Today, we’re going to take a look at a couple of training tools—but we’re going to focus mainly on the pull buoy: how to use it and why it’s such an important part of your swim training.

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If you’re looking to improve your catch, refine your pull, and work on the finer details of your propulsion, these tools can help you stay focused and isolate your technique.

First up is the *Finis center-mount snorkel*. This swimmer’s snorkel allows you to maintain a stable body line while focusing on your pull—without having to rotate for air. Using the snorkel lets you spend more time working on how you set up your catch and execute each stroke with precision.

Now, let’s talk about the *pull buoy*. The pull buoy plays a key role in helping you develop a strong, balanced body line. By lifting the midsection, it removes the kick from the equation and forces you to rely more on your upper body and core stability.

Here, you can see Lily demonstrating the drill. She’s holding her legs straight and still, which really emphasizes core control. Some swimmers might allow a slight flutter kick, but in this case, Lily is demanding more from her body. Her toes are pointed, legs are tight together, and her entire body line is in excellent alignment.

She’s also hitting key technical elements—full extension on each stroke, proper head and eye position, and a clean early vertical forearm. All of this leads to a powerful catch and an efficient push through the water.

By using the pull buoy, she’s not just working on her catch; she’s reinforcing balance, core strength, and streamlined body position—everything working together in sync.

So while it’s a simple and inexpensive piece of gear, the pull buoy can be a powerful tool to help you refine your pull, improve your technique, and strengthen your core-driven body line.


Pull Buoy

**April 1, 2025**

**Theme of the Week**

**Jason Lezak**

The legendary Jason Lezak is our focus this week. We’ll take a close look at his technique from above and below the surface, identifying the things he does that we can all learn to do. Join us!

**Monday**

**Jason Lezak: Balance with Jason**

For Jason Lezak, balance is fundamental and means two things: keeping the body horizontal front to back…and side to side. It’s something every swimmer can achieve. Jason also talks about his loping stroke and how balance took his loping from good to great.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/351-balance>

0557 Head torso hips arm extended

0677 arm head torso hips foot

1309 parallel to surface

1358 arm extended parallel to surface

1425 down to balance

1511 arm extended forward parallel to surface

1569 Down to balance

2235 create the smallest hole

2526 lowhead

4836 can appear that he’s coming up too high

10365 up to air

10491 Down to connection and balance

11844 linear balance

11956 linear balance to both sides symmetry

13482 slight uphill to breath

13542 immediately back down

13628 connection Down to balance

13961 watch the hips

**Tuesday**

**Jason Lezak: Breathing and Recovery**

Jason spent 8 years revamping his loping stroke, taking it from good to great (and to Olympic gold in Beijing). He worked on balance but also on keeping the breath low and hidden. It’s something every swimmer can achieve. Take a look.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/976-breathing-and-recovery>

0677 up to air

0822 extremely low breath

1626 only part of the mouth is above the surface

1660 for very short period of time

1892 back down to balance

2356 mouth closed

2389 mouth open

Go back to the first video 10264 Zoom in on the exhale

11457 controlled breathing in a non-sprint situation

**Wednesday**

**Jason Lezak: Loping Stroke (the “Gallop”)**

There’s loping…and then there’s loping as Jason Lezak practices it. If this is the type of stroke you use, Jason has ideas for how you can make it work even better.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/350-loping-stroke-the-gallop>

0644 in a non-Sprint situation Jason could be very stable and symmetrical to both sides

1540 as he starts to increase the pace and add breathing every stroke the lope begins

2816 one advantage of this style is the ability to get complete underwater

2942 knowing what we saw on Jason’s breathing what appears out of balance is not

2974 immediately falling back into the balance line

2990 Full body connection for the pull

3236 Down to balance

4356 very catch up timing with the left arm out

4529 right arm is through the pattern much more quickly

**Thursday**

**The Jason Lezak: Lezak Kick**

If you have a loping stroke, you need a constant, consistent kick. Jason shows what that can look like.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/985-lezak-kick>

0275 Constant kick

0465 crossbody connection with right hand left foot

0984 Crossbody connection with left-hand right foot

Seems to be an eight beat kick but sometimes nine

The most important thing is that it is constant

**Friday**

**Jason Lezak: Single Arm**

One thing Jason does that every swimmer can learn to do is to connect the catch to the core. This clip illustrates the technique and shows Jason’s favorite drill, single-arm free, for working on that connection.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/990-lezak-single-arm>

