke to aid you in the selection of drills to improve those areas of your stroke which need the most help.

Drills are meant to be done with attention to the quality of technique and not speed. The best way to comprehend drill skills is to watch a skilled swimmer demonstrate the drill. During the workouts where we focus on drills, a WSU Masters coach will often identify a swimmer who displays a particular drill with a high degree of efficiency to demonstrate the drill.

Freestyle Drills
Kicking Drills
Kicking drills done without the use of a kick board will improve overall skill level and allow a flatter body position in the water.
1. T-press kick: kicking on your belly, arms at the side. Keep the head low and the body balanced in the water. Purpose: to learn good body position.
2. Streamline kick: similar to the T-press kick, except the hands and arms are in front above the head in the streamlined position.
3. Kick on side: one arm at your side resting on the hip (it should remain dry), the other arm out front, head face down in the water looking at the bottom of the pool. Purpose: to learn body position and balancing on the your side.
4. Six-kick switch: flutter kick on side with one arm at side and one out front. On six count give hard pull, extending other arm and roll to opposite side, six count and repeat. Purpose: to learn body position and roll.

Catch-up Drills
1. Basic: with one arm extended out front, give an explosive pull with the other arm (continue body roll and flutter kicking as in regular Freestyle) and recover to the streamlined position. Give a two count. Breathe every stroke, thus accentuating body roll. Purpose: develop both arm pulls equally.
2. Head touch: same as above, but touching your head with each stroke, thus keeping the elbows high. Purpose: develop both arm pulls and keep recovering elbow high; heightens awareness of where the hand enters the water.

Four Count
As you stroke with your right arm, rotate and hold that position for a count of four (making sure to look straight down to the bottom of the pool). Extend the bottom arm forward while the top arm rests on your hip (remaining dry) during the pause. When you need to breathe, allow the bottom arm to begin the stroke so the head rotates as your hips and shoulders roll. Purpose: to help you get the feel of full extension and body roll.

Three Strokes and Stop
Swim three strokes Freestyle and stop. During the stop, make sure you continue to kick and that you are on your side, your face is in the water, and the back arm is dry with the body well balanced. Do not proceeed with the next three strokes until you are balanced.

Triple Scoop
Swimming Freestyle, take three scoops of water with one hand, making sure to be on your side with full extension of the arm. Rotate arms and body on the fourth stroke. Purpose: to concentrate on the catch phase of the stroke.

Touch Back
At the completion of each stroke when your hand exits the water, roll body and slap the water on the other side of your hip. Keep your head in proper Freestyle position. Purpose: to heighten your awareness of the completion of the stroke and body roll.

Right/Left Arm
Swim Freestyle with only one arm, the other to remain at your side. Remember to continue body roll, kick and breath to the non-stroking side. Purpose: arm conditioning and body roll.

Closed Fist
Swim Freestyle but with the hands closed into fists. Purpose: to heighten the hand position and the catch phase of the stroke and feel the water on the forearm.

Finger Drag
Dragging the fingers across the water on the recovery phase of the stroke. Purpose: to heighten the recovery phase of the stroke keep elbows high.

Zipper Drill (shark fin or raising the flag)
Swimming Freestyle, during the recovery drag thumb along side of your body from thigh to arm pit and back down again, then complete a stroke. Purpose: to heighten the recovery phase of the stroke and keep elbows high.

Freestyle/Backstroke Combo
Swim three strokes Freestyle, stopping on your side. Do not proceed until the back arm is dry and the body is balanced with the face in the water. Once balanced, rotate the head to a nose up position going into Backstroke. Take four strokes Backstroke, again stopping on your side. Keep repeating, making sure to stop between strokes only on your side. Purpose: learn the need to rotate the hips in both Freestyle and Backstroke

Backstroke Drills
Kicking Drills
1. Both arms over head in streamline.
2. Kick while on side: one arm up, one down.
3. T-press kick similar to Freestyle.
4. Six-kick switch similar to Freestyle.

Triple Scoop
On your side, one arm at side, other extended above the head, flutter kicking. Give two short sculls—don’t pass the shoulder. On third stroke, give complete stroke and roll to other side, switching arms. Emphasis: catch phase.

One-Arm Backstroke
Swim Backstroke with one arm at your side, emphasizing body roll. Several variations: 3-3-2-2-1-1. Three strokes right arm, three strokes left arm, two right, two left, one right, one left. Repeat. Emphasis: full stroke, coordination.

Kick-n-Roll
Kick with arms at side keeping head still, roll and hold for two counts, roll to other side. Look for shoulder. Emphasis: body roll.

Peak
Kicking on back with both arms at side, roll shoulder and recover one arm to “peak” and drop back down to side. Alternate arms. Thumb should be up. Emphasis: recovery.

