Do you (need to) do drills at all?

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Karl_S — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 08:31:13 GMT

This is an interesting topic. Here is my take on drills: I've done a lot of swimming and done lots of drills but I'm not a fast swimmer and I have no formal training in coaching so maybe I can't speak with much authority on this matter, but... I can speak with some authority on a related matter, the use of drills to teach alpine skiing. The is the one sport where I actually reached a reasonably high level of proficiency. I've had lots and lots of formal training in teaching/coaching alpine skiing, I spent 10 years doing it professionally part time and I'm still certified to do so. In skiing, drills are very useful to achieve kinesthetic awareness. A student cannot see him/herself ski so to know whether he/she is doing it properly the student needs to know what the movement pattern feels like when performed properly. (One might argue that you can use video, but even with video, the student performs the movement now and sees it later. Kinesthetic awareness lets the student get real-time feedback.) So a drill is designed to generate the same sensation that is felt when the desired movement pattern is done properly. The student does the drill, learns the correct sensation, then tries to generate that sensation when skiing. Assuming that can be translated to swimming, (which seems more than plausible to me) I look for drills that will generate the same sensation as the desired movement pattern. Here are some examples: Finger-tip-drag: This drill forces a desirable shoulder-elbow-hand relationship during the recover. I've seen this one work wonders in kids. You can tell them a bazillion times what the arm position should be, but until they "feel" it from finger-tip-drag drill they will struggle to figure out what the correct movement pattern is. Sculling: IMO the main benefit of sculling is that it teaches what it feels like to "hold water". Elastic band around knees: This teaches what it feels like to keep the knees together during a flutter or breaststroke kick. It's really difficult to visualize how close your knees are until you feel the band holding them together when you naturally try to separate them. Backstroke with object on the forehead: This one really instills what a steady head position feels like.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

mcnair — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 05:53:24 GMT

I like to swim full stroke... can't say I get as excited about drills; but, that said, I know drills help, I do them, and I know I should do more of them.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Allen Stark — Fri, 31 May 2013 11:54:43 GMT

i was at a clinic where Dennis Baker said that one arm fly is fine as a drill,but that if you are losing form on your fly in workout you should switch to fast free instead.He said it was too easy to slack off in one arm fly,fly is a very aerobic intensive stroke, and that keeping your energy expenditure up was the important thing.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

orca1946 — Fri, 31 May 2013 05:12:01 GMT

A lot of swimmers like one arm fly drills. this lets them do more of the stroke before going into the 3rd phase of fly called butterugly !!

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Former Member — Thu, 30 May 2013 08:31:16 GMT

I think drills are great for correcting stroke problems and reinforcing good technique.Some stroke flaws are just hard to correct by just focusing on them.A couple of examples-1)for people who kick out at the beginning of the BR kick,they are generally unaware of how much they do this.If they swim some BR with a pullbuoy between their knees-voila instant feedback.2)if the problem is flexing at the hip in BR kick then doing the kick vertically holding the gutter facing the wall will again give instant feed back. Word.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Former Member — Thu, 30 May 2013 07:06:54 GMT

Wow. Every great coach I ever had broke down our strokes and did drills with us on a regular basis (for each stroke, each turn, starts, finishes). I find drills invaluable when teaching non-swimmers how to do the stroke correctly. The best drill EVER, IMHO, as far as teaching non-swimmers to lengthen their freestyle and rotate is kicking on the side. As I understand it, just about every elite swimmer does drill work. I can't see how one can argue that drills aren't valuable and have solid evidence to back that up. I think you are presenting two separate ideas here. I agree: elite swimmers do a lot of side kicking. But the point of doing that drill is not to "lengthen their freestyle and rotate," it is to overstress the legs. Overstressing a movement can lead to strength gains that lead to faster swimming. You are calling that a drill, which is fine, though that kind of drill is significantly different than, say finger-tip drag freestyle. With Finger-tip drag you exaggerate a movement - often times at a slower pace - in an effort to perfect form. I would dispute that there is a consensus that those drills work. I think you would find that when those drills are employed they serve a recovery purpose, not a training purpose and that they have minimal value beyond a certain point.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Former Member — Wed, 29 May 2013 06:05:22 GMT

Drills can be great because they help you isolate and focus on one part of your stroke, as others have said. But every time you're doing a drill, it's important to be aware of which aspects of your stroke you're sacrificing to focus on the drill. For example, in "catch up" swimming, the focus is on taking long strokes, but you're sacrificing a good side-to-side rotation. If you don't know that, you might end up with a worse stroke if you swim too much catch up, but with that caveat in mind you can avoid those issues.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

__steve__ — Wed, 29 May 2013 05:46:33 GMT

Drills can also break up the monotony of working. I like to explore and think of new drills to do, almost never encountered a counterproductive drill

