USAS ADM Videos

Important Note to the Viewer

LESSONS: 40 VIDEOS

Turns - PASA Pushoffs

While visiting Palo Alto Swim Association, Coach Tisha showed us many cool techniques in her teaching. Here's a very simple one. Why do it: When working with developing swimmers, sometimes you need to get the point across of WHAT NOT TO DO. When teaching streamline, if the swimmers aren't getting it, show them the opposite of what you want. How to do it (these are pretty self-explanatory... Create resistance): 1 - Push off in the "Y" 2 - Push off in the "T" 3 - Push off in the "A" 4 - Push off in the "X" 5 - Get back to the "I" How to do it really well (the fine points): This is the standard OVERTEACHING used very often by teachers. Show them the extremes of the little mistakes they're making, like hands apart, or feet apart during the streamline. Have them check how far they go each time to further make the point of the proper streamline being THE WAY to leave the wall.

Turns - Pencil Push Kick Swim

Working with young swimmers, it's incredibly important to set up the foundation of every pushoff. Why do it: The pushoff and breakout are the foundations of every length of swimming. No detail is too small to focus on, or repeat, repeat, repeat. How to do it: 1 - Set targets for the push offs to make sure the swimmers don't try to overdo it and go too far. 2 - Have the swimmers perform a "pencil" push off to the first target. 3 - Then, have them initiate a Position 11 flutter kick to the second target. 4 - Finally, have them take 4 arm swings while focusing on maintaining a constant kick to the third marker.... then stop. How to do it really well (the fine points): The markers not only give reasonable targets, but they also help to make sure the swimmers aren't going to be gliding ineffectively for too far. The additional benefit of the markers are to make sure the swimmers aren't going too far without air. Remember, repeat repeat repeat. Don't rush to move to the next step, teach the importance of foundations!

Turns - Kick Through Your Turn

Learning an effective flip turn means learning to NOT slow down into your flip turn. Why do it: There are so many small factors that go into this, we'll focus on just one today... kicking THROUGH your turn. Maintaining momentum through your turn can make for a faster turn. How to do it: 1 - First, identify a couple problem areas. Do you lift your head or look at the wall as you approach? This gets you going in the wrong direction for a great turn. 2 - Do you drive the turn from a dolphin kick in the back? While even great swimmers have a small dolphin, too many swimmers think the dolphin IS what drives them over. 3 - Once you've identified the problems, do some turns keeping your head down, and maintaining a flutter kick for as long as you can into the turn. How to do it really well, the fine points: Watch for the "breach" prior to the turn. That means do you POP-UP, or do you submerge into the turn? Leaning into the turn and maintaining your flutter kick for as long as you can, will help you develop a turn that flows smoothly and quickly. Keep everything moving, and don't wait for the wall to come to you.