1255 patient in full rotation prior to the action

1534 Setting the hook

1592 keeping the elbow high

1692 arm perpendicular to the body at halfway

1878 hand pivots out to full rotation

Go back to 0329

Left-hand connects as left foot kicks down

1563 left foot down left arm connect

2830 left left

3811 Full rotation to finish the drill

**Saturday**

**Jason Lezak: Catch Drill**

Here’s Jason’s favorite drill for working on three aspects of his stroke: high-elbow catch, full rotation to each side, and constant kick.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/989-lezak-catch-drill>

0437 Watch the hand

0545 timing the connection

0615 right hand poles right foot down left-hand drives

0967 have patience in your drills

1116 timing the connection

1225 left-hand left foot drive the right hand

1782 set with the elbow high

2318 set with the elbow high

2587 do not rush but finish the job

**Sunday**

**Jason Lezak: Slow-Motion Sprinting**

Jason swims at race pace, but we slow it down to see the details and the things every swimmer can work on: horizontal balance, constant kick, full extension, low breath.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/977-slow-motion-sprinting>

First look at connecting the sides

Next look at the constant kick

Next look at balance in breathing 1563

1783 talk about the weight of the body going down eating in the power of the left arm

0960 the lope down to balance 

1848 the body line


April 1, 2025 - Jason Lezak

**Distance Per Cycle: The 4th Pillar of Teaching Better Swimming**

The key to long-term improvement as a swimmer is this:  Increase distance per cycle while maintaining the same tempo and breakout distance.  This week we look at ways to increase distance per cycle in all four strokes, and give some sets to help you develop this all-important skill.  Come join us!

**Monday**

**Kelsi (Worrell) Dahlia:  Head**

In butterfly, one of the best ways to increase distance per cycle is to minimize up-and-down movement.  Olympian Kelsi (Worrell) Dahlia maintains a stable head/neck alignment and lands the hands forward and high, with head and eyes below the arms.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2324-butterfly-head>

It’s all about efficiency

0808 Press but shallow press

0878 Direct an early connection

1096 flow and direction

2853 low and forward breathing 

2932 soft hand entry

3665 hands no wider than elbows

3751 hand exit sweeping out

3829 hand entering directly in front of shoulders

5213 stressed to body position

5292 the natural reaction to distressed body position

5549 stressed body position

5627 the resulting action

11475 this is as deep as it gets

**Tuesday**

**Ash Delaney: Backstroke**

Aussie Olympian Ash Delaney shows us two key ways to increase distance per cycle in backstroke:  1) Let the legs and feet follow the rotation of the hips, and 2) Don’t break the wrist during the pull.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1715-backstroke-ash-delaney>

0522 the line

0576 the power

0612 the finish

0678 the catch

0699 the power

0740 the finish

0788 Constant kick

5590 not just the arm but the entire body

10601 distance per cycle is impacted by body line

**Wednesday**

**Felipe Lima: Breaststroke Head**

When trying to increase distance per cycle in breaststroke, it’s all about improving your LINE.  Brazilian Olympian Felipe Lima shows what a great breaststroke LINE can look like.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2617-breaststroke-head>

0641 escaping surface tension

0669 following the natural flow of the body

0715 drawing the hips

0762 proper timing

0842 finish the stroke

20120 efficiency in the line

20909 Head stays down and in line during the out sweep

20919 hands in head up to air hips forward

21202 arms extended head down prior to kick

22088 complete the stroke

31280 eyes down an extension

31466 eyes down on out sweep

32088 eyes down at corners

32612 hands in Head up to air

**Thursday**

**Jason Lezak:  Connect the Catch to the Core**

Jason Lezak gives a masterclass in how to increase your power – and distance per cycle – in freestyle.  The key is to connect the catch to the core – to swim with your entire body and not just with the arms.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/353-connect-the-catch-to-the-core>

0545 connected timing

0574 Energy going forward

0684 connected timing

1352 purposeful direction

1648 purposeful direction during breathing

2253 driving the hand forward

2539 driving hand forward during breathing

3835 submerged after breath 

5027 low and balanced breath 

10118 driving from the legs

11511 getting everything possible from the stroke

25375 completely submerged

32036 harnessing the power of the body 

33411 purposeful path of the hand

34643 purposeful path of the hand

43588 watching the connection

45225 watching the path of the hand

52798 maximizing each arm

55477 complete the drill

60394 take away the instinct

61710 my favorite frame

63491 the final result

64147 the breath

**Friday**

**Glenn in EP:  Freestyle Rate**

In this clip, shot in the Endless Pool, Glenn uses a FINIS Tempo Trainer to hold his stroke RATE the same, but slowly increases the speed of the flow, requiring him to swim faster at the same stroke rate.  Notice how this assignment causes many aspects of his stroke (especially kick and pull) to change.  In the pool, a similar set would be 4 X 50, holding stroke rate but getting faster on each 50.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2840-freestyle-rate>

