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.

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 consistent rhythm and undulating motion between the two strokes. Purpose: to learn rhythm and the undulating motion for both strokes.