Freestyle #6:  Timing the Breath

Freestyle Swim Lesson 6: Timing the Breath This swimmer is demonstrating the correct timing of freestyle breathing. Notice the connection between the natural body roll and the breath. Just as the hand is entering the water, the body begins to roll naturally to the side and the head moves WITH the body to take the breath. To teach this timing, I have the swimmer practice head-lead kicking and breathing without using her hand as a guide. Notice how she goes to air by simply rotating her body. She can go to both sides. Next, she does a 6-Count, 3-Stroke-Switch Breathing Drill. She starts in streamline and takes three strokes. As the hand enters on the 3rd stroke, she goes to air. She pauses in this position with her other arm by her side. After about 6 kicks, she returns her face to the water. She recovers the arm once…twice…three times…and rolls to air on the other side. The next step is to rotate to air…but not rotate all the way around to the back. You can see that as she extends the arm forward, her body rolls to that side and the head simply rolls WITH the body toward air. Most of the rotation to get a breath occurs through the roll of the body, not through an independent rotary movement of the head. The swimmer should try to keep as much of the head as possible in the water. It’s not necessary to lift the head at all or to hold the head up and away from that leading arm. Notice how I’m holding her lead arm NEXT TO HER HEAD as she goes to air. All the swimmer needs to do is roll the mouth to where the air is. The swimmer should stay long with the leading arm… and keep the side of the head above the ear IN THE WATER when breathing. Swimmers who do this well will have just one goggle out of the water when they breathe. The other goggle stays in the water. We call this one-goggle breathing. A swimmer will make a bow wave as they swim, creating a breathing space below the surface of the water. It helps to keep the leading arm long during the breath. This gives the swimmer more time to catch a leisurely breath…and helps the swimmer maintain a good body position in the water. An arm that is long should stay UP near the surface of the water and should not fall down while the swimmer is breathing. She can feel the lead arm touch the back of her head while she breathes. The face returns to the water by a rotary movement of the head before the body rolls back to the other side and before the breathing-side arm enters. Here I assist to make sure her head turns face down before her arm completes the recovery. I try to get her face down before her recovery arm has passed her shoulder. After the breath and after the swimmer has rolled her face back into the water, the swimmer should be looking down. The chin should not be lifted. The eyes look down and the head is aligned with the spine. She should exhale deeply (bubbles should also be coming out of the nose) and the face and jaw should be relaxed. Now the swimmer is ready for her next breath, from a neutral head position.

Advanced Freestyle #1:  One-Eye Breathing

Advanced Freestyle Techniques and Stroke Corrections Advanced Freestyle Swim Lesson 1: One-Eye Breathing Swimmers have a distinct advantage if they can do their freestyle breathing while keeping one goggle in the water. Here’s what this skill looks like from above the water. Ideally just half the face and only one goggle should be visible. And here’s what it looks like from below. It allows the swimmer to breathe and get air…but with minimal movement and no disruption to her horizontal body position. This is an aquatic body position: the hips are tucked under, belly button in, lower back flat, shoulders rolled in slightly, and the lungs pressing into the water. The swimmer probably feels like they are swimming downhill. Their head is most likely in a neutral position before the breath. As they go to air, the lead arm is most likely still in front of the head, giving them a longer bodyline. All of these skills will put the swimmer in a better position to take a balanced breath. When turning the head to air, it is imperative that the swimmer keeps the top of her head in the water… that the head is not lifted prior to the turn of the head. When teaching this…here’s drill number one. The swimmer holds on to the wall with one arm in a side-glide position and practices a series of breaths to the side, keeping one goggle in the water as she takes a breath. She keeps the opposite shoulder out of the water. The next drill is a standing freestyle breathing drill. While standing on the bottom and with her face in the water, she practices going to air as the lead arm enters and with only one goggle out the water. The other goggle stays in. I instruct her to look across the pool with the underwater eye. Another fun drill for swimmers is called One-Goggle Look and See. Swimmers pair off and swim directly across from each other, swimming at the same speed. One swimmer breathes to the left, the other to the right. They try to time their breaths so that they’re looking at each other with their underwater eye as they go to air. On the next length they switch breathing sides. This really works, and it’s fun.