1139 water at speed one

1617 water at speed two

2619 water at speed three

3540 water at speed four

4658 tired

**Saturday**

**Discovering Freestyle Efficiency Step 2**

In this set of 4 X 50, the goal is to maintain the same stroke count for each 50, but to get faster on each 50.  The swimmer will quickly learn how to increase distance per cycle by adding power to the pull and kick, and by sharpening awareness of streamline and breakout.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1008-freestyle-discovering-efficiency-step-2>

13 first lap

14 second lap

3729 3513

11223 3325

14570 3212

21698 2922

14923 one additional dolphin

20020 Long wall

21653 Long finish

Failure

**Sunday**

**All Drills:  Wax On…Wax Off**

Here’s an example of the flip side of our equation.  In a short set of 25s, the goal is to maintain SPEED but take fewer strokes on each 25.  It’s another way of getting the swimmer to increase distance per cycle.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1878-wax-on-wax-off-set>

0523 nine strokes 12.5 seconds

1938 10 strokes 13.3 seconds

3521 11 strokes 12.1 seconds

4961 12 strokes 11.7 seconds

11368 12 strokes 11.3 seconds two dolphins

12541 11 strokes 11.7 seconds two dolphins

13987 10 strokes 11.3 seconds three dolphins

15416 nine strokes 11.5 seconds three dolphins I’m barricading he can’t get in

**BONUS**

**Bruno Fratus: Slow to Fast**

In this set of 4 X 25, Bruno Fratus shows how to get faster while holding on to one aspect of technique: reaching full extension on every stroke of freestyle.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2374-slow-to-fast>


March 25, 2025 - Distance Per Cycle

Kristian uses a 6-step progression to practice his flip turns. Step #1 is a simple pushoff, head first, with arms at your sides and palms facing down.

Now the fine points. Push off gently. Maintain a stable bodyline and point your toes. Head and neck are in neutral position, with eyes looking down. Stay on the surface! Notice that every part of Kristian’s body is under water, but JUST under the surface. This takes great control.


Flip Turn Step #1

For the 6th and final step in Kristian’s flip-turn progression, he flips at the wall. Don’t rush! Swim smoothly into the wall, with eyes focused on the bottom and not on the wall. As you approach the wall, keep both arms at your sides and then tuck the head, tuck the knees to the chest, turn the hands over and push down with the palms to add momentum to your somersault.

As your feet hit the wall, your hands should be together and you should be ready to extend immediately into a streamlined pushoff.

The fine point is timing. All 6 steps should happen smoothly and continuously. The goal is to end up in perfect position for a streamlined pushoff the INSTANT your feet hit the wall. The goal during the learning stage is not speed, but timing and flow. Starting with the tuck of the head, feel how each step flows into and augments the next step.


Flip Turn Step #6

Kristian uses a 6-step progression to practice his flip turns. [Step #1](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2265-flip-turn-step-1) is a simple pushoff, head first, with arms at your sides and palms facing down. [Step #2](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2266-flip-turn-step-2) adds the head tuck. [Steps #3](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2267-flip-turn-step-3) and [4](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2268-flip-turn-step-4) happen simultaneously – tucking up with the knees and pushing down with the palms. In Step #5 the flip is complete, and you extend into streamline on your back.

The key to mastering the fine points is not to rush. As you extend into streamline, make sure it’s a full streamline from fingertips to toes. Hands locked together. Head locked between shoulders. Torso stable. Toes pointed. HOLD your streamline for a few seconds to get the full effect.


Flip Turn Step #5

Kristian uses a 6-step progression to practice his flip turns. [Step #1](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2265-flip-turn-step-1) is a simple pushoff, head first, with arms at your sides and palms facing down. [Step #2](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2266-flip-turn-step-2) adds the head tuck, lowering the head into still water to get the body flowing into the flip. [Step #3](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2267-flip-turn-step-3), tuck the knees into the torso. And Step #4, push down with the palms. Hold the tuck, and let the feet flow over the top and back into the water.

The fine point is timing. If you push down with the palms just as you tuck up with the knees, you will gain speed and momentum as your feet flow over the top. To really feel the connection, perform this step with control rather than speed.


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