Professional Swim Coach
Are Drills Overrated?
All my life I have been into swimming and
I have myself done thousands og swimming drills and I have also tought
swimmers an equal amount of drills. I am a firm believer in the right
technique is the most important thing to teach swimmers; however I am
starting to doubt that, drills is so good as advertised and therefore I
have to ask the question: Are Drills Overrated?
But resently ive noticed in my team (agegroup 10-16) that drills usually don't get the impact on the full stroke as I want and don't really teach swimmers bodies I want them to teach. I can use lots of time teaching swimmers how to do drills perfectly but I see a little transfer from the drill to the full stroke.
It also seems to me that most drills always have wrong lesson within. Therefore I would have to teach a 2nd drill to counteract the faults of the first drill. It seems like a waste of time and the question is, that maybe many of these drills probably aren't as good as we think they are?
So what i'm saying is that a swimmers body isn't just focusing on the one thing we want to isolate during a drill, but more likely they are learning the full lesson of the drill, where there are many faults. One that comes for almost all drills is the fact that they always ruin the good swimming rhytm and thereby makes everything completely different for the swimmer.
So my point being that maybe we could teach swimming more efficiently by practicing the full stroke with different focus and learn swimmers how to focus on specific details of their swimming? I mean that working on a high elbow can be done without a catch-up drill or any other variation. Instead we could more often give them the whole picture and put pieces on it from there instead of dividing it into weird drills that don' t transfer too well.
I'm not saying that drills shouldn't be part of our practices, since we always have different swimmers that learn differently. All im saying is, that maybe we should take some of the drills out of the workouts and replace it with some real swimming and learn swimmers and their bodies the full lesson, while they are learning the specific thing that we want to teach?
But resently ive noticed in my team (agegroup 10-16) that drills usually don't get the impact on the full stroke as I want and don't really teach swimmers bodies I want them to teach. I can use lots of time teaching swimmers how to do drills perfectly but I see a little transfer from the drill to the full stroke.
It also seems to me that most drills always have wrong lesson within. Therefore I would have to teach a 2nd drill to counteract the faults of the first drill. It seems like a waste of time and the question is, that maybe many of these drills probably aren't as good as we think they are?
So what i'm saying is that a swimmers body isn't just focusing on the one thing we want to isolate during a drill, but more likely they are learning the full lesson of the drill, where there are many faults. One that comes for almost all drills is the fact that they always ruin the good swimming rhytm and thereby makes everything completely different for the swimmer.
So my point being that maybe we could teach swimming more efficiently by practicing the full stroke with different focus and learn swimmers how to focus on specific details of their swimming? I mean that working on a high elbow can be done without a catch-up drill or any other variation. Instead we could more often give them the whole picture and put pieces on it from there instead of dividing it into weird drills that don' t transfer too well.
I'm not saying that drills shouldn't be part of our practices, since we always have different swimmers that learn differently. All im saying is, that maybe we should take some of the drills out of the workouts and replace it with some real swimming and learn swimmers and their bodies the full lesson, while they are learning the specific thing that we want to teach?
Liam Murphy (Wexford Sc), Dan Lynch și încă 1 persoană apreciază aceasta.
6 comentarii
Andreja Andric •
drills are not overrated...
the question is, which one to use, why that specific drill (what do you want out of that drill), when do you use them and what combination of drills and other stuff (a lots of time it is full stroke swimming) do you use.
i agree that bunch of them does not make sense.
a lot of drills are contaminated with bad mechanics and things you can not transfer to full stroke swimming in the way you imagined it would bee.
but then again...
it's your fault:)
nobody forced you to incorporate them into your training sessions:)
that is the thing i was told a 1 000 000 times.
so, my point is...
use drills when you see a swimmer with a specific problem causing a chain reaction of problems. try with talking, then with the drill, then progress to a more stroke like drill or full stroke.
if he or she understands and gets the picture... no drills
if he or she understands what is needed but can not fell what is needed... try with carefully chosen drill or drills (as simple as possible)
if the drills turn the light bulb in the head... cool, continue practicing and combining the drill and the full stroke while incorporating the elements of the drill
if not... ask for more focus and understanding and return to the initial drill (for weeks literally).
on the other hand, swimmer must want to totally engage in the problem solving process. some people get the point immediately, some after a long time. the first are the lucky ones, the second need to practice until it is perfect. (my mentor used to say: he who knows, he knows. he who does not know, he goes to school, sometimes up to 25 years. then, he probably will know too.)
that is the reason why swimming can be boring sometimes:)
but the same is with musicians, actors, craftsmen, other sports.
ask a basketball player how he managed to shoot free throws in 95% accuracy...
or ask ryan lochte how he got to the point where he can swim his underwater portion of the backstroke race that fast.