Advanced Freestyle #2:  Early Vertical Forearm

Advanced Freestyle Swim Lesson 2: Early Vertical Forearm Early Vertical Forearm (often referred to as E-V-F) is a technique that applies to all strokes. In freestyle, EVF occurs when the swimmer sets up the arm into a power position before initiating the pull. Freestyle EVF looks like this…and it puts the arm in the most effective catch position to grab an armful of water. To teach freestyle EVF, I have the swimmer start on land. I have her stand straight up with the arms in Position 11. Then, I demonstrate and ask her to keep the elbows at the same height as she presses the forearms and hands, as one solid unit, to a position slightly higher than the head. As the swimmer presses to this position, the elbows will press outside the bodyline. The hands should be in-line with the shoulders, with the palms facing the ground. I have her freeze in this position and make adjustments if necessary. Next, while she maintains that position, I have her bend at the knees and at the waist. Now she is in a horizontal EVF position. I make adjustments if necessary. Next we go the water… and preferably over a mirror. I ask the swimmer to float in Position 11 and look at the position of her elbows in relation to the top of her head. For most swimmers, the elbows will be forward of the head. Next, I ask the swimmer to press her forearms down to a vertical position, allowing the elbows to press up and out…but not back. She should be able to see in the mirror that her elbows have remained forward of her head. This is the EVF Freeze. After she achieves the EVF freeze position, I tell her to maintain the high-elbow position and pull both arms back toward the legs. Then she recovers underwater to a Position 11 float and repeats the movement. After this, I have the swimmer do the movement slowly but without pausing. The next step is begin in a Position-11 float, but this time press only one arm back into an EVF Freeze, then complete the pull and recover the arm out and over the water. Repeat with the other arm. Next do this slowly but without pausing. Another method to teach freestyle EVF is the Head- Up Scooter Drill. While holding a kickboard with one arm, she swims head-up freestyle with the other arm. She can watch her arm recovery, hand entry, and elbow position as she sets up the pull. I instruct her to watch her ELBOW as her forearm presses back to a position under her elbow before pulling. The elbow should pop up toward the surface and move outward… but should not slide back. Only after the forearm is in a vertical position should she engage her strong lat muscles to pull back. An additional EVF teaching drill is the EVF Dog-Paddle Pull. Using a pull buoy and a snorkel, the swimmer begins each stroke in Position 11 and performs alternate one-arm EVF pulls.

Freestyle Drill #1: One-Arm Freestyle - Extended

Haufler Top 15 Freestyle Drills Haufler Top Freestyle Drill 1: One-Arm Freestyle (Non-Working Arm Extended) Here’s a swimmer doing one-arm freestyle with the non-working arm extended. The swimmer starts by kicking on the stomach with arms in Position 11. He pulls with only one arm, leaving the other arm extended, with fingertips pointing forward. By using only one arm, the swimmer can focus on the technique of pulling, breathing, and recovering the arm. The swimmer should breathe every other stroke and return to Position 11 kicking between pulls. It’s important not to rush through the pull and to spend some time in Position 11. The swimmer should extend the pulling arm slightly forward of the stationary arm before initiating the catch and starting the pull. This helps set up a more effective pull because of the rotation created. It is also possible to watch the beginning of the pull to look for the Early Vertical Forearm… like this. The swimmer should breathe early in the pull cycle and be mindful of the lead arm so that it doesn’t drop down or move back and forth. If the swimmer stays balanced and keeps the top of her head level, she can practice one-goggle breathing… like this. At the finish of the pull, the hip should be rotated out of the way as the hand presses back. Now the swimmer can focus solely on the recovery and hand entry, working on staying relaxed and entering the hand at shoulder width, fingers pointed straight ahead, and with a slight flex of the wrist.

Freestyle Drill #2: One-Arm Freestyle - Trailing

Haufler Top Freestyle Drill 2: One-Arm Freestyle (Breathing Toward the Trailing Arm) Here’s a swimmer doing one-arm freestyle with the non-working arm trailing at her side. She is breathing toward the trailing arm. After pushing off in streamline, the swimmer pulls with one arm and leaves the arm by her side. She swims the rest of the length with the other arm…and breathes toward the non-working arm. When the swimmer first attempts this drill, have her swim without breathing. She should concentrate on rotating equally to both sides, like this. Once she has the rotation coordination, she should take a breath with the correct timing. The breath must be taken as the working arm is extending forward. The body is rotated and the head is to the side. The swimmer needs to return the face to the water right at the beginning of the catch of the stroke, when the hand and forearm start pressing on the water. When the drill is done correctly, the swimmer will be able to see her hand as it travels under water along the side of her body.

