Athletes in general are insecure and want to do big kms and lots of intensity so that they can sleep at night, feel satisfied and that they can give themselves a tick for a goal achieved. This mindset often ends in injury, chronic illnesses, mini depression and athletes giving up all together. Slow it down, think, analyse and find a way to get better quicker.

The answer will always be technique on the swim particularly. Every swim work out should have 3 focus areas but only have one focus per lap or you will end up frustrated and not doing the drill or swim the right way anyway. You can pick one of the 10 points below if you have no one to correct you.

The best option will always be to join a squad that has a coach who is not afraid to stop you in the middle of hard reps to remind you of something, to tell you off or to ask you to change something in your stroke.

  1. Head down looking at bottom of the pool & slightly at front
  2. Breathe looking @ side of pool & not @ roof
  3. Push water out at the back of your stroke to lift body up & forward
  4. Open hands slightly and relax them
  5. Rotate from hips and switch on core NO TWISTING
  6. Hand entry with thumb & glide in water to reach at the front
  7. Turn shoulder in & catch water with high elbow
  8. Breath every 3 when you are a bit more relax in water
  9. Kick from hips, relax, toes pointed and in two beats
  10. Do not cross the middle of your body in the pulling phase

DRILLS

Warm up is 600m easy F-S with snorkel
Main set is 20 x 50m Drills 25m drill/25m swim

  • Catch up (touch hands in front)
  • Touch armpit (with your thumb)
  • Touch opposite cheek bum (with you thumb)
  • Fist (swim with closed hands)
  • Finger drag (swim with tip of finger dragging @ top of water)
  • Knuckle drag (swim dragging your knuckle into the water)
  • Polo (swim with head outside the water)
  • Doggy (swim with your arms inside the water)
  • Kick on side (swim on one side with right arm @ front + other along body + strong kick)
  • Kick on side (swim on one side with left arm @ front + other along body + strong kick)
  • 1 arm (swim with right arm, left arm along body, kicking and breath opp. the arm in use)
  • 1 arm (swim with left arm, right arm along body, kicking and breath opp. the arm in use)
  • 1 arm (swim with right arm, left arm in front, kicking and breath same side the arm you are using, every two)
  • 1 arm (swim with left arm, right arm in front, kicking and breath same side the arm you are using, every two)
  • Switch (see kick on side but switching side every 8 kicks)
  • Switch + skull (see kick on side but switching side every 8 kicks with hand skulling @ front)
  • Kick + skull (strong kick + action of skulling in a 8 shape with hands @ front)
  • Skull on your back feet first with no kick in a 8 shape skull with hands beside hips
  • Skull on your back head first with no kick in a 8 shape skull with hands beside hips
  • Skull on your belly with both hands skulling up and down beside your body

Warm down is 400m fins easy IM done in 4x25m with 1 arm fly instead of butterfly