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Former Member — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:13:52 GMT

Of course I need drills. I particularly enjoy isolating body undulation action of butterfly (that's kicking Butterfly with no board and with full breathing pattern). I am faster doing this than kicking with a board (can book endless sets of 100s off 2min). I also like doing the same with free style, that is kicking no board with full breathing pattern as well as rotating body action. One arm can be added to this drill which can then become a progression from kicking only, to one arm, the other arm then full stroke. That develops 6beat sprinter specific type of Freestyle www.dropshots.com/solarenergy www.dropshots.com/solarenergy I find that the most important component in swimming is Economy/Efficiency which can better be improved by isolating any critical phase of any stroke. "Divide and Rule!!" Though being kind of alone in my camp, I like isolating the pulling action of the Butterfly by using a pull buoy. I am a butterfly specialist though. And I would never prescribe this to anyone else unless I have good reasons. (However, like Donna mentioned earlier in the thread, I am against doing drills just for the sake of doing drills. Every swimming should focus on the drills that can make a difference in their own respective strokes given their own respective strengths, weaknesses and goals)

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

gobears — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:50:08 GMT

Gobears, You say your evidence lies in the fact that the swimmers you have swum and trained with seem to benefit and use drills. OK, I don't use strict drills and I have had some success, one of my training partners, Bob Strand, doesn't use drills and he is a world record holder in the breastroke. I just don't believe in the "part- whole method". But that's me. I think most people expect to do drills in practice so that becomes a part of the routine. I also think that coaches who produce videos know that swimmers are looking for that magic drill so they include drills in the video. Again, I feel that I do drills in a way, as I concentrate on various parts of my stroke while practicing the entire stroke. Again, that's me and I feel that it works. If others feel that drills work for them, I have no problem with that. Fair enough. I'm not sure everything that applies to masters swimmers applies to swimming in general, though. I'd be lost without drill-work with my summer league kids--especially getting them to breathe to the side on freestyle. I've never done the vertical breaststroke kicking on the wall, Alan. Great idea!

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Glenn — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:56:30 GMT

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Allen Stark — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:24:36 GMT

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

gobears — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:24:21 GMT

Hi Glenn-- I'd say my evidence lies in the many swimmers I have both swum with and trained that seemed to benefit from drill work. From the beginner to elite levels. My college coach, who was a World Record holder and coached World Record holders, used drills. I've watched videos from some of the USA's best coaches that have drill after drill to show swimmers how to master their strokes. I haven't ever heard of an elite swimmer who doesn't do any drills. This is why I'm asking the OP for proof that his way is superior. I'd like to know if this is a legitimate position. The OP's original statement is very strong. His assertion was that all drill work might be useless and swimming only full-stroke might be a superior way to train. To make such a statement requires some amount of proof. Your statement seems less strong--you seem to be saying that drills are good for some things but once you are at a higher motor skill level you might not need them? (The excerpt you quoted assumes I know what "part drill" is). Perhaps that's true, perhaps not. I don't know. I do know that drills work very well when I'm teaching and coaching.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

joel schmaltz — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:25:51 GMT

I agree with gigi, I still have to force myself sometimes and not "rest" during drill sets but really focus on what I am doing. I do drills daily and believe the "perfect stroke" does not exist. I will be willing to bet that we all have something we should really change in order to make us more efficent. If you practice the "correct" stroke then that is the way you will swim. I don't think that swimming with a snorkle is really considered a drill, but it is my favorite way to lengthen my stroke along with bilateral breathing sets.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

some_girl — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:50:40 GMT

I'm definitely a big fan of drills. With swimming, for me, it is all about feeling, and drills make it easier to feel the sensation I should be aiming for in my full stroke. Too, they often magnify aspects of the stroke and thus make certain points more apparent than they might be in the full stroke.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Former Member — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:01:21 GMT

i have generally looked down my nose at drills... believing that it is better to always do the whole stroke, and simply focus more on one element as i do it. but there have been times when i found drills indispensable... especially when i took on learning fly. and as mentioned, when introducing specific technique ideas that are new to a swimmer, i believe drills are essential. if you do more drills than whole stroke swimming however, i don't know that it would help that much.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Former Member — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:58:31 GMT

Thanks for taking the poll. Maybe I should clarify: what I meant was I don't think it's necessary to do the drills that are not full strokes. I fully agree that full-stroke swimming that focuses on certain aspect (e.g. breathing, pull, recovery, kick, core use...) is very important and necessary. What I am rather indifferent is the "partial" stroke drills, such as kicking without arm movement, or using only left hand and leg, etc., to correct/improve some mistake/weakness. I am not saying those drills can't be helpful. What I think is that the problems can be more directly and effectively corrected/improved through full-stroke practice. It makes more sense because after all, there are problems that will reveal only when you put everything together and swim full stroke. Take the kick board. You may be able to train the strenght of your kicks using the kick board, but the way you kick with a kick board is different from the way you do kicks when swimming full stroke; after using the board, and back to full stroke, you may find new problems with your kicking, especially with regard to coordination with arms. So why not just do the full stroke and pay attention to the kicks?