Freestyle Drill #5: 6-Count Switch

Haufler Top Freestyle Drill 5: 6-Count Switch This swimmer is doing a 6-Count Switch Drill with Breathing. Before adding breathing to this drill, make sure the swimmer understands how to kick in a side-glide position and then how to initiate the switch. It’s best if the swimmer starts the recovery first, and brings the elbow or arm opposite the shoulder before starting the pull. When adding breathing, the swimmer should take the breath after the switch, turning the head to the opposite side of the entering arm…like this.

Freestyle / Backstroke - Head Games

This week, visiting Aquajets in Minnesota, we got a glimpse of how they work on stable head position by limited drills. Why do it: We all know that a stable head makes for a better body position and an equal degree of rotation for freestyle and backstroke. How to do it: 1 - Rather than stopping and doing drills, the Aquajets incorporate tools during sets to add a bit of challenge. For freestyle, take a hand paddle and stick it on your head. Yep... just grab the paddle and push it down the pool. 2 - When you get to the wall, try to do a flip, and if it drops off, grab it, push off, and put it back on your forehead. The goal is simply to keep going. 3 - For backstroke, the paddle on head can still be used, but for the whole team, grab your water-bottles. 4 - While we've seen this many times before, this is just a regular set, which the swimmers grab the bottle prior to the turns, and then, after the turn, put it back on your head an keep going... no stopping. How to do it really well (the fine points): Like other things at the Aquajets, certain things have various benefits. How one interacts with the water and knows how the water works is important. These swimmers build an additional level of awareness when the paddle, or bottle, drops off. It's also a great habit to build in that no matter how many times it drops off, you just grab it and keep going. No excuses or reasons to stop. It's also has a nice competitive aspect to it. Like video horse racing... you never know who's really going to win a race, as at any moment... someone may lose a bottle, or paddle, and have to regroup. Leaders change, but everyone keeps going.

Step #4 Teach Backstroke Timing

Backstroke Teaching Progression Step 4 Teach Backstroke Timing Smooth and efficient backstroke demands a steady and constant kick. For this reason, most swimmers develop a 6-beat kick naturally…without coaching. The few times I’ve had to work on timing is when the swimmer over-kicks – which means they take more than 6 kicks in one stroke cycle. This often slows the stroke. The best “fix” is to have the swimmer move just the arms (and move them FAST) and don’t kick. I tell them to float the legs, keep them relaxed, and don’t TRY to kick. But don’t PREVENT them from moving. I tell them to just ALLOW the kick to happen…it will blend naturally into the stroke. This fix also helps swimmers develop a continuous arm motion so that their hands don’t get stuck at either the entry or the exit. Sometimes a long continuous backstroke swim can help a swimmer get the feel for the kick. If a good backstroker “observes” their timing while swimming they will notice a 1-2-3, 1-2-3 kicking rhythm. Or… side-side-middle, side-side-middle.

Step #5 - Teach Backstroke Breathing

Backstroke Teaching Progression Step 5 Teach Backstroke Breathing Because backstrokers don’t need to move their head or body to breathe, and because they don’t blow bubbles in the water while swimming, sometimes they forget to breathe and/or exhale. In other strokes, when they go to air, they make a conscious effort to breathe. And when their face goes back in, the act of blowing bubbles is feedback that they are exhaling. Backstrokers, however, don’t make any movement to go to air, and don’t get positive feedback when they exhale. This is why some backstrokers need to be reminded to inhale and exhale, and not to breath shallow and just pant. One method to recommend is that the swimmer inhale when the right arm enters and exhale when the left arm enters. Some backstrokers actually inhale and exhale on each arm stroke, inhaling on each entry and exhaling on each pull. Some of the breathing rhythm may be dependent on the stroke rate of the arms. Backstrokers should be allowed to breathe at a rate that matches their need for oxygen, but they can be reminded and coached to keep the breathing steady and rhythmic.