A. Essentials
1. Streamline, streamline, streamline in a full platform torpedo position off every wall, under the water and the surface tension. a. Streamline drills. On the deck and in the pool.
2. Always swim into the walls strong, or fast. Build your momentum and speed going into the wall and you have the greatest potential of coming off the wall fast and with great momentum going into your swimming strokes.
B. Free turns and back turns. Most free drills apply to the back turn.
1. Basic Progression drills
a. Back push off underwater, stretch and glide only.
b. Back push off underwater, ½ on side – ½ on back. Same as above.
c. Jump turn and push off.
d. Push off and add dolphin kick.
e. Jump turn and push off dolphin kick.
f. Push off streamline, kick, and breakout into full stroke.
g. Jump turn and same as f.
2. Technique tips
a. Tuck tight, chin to chest, heels to hips.
b. Push off the wall on the balls of the feet.
c. Kick the wall as you make contact.
d. Kick off the wall with very fast dolphin kicks up to 15 meters.
e. Switch to flutter kick on the breakout.
f. Feet should be apart up to arm pit width on wall contact and push off.
g. The final stroke into the wall is a strong stroke through the optimum swimming range.
h. The head dives down and forward and use a dolphin kick going into the wall.
i. Pull out with the bottom arm stroking first.
j. No breath on the final strokes going into and again on the first strokes out of the turn.
k. Practice turns with both a left and right arm lead.
l. Back turns, The breakout should occur on the 2nd arm stroke. Start the 2nd arm stroke sooner than in normal swimming. This is a slight overlap of the arms in order to bring the swimmer into the breakout with more momentum and speed going into the surface strokes.
m. Circle L to R and R to L. Need training in/out on one line too.
3. Advance turn drills, free/back. .
a. Lane line jumps. Hold the lane line about chest depth while standing. Thumbs under the line and repeat going over the line and ending up in a squat position.
b. Standing jumps without the lane line. Somersault to the feet at the same spot. Time 3 for speed emphasis (under 3 seconds?)
c. Mid pool turns – swimming X number of strokes and turn both directions.
d. Mid pool turns – swim out kick back. Also swim out pull back.
e. Timed mid pool turns. Scull 3 strokes turn.
f. Kick turn – Both arms hands on wall, head up. Kick hard, then tuck chin to chest, chin to chest, kick heels to wall and push on contact. Streamline, etc.
g. Kickboard turns. Pull back on KB, somersault, accelerate KB through the turn to the forward position and not backwards to the wall. KB has continuous movement through the turn.
h. One arm paddle turns. (Gripper preferred, Han’s Paddle for age group swimmers) Builds arm speed into and off the wall. Turn and breakout on the paddle arm stroke.
i. Two arm paddle turns.
j. Flag turn drill – timed from head to head under the flags.
k. Underwater turns. Dive underwater at the backstroke flags and kick to the wall and execute the turn underwater.
l. Assist turns. Partner stands and grabs the wrist of the approaching swimmer and pulls the swimmer in and out of the turn.
m. Turns from a starting block dive in a short cross pool to enable speed approach into the turn.
n. Backstroke should do standing jumps at chest to waist deep water with one arm pointed at one end and the other arm pointed to the other end as in b above.
4. Breast Stroke and Butterfly Turns.
a. The turns are essentially the same for both strokes. The differences are in what is done after the push off from the wall.
b. Technique tips.
1. Learn to judge the walls
2. Touch the wall with both hands just short of full extension. The elbows are flexed then straightened.
3. The lead hand releases the wall on contact, and the knees drive towards the chest as quickly as possible. Get the feet on the wall quickly.
4. One foot should be on top of the other in order to get to the wall quicker.
5. The head snaps directly back on the same line. Go in and out the same hole.
6. The 1st hand off the wall sculls up towards the ceiling.
7. The 2nd hand off the wall drives to the forehead close to the ear.
8. A vertical eye position when the head snaps back helps the swimmer to go in and out the same hole.
9. Hyperextend off the wall and break out into the stroke according to the specifics of breast stroke and butterfly.
10. Use a strong first stroke to break with momentum, and then get into your stroking rhythm. The process to remember: “Elbow your brother, Cut the butter, Phone your mother”
5. Basic drills.
a. Push off drills and glide.
b. Jump to wall, turn and glide.
c. Jump to wall, turn and glide, and add butterfly breakout or breast stroke breakout.
1. Butterfly – Streamlined torpedo dolphin kick and breakout strokes.
2. Breast stroke – Streamlined torpedo, full underwater arm stroke, kick and breakout.
a. Set the elbows high on the underwater pull out with the hands coming in under the stomach.
b. “Shrug” or tuck the shoulders high into the ears at the end of the underwater stroke.
c. Streamline with the stomach and buttocks tucked in tight, with feet together and toes pointed back.
d. Recover the hands close to the body with the elbows in at the side. The hand recovery is according to tested individual preference.
e. Start the 1st surface arm stroke after the legs finish. Snap the feet together and then pull. This arm stroke starts with the head still slightly under the surface, breaking clear on that 1st arm stroke.
6. Advanced turn drills – breast stroke and butterfly.
d. Mid pool turns.
e. Continuous mid pool turns. 3 within 3 seconds. For speed and quickness.\
f. Continuous wall turns – 3 turns from a scull outside flags. Time the 3 turns on the wall – goal under 3 seconds.
g. Wall turns. Time hand touch to feet leaving wall.
h. Underwater turns. Swim to back flags, dive under and kick into the wall, make the turn underwater.
i. Use paddles on the appropriate turn drills.
j. Start from the blocks cross pool in a short pool – turns.
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