Best Swim Drills for Teen Athletes

Introduction

For teenage swimmers preparing for competition, targeted swim drills are essential for developing skills, building endurance, and refining techniques. These drills help young athletes enhance their stroke efficiency, power, and speed, making them more competitive in the water. Here are some of the best swim drills designed to improve skill development and endurance for teenage athletes.

1. Catch-Up Drill

  • Focus: Stroke efficiency and technique
  • How It Works: In freestyle, swimmers use one arm to pull while the other stays extended in front until the pulling arm “catches up.” This encourages a full stroke and proper body rotation.
  • Benefits:
    • Improves coordination and rhythm in the freestyle stroke.
    • Helps athletes develop a longer stroke length for increased speed.

2. Fingertip Drag Drill

  • Focus: Stroke refinement and high elbow recovery
  • How It Works: While swimming freestyle, athletes drag their fingertips along the water’s surface during the recovery phase. This helps maintain a high elbow and encourages proper hand placement.
  • Benefits:
    • Promotes an efficient arm movement pattern.
    • Enhances body positioning and reduces drag.

3. Kickboard Drills

  • Focus: Leg strength and endurance
  • How It Works: Swimmers hold onto a kickboard and perform continuous flutter kicks, breaststroke kicks, or dolphin kicks to build lower body strength.
  • Variations:
    • Flutter Kick Sprints: Short bursts of intense kicking.
    • Breaststroke Kick with Ankle Bands: Increases resistance for added strength building.
  • Benefits:
    • Builds leg endurance and power.
    • Improves kick technique across different strokes.

4. Sculling Drills

  • Focus: Feel for the water and propulsion
  • How It Works: Swimmers move their hands back and forth in the water while maintaining a streamlined body position. Different sculling positions (front, mid, and back) target various parts of the stroke.
  • Benefits:
    • Develops a better feel for water resistance.
    • Enhances propulsion through improved hand positioning.

5. 3-3-3 Drill

  • Focus: Butterfly technique and endurance
  • How It Works: Swimmers alternate between three strokes of butterfly, three strokes of breaststroke, and three strokes of freestyle, repeating the sequence continuously.
  • Benefits:
    • Increases upper body endurance and power.
    • Helps athletes practice transitions between strokes.

6. Hypoxic Breathing Drills

  • Focus: Breath control and lung capacity
  • How It Works: Swimmers limit their breathing to once every 3, 5, or 7 strokes while maintaining a consistent pace.
  • Benefits:
    • Improves breath control during races.
    • Enhances the swimmer’s ability to stay underwater for longer periods.

7. Vertical Kicking Drill

  • Focus: Leg power and endurance
  • How It Works: Swimmers kick vertically in the deep end of the pool, keeping their head above water. They can alternate between flutter, dolphin, and breaststroke kicks.
  • Variations:
    • Hold weights above the head for increased resistance.
    • Try timed intervals, such as 30 seconds of vertical kicking followed by rest.
  • Benefits:
    • Builds leg strength for all strokes.
    • Enhances kick efficiency and endurance.

8. One-Arm Drills

  • Focus: Stroke symmetry and technique refinement
  • How It Works: Swimmers use only one arm while the other remains at their side or extended in front. This drill can be done for freestyle, backstroke, or butterfly.
  • Benefits:
    • Improves body balance and rotation.
    • Enhances the power of individual strokes and helps correct asymmetrical techniques.

9. Underwater Dolphin Kick Drills

  • Focus: Underwater speed and streamline efficiency
  • How It Works: Swimmers push off the wall and perform dolphin kicks underwater, staying in a streamlined position. The goal is to maintain speed and control while minimizing resistance.
  • Benefits:
    • Strengthens the core and lower body.
    • Develops a powerful underwater phase, crucial for starts and turns.

10. Broken Swim Sets

  • Focus: Race pace training and endurance
  • How It Works: A swim set is divided into segments with brief rest periods in between. For example, a 200-meter swim may be broken into 4×50 meters with 10-15 seconds rest.
  • Benefits:
    • Trains swimmers to maintain race pace throughout the entire distance.
    • Helps improve recovery time and sustain speed over longer events.

Conclusion

Incorporating these drills into a training routine can help teenage athletes enhance their swimming skills, build endurance, and prepare effectively for competitions. These drills target various aspects of swimming, from technique to strength, making them suitable for all levels. Remember, consistency in training, along with proper technique, is key to unlocking peak performance.

FAQs Section

  1. How often should a teenage swimmer practice these drills?
    • Aim for 2-3 sessions per week focusing on different drills to target various skills.
  2. Can these drills help swimmers who specialize in a specific stroke?
    • Yes, many of these drills can be modified to focus on stroke-specific techniques.
  3. What is the best way to track progress in swim drills?
    • Use time trials and count strokes to measure improvements in speed and technique.
  4. Are these drills suitable for beginner swimmers?
    • While most drills can be adapted for beginners, it is best to start with the basics and gradually incorporate more complex exercises.
  5. How can parents support their teen athletes in practicing these drills?
    • Encourage consistent practice, provide constructive feedback, and ensure swimmers have the right equipment.
Slava Fattakhov

Slava Fattakhov

Former Professional Swimmer / Professional Swimming Coach

I enjoy every opportunity I get to coach, whether it is a national level university swimming team or a kid who just started exploring one of the greatest sports - swimming.

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