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Former Member — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:14:17 GMT

Personally, I have always been a follower of the "Just Do It" school of swimming, but swimming form was always easy for me, I imagine drills are more valuable for those that are having trouble or started later in life. Despite this, I still like drills in workouts because they make longer sets less boring and easier to count where you are in the set. ie: 3x150 descending where each 150 is 1x50 swim stroke (non-free) 1x50 drill 1x50 swim free is a lot less boring than: 3x150 swim free etc etc

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Glenn — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:55:19 GMT

Gobears, You are asking for some hard evidence that drills are not beneficial. I might turn that around to ask if there is hard evidence that strict drills work. Part of the answer is in how you define drills. As I previously stated, I believe in doing the whole stroke while concentrating on the part in question. Take kicking for example.. I find a better way to "drill" kicking is to swim with a very easy arm stroke and overkick the kicking part. That way my legs get more of a work load while I am still doing a complete stroke. I also continue to work on EVF and I can do that very effectively while doing a complete stroke with concentration on high elbow. Motor learning was one of my very favorite courses when I was doing a masters in adapted physical education. Here is an excerpt from the book "The Learning of Physical Skills" by John Lawther (page 76) that I think applies: "Part drill" is more effective and more meaningful at higher motor-skill levels At higher levels of skill, the individual can spend practice time very efficiently in polishing weak spots in his performance. The polish of these parts is, at this stage, much more effective with respect to the rate of learning because it is not "part drill". The "part" is now a meaningful act because the learner sees its significance in the total pattern, and fills in the rest of the pattern mentally while he overtly performs the part. He sees the part as it fits into the framework of the pattern, even though his overt action consists of practicing a very small part of the total... Those statements would seem to support the traditional view of drill practice. Here is the part that I feel nails it for me. ...The learner may also carry out the total pattern overtly but with his attention focused on one special aspect which he wishes to change in some manner. The rest of the act is carried out more or less automatically while he attends to the one part. So, it is not that drills don't work, it is more how drills are done. I didn't quite get the drill we did several weeks ago when we were asked to do several lengths swimming heads up. Or what is the value of the finger tip drill when you can simply ask me to concentrate on a flexed elbow on recovery. There are dozens of very subtle changes you can make in your stroke to get it to approach "perfect", I happen to think that working on those changes in the context of the entire stroke is a more effective way to go...at least for me.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

gobears — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:30:16 GMT

I'm still waiting for someone to support this idea that drills aren't beneficial with some hard evidence. You'd think the fastest swimmers in the world would be doing what's fastest. Show me some World Record holders who don't use drills in their swimming to isolate various aspects of their strokes, and I'll be willing to consider the idea that swimming only full-stroke is a superior way to train. I don't think you can do it...

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

joel schmaltz — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:03:04 GMT

I also love to do drills the Monday after meet or triathlon as somewhat of a recovery day. I am usaully the first to ask for a "mellow Monday workout".

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Glenn — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:53:58 GMT

I agree with ddl. I don't believe in drills. I believe in whole stroke and while doing the entire stroke, concentrate on say hip rotation or high elbow or whatever. I have never raced doing a finger tip drill or zipper drill. I taught physical education for many years and always tried to teach the entire movement rather than disjointed parts. That said, I participate in the drills the coach gives if for no other reason than it breaks up the workout.:D

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

ViveBene — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:40:19 GMT

Drills are important and I do a lot of them. I try to build up to the best current version of each stroke, and hold on to whatever new feeling I've got from the drills. One-armed drills also toughen up thorax and abdomen in same way that planks and bridges do.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

Donna — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:25:54 GMT

Drill's are great for correction. However most people tend to rush thru drills rather than focus on what they are trying to correct. When you are in a group doing drills people are usually too busy trying to stay in their position in the lane rather than concentrating on what they are doing. Now that I practice on my own I don't think about how much time it takes me to do the drill. I just adjust the interval to allow me to it right rather than fast. This has really helped me to correct flaws in my strokes.

RE: Do you (need to) do drills at all?

swimcat — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:19:54 GMT

drills are invaluable to swimmers who had an injury. i do a lot of drills. lots of times, i drill fly or breasstroke. the last year , i have done so many freestyle drills (i had a wild right arm recovery, when swimming fast) that now they have paid off big. the problem is fixed.