Peak with Twist
Same as “Peak,” only rotate hand from thumb up to pinky up at “peak.” Emphasis: recovery and hand rotation.

Double Touch
Take two strokes with one arm, with first stroke only touching at the entry. Recover this first stroke back over surface (like a movie going backward) to your thigh. Do a full second stroke. Repeat with other arm. Emphasis: recovery and entry.

Tied-up
Swim Backstroke with band around ankles or buoy at feet. Try to keep body from fishtailing. Purpose: determines uneven stroke.

Freestyle/Backstroke Combo
Swim three strokes Freestyle, stopping on your side. Do not proceed until the back arm is dry and the body is balanced with the face in the water. Once balanced, rotate the head to a nose up position going into Backstroke. Take four strokes Backstroke, again stopping on your side. Keep repeating, making sure to stop between strokes only on your side. Purpose: learn the need to rotate the hips in both Freestyle and Backstroke.

Butterfly Drills
Kicking Drills
1. Body Dolphin: kick with hands at side, breathe on upbeat of every fourth kick—drop head down on down beat with out hesitating. Keep rhythm consistent, especially while breathing.
2. Body Dolphin: same as above except that the hands are in front.
3. Underwater kick: kick in a streamline position underwater—on stomach, back, or side.
4. Kick on back: dolphin kick on your back with hands at your side or in front, keeping knees below the surface of the water.

Press The Corners
Kick Butterfly while doing a small scull extending beyond the shoulders, and back in again. Keep sculling strokes to less than 12-inches of travel. Purpose: working the catch phase of Butterfly.

Scooter Butterfly
Hold kickboard with one arm, kick Butterfly, and stroke with the other arm. Keep eyes forward. Work timing and overall stroke. Purpose: undulation, thrust, and timing.

Two-up-Four Down
Do two strokes Butterfly, breathe, and dive forward underwater into a streamlined position and do four kicks. Purpose: entry, dolphin action, and breath control.

Butterfly/Breaststroke Combo
Swim two strokes Butterfly, then two strokes Breaststroke. Try to keep a consistent rhythm and undulating motion between the two strokes. Purpose: to learn rhythm and the undulating motion for both strokes.

Breaststroke Drills
Kicking Drills:
1. Buoy/band kick: kick with buoy between knees or band around knees. Purpose: keeps knees close together.
2. Hands at side kick: kick with hands at sides, using normal Breaststroke breathing rhythm. Each time legs recover, try to touch heels to hands. As heels come up, breathe. Purpose: enhances hip action and proper leg position.
3. Kick on back: lie on your back and kick Breaststroke with hands either above head in streamlined position or at side, keep knees below surface. Purpose: works on keeping knees close together.

Dolphin Breaststroke
Swim Breaststroke but use a dolphin kick. Stroke is longer. Purpose: works undulating motion.

Breaststroke with Buoy
Swim Breaststroke using a pull buoy. Purpose: quick hands, hand pitch, conditioning. This is a very difficult drill. Only experienced and strong Breaststrokers should attempt this.

Hand Signals
Swim Breaststroke with fingers in different positions, i.e. closed fist, thumb and pinky extended, first two fingers only, etc. Purpose: helps improve the feel of the water.

Triple Pull
Swim two pulls with no kick and head up. On third pull, use kick and lunge into streamline position, glide, and repeat. Purpose: pull, power, lunging action.

One Plus Two
Breaststroke adding a second kick (one pull to every two kicks). Purpose: stroke length, timing, breath control.

Torpedo
Come up on first pull, breathe, and lunge forward with explosive kick and dive under water. Do two kicks, repeat. Purpose: leg drive, lunge, breath control.

Butterfly/Breaststroke Combo
Swim two strokes Butterfly, then two strokes Breaststroke. Try to keep a conisistent rhythm and undulating motion between the two strokes. Purpose: to learn rhythm and the undulating motion for both strokes.

Long Axis
Freestyle and Backstroke—the two long-axis strokes—are called long-axis as the body should pivot around the long axis running from the feet to the head. In both long axis strokes, the hips and body weight shift from side to side during swimming.

Two of the most common problems with the long-axis-strokes are: 1) maintaining a balanced body position (including keeping the hips and legs from sinking),
2) rotating the hips and body weight adequately to aid in the reach phase of the stroke. Many of the drills at the left aide in correcting these two problems and can be used interchangeably for both strokes.

Short Axis
Breaststroke and Butterfly are the two short-axis strokes. These two strokes work from a pivot point in the hips and create an undulating motion.

The main difference between these two strokes is the recovery. Breaststroke recovers under the water; Butterlfy recovers on top of the water. Butterfly uses a dolphin kick and Breaststroke a whip or frog kick. Rhythm and timing are two of the most challenging aspects of short-axis strokes. A good undulating motion is critical for being efficient with these two strokes.