FREESTYLE

            KEYS

·        Swim taller. ~ Lengthen your vessel.

·        Learn flow before speed.

·        Learn balance ~ Stay effortlessly horizontal.

·        Learn slippery body positions.

·        Master your SWEET SPOT.

·        Skate on your side.

·        Stay connected. ~ Make arms and hips seem as one.

·        Swim downhill.

·        Hide your head. ~ Use natural head position (as when walking).

·        Swim in the front quadrant.

·        Kick silently.

·        Glide between strokes.

·        Keep a stroke count and try to decrease it as you lengthen your strokes.

·        Lean into your long, effortless strokes.

DRILLS

·         HEAD-LEAD BALANCE ~ Prone (on your stomach)

·         HEAD-LEAD BALANCE ~ Supine (on your back)

·         HEAD-LEAD SIDE BALANCES ~ Nose up, nose down, (possibly include log roll to opposite side and repeat sequence)

·         HAND-LEAD SIDE BALANCE ~ Nose up ~ SWEET SPOT

·         HAND-LEAD SIDE BALANCE ~ Nose down ~ Swordfish

·         STOP-STOP-SWITCH

·         STOP-STOP-SWITCH-SWITCH-SWITCH ~ TRIPLE SWITCH

·         SKATE ~ on hips side to side

·         SHARK FIN ~ Stop-stop-fin and return to sweet spot

·         SINGLE ARM FREESTYLE

BACKSTROKE

          KEYS

·        Keep a neutral head alignment ~ nose up ~ resting on a pillow.

·        Keep hands opposite one another.

·        Enter at 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock.

·        Exit thumb first. ~ Enter little finger first.

·        Swim on your side. ~ Move from Sweet-Spot to Sweet-Spot.

·        Use your core body to swiftly switch from glide to glide.

·        Keep a rhythmic breathing pattern.

·        Work the sub-surface off the walls on starts and turns.  Practice good dolphin kicks.

·        Lean into your stroke. Balance on your shoulders.

·        Count your strokes, and work on reducing your count. 

DRILLS

·        HEAD-LEAD BALANCE ~ Supine ~ silent flutter kick ~ knees and toes submerged.

·        180 DEGREE DRILL ~ Supine ~ Roll side to side across the back and show arm.

·        HAND-LEAD BALANCE ~ SWEET-SPOT

·        SLIDE AND GLIDE ~ Roll from Sweet-Spot to Sweet-Spot.  Keep nose up.  Vary the drill by staying for 3 seconds, 2 seconds, or 1 second in each "spot" for a length of the pool.

·        ONE ARM BACKSTROKE ~ Stroke with  leading arm only.  Roll each shoulder clear of the water on every cycle.

·        LONG AXIS COMBO ~ DRILL  (advanced)

·        LONG AXIS COMBO ~ STROKE (advanced) ~ Use various combinations.

BUTTERFLY

          KEYS

·        Use your "short axis" for core movement.

·        Breathe early in your pull without raising or jutting your chin.

·        Recover your arms in a relaxed, sweeping motion.  Land gently.

·        Land forward.

·        Anchor your hands at "corners" and press the "buoy" (upper chest), allowing your hips to rise.

·        Move your body over your hands.

·        Minimize overt kicking and leg bend.  Let your legs follow your body.

DRILLS

·        BODY DOLPHIN ~ Hands at side ~ Pulse chest rhythmically and allow your body to follow.  Feet should not splash as you release with a dolphin kick.

·        HAND-LEAD BODY DOLPHIN ~ Pulse your chest, move your hands forward, and feel your "vessel" lengthen.  Look down as you breathe.

·        CORNER PULSE BODY DOLPHIN ~ Start with hand-lead body dolphin, and allow your hands to slide out or fall to the corners (slightly more than shoulder width apart).  Take a mini pull (scull) to bring hands back in.  [Used for both butterfly and breast]

·        STONE SKIPPER ~ Two hand-lead body dolphins followed by two head-lead body dolphins with the skip (in and back arm sweep) as the link

·        TRIPLE KICK FLY ~ Extra pulses before the stroke ~ Integrate various stroke aspects (recovery, breathing, etc.)

·        KICK-KICK-PULL ~ Two fly kicks followed by one pull

·        ONE-ARM FLY ~ 1-2-3 strokes: any combo of one arm ~ ALWAYS breathe forward.

·        HALF FLY ~ No breath ~ Finish length with pulses or drills.

BREASTSTROKE

            KEYS             

·        Use your "short axis" for core movement.

·        Keep a long, streamlined, balanced body.

·        Look down slightly with your head in line with your spine.

·        Breathe with body lift rather than chin lift.

·        "Sneak" your legs up to begin the kick.

·        "Grab" as much water as possible on the thrust.

·        Kick to full extension.  Point your toes and squeeze your legs on the finish.

·        Make your pull compact and quick.

·        Keep your hands where you can see them.

·        Spin your hands from the "corners" directly through the recovery.

·        Kick and thrust the hands forward BEFORE your face is back in the water.

·        Reach full extension in every stroke.

·        Do NOT use your hands to push water toward your feet.  Sweep out and in toward a strong forward drive.         

DRILLS

·        HEAD-LEAD & HAND LEAD BODY DOLPHINS ~ same as fly

·        HEAD-LEAD KICK ON BACK ~ Hands at sides, bring heels to fingertips without letting your knees break the water surface.  Squeeze all the water out from between your legs and feet.

·        HEAD-LEAD KICK ON STOMACH~ Hands at sides, sneak feet up and touch ankles then kick back keep within streamline of body.

·        HAND-LEAD KICK ON STOMACH ~ Breathe with core body movement.  Keep head aligned with spine. 

·        HEADS-UP PULLING ~ Goggles just above the surface, keep head aligned with spine and make recovery a quick, streamlined, motion that transfers momentum forward before your face "drops" into the water.

·        DOLPHIN BREAST ~ Add Body Dolphins between compact arm strokes. Make strokes fast – forward like head up pulling.

·        ONE PULL TWO KICK: two kicks per one pull

·        TWO PULL ONE KICK: two pulls per one kick

·        3 COUNT GLIDE: Glide a for a count of 3 between strokes – can vary 1-2-3 count.

·        BODY-DOLPHIN COMBO ~ Various ~ Work on timing and fluency.