catch my drift?:)
the question is, which one to use, why that specific drill (what do you want out of that drill), when do you use them and what combination of drills and other stuff (a lots of time it is full stroke swimming) do you use.
i agree that bunch of them does not make sense.
a lot of drills are contaminated with bad mechanics and things you can not transfer to full stroke swimming in the way you imagined it would bee.
but then again...
it's your fault:)
nobody forced you to incorporate them into your training sessions:)
that is the thing i was told a 1 000 000 times.
so, my point is...
use drills when you see a swimmer with a specific problem causing a chain reaction of problems. try with talking, then with the drill, then progress to a more stroke like drill or full stroke.
if he or she understands and gets the picture... no drills
if he or she understands what is needed but can not fell what is needed... try with carefully chosen drill or drills (as simple as possible)
if the drills turn the light bulb in the head... cool, continue practicing and combining the drill and the full stroke while incorporating the elements of the drill
if not... ask for more focus and understanding and return to the initial drill (for weeks literally).
on the other hand, swimmer must want to totally engage in the problem solving process. some people get the point immediately, some after a long time. the first are the lucky ones, the second need to practice until it is perfect. (my mentor used to say: he who knows, he knows. he who does not know, he goes to school, sometimes up to 25 years. then, he probably will know too.)
that is the reason why swimming can be boring sometimes:)
but the same is with musicians, actors, craftsmen, other sports.
ask a basketball player how he managed to shoot free throws in 95% accuracy...
or ask ryan lochte how he got to the point where he can swim his underwater portion of the backstroke race that fast.
catch my drift?:)
Bryan C. Christiansen •
learning kinesthetically is far more effective than verbal instruction -
you can tell a swimmer over and over to get their elbow high but it's
tough for them to get it until they are actually doing a drill physical
that emphasizes that body motion.
It's true that many drills have faults and disadvantages that need to be countered with other drills, but I don't think that's a waste of time - it's making the swimmers more aware of the results of their actions in the water.
I also agree that some drills are just ineffective and awkward. I dislike one-arm fly with heads raised because that really throws off swimmers' rhythm, especially younger kids - but I'm also aware that side breathing doesn't really help two-arm fly. I take it as a rhythm and timing drill and then try to apply that timing to a full stroke. I think that's the key - the application of the good technique (or parts of a technique) into an actual set or normal swimming.
It's true that many drills have faults and disadvantages that need to be countered with other drills, but I don't think that's a waste of time - it's making the swimmers more aware of the results of their actions in the water.
I also agree that some drills are just ineffective and awkward. I dislike one-arm fly with heads raised because that really throws off swimmers' rhythm, especially younger kids - but I'm also aware that side breathing doesn't really help two-arm fly. I take it as a rhythm and timing drill and then try to apply that timing to a full stroke. I think that's the key - the application of the good technique (or parts of a technique) into an actual set or normal swimming.
Barb Augustin •
Another way to approach the problem is swimming golf - they have to time
themselves and count their strokes. They add the number of strokes to
the number of seconds to get a golf score. Next step is to reduce the
golf score - they can focus on going faster (reducing time) or by taking
less strokes. The point is to make the swimmer think about what they
are doing. Give them problems to solve - eg swim the same golf score but
do it by adding 2 strokes and reducing 2 seconds (or whatever).
Eventually the swimmer will come to you with a question. Then you can
talk to them about what you think their issue is and suggest they work
on a high elbow. Let them try to work on it for awhile and then when
they ask why it isn't working - suggest some high elbow drills. The idea
is to get the swimmer to take some ownership of the process (as
suggested by Andreja).
I understand all that is hard to do in a squad session, so I make the squad to the golf drills. I give the other drills to the swimmer as homework (they can do it in their own time or in their warm up/down). I also do a lot of drills early in the season when I am trying to build the stroke up again from scratch. Later in the season the drills are all golf-type drills.
I understand all that is hard to do in a squad session, so I make the squad to the golf drills. I give the other drills to the swimmer as homework (they can do it in their own time or in their warm up/down). I also do a lot of drills early in the season when I am trying to build the stroke up again from scratch. Later in the season the drills are all golf-type drills.
Michele Greb •
My staff are taught to build swimmer strokes on drills from day one. By
breaking down the stroke into its phases and then using drills that
focus on one area at a time, then two areas etc to full stroke, and
based upon standard accepted growth and development stages through the
primary growth and learning years, we gradually develop a whole stroke
that is fit to be coached by the time a swimmer reaches age 14 or so.
It's a long process, but then again, no one really cares who the fastest 12 year old in the country is other than their parents and a probably really inexperienced coach (unless that 12 year old is 2 metres tall and making senior national cuts, then it is totally different!).
It's a long process, but then again, no one really cares who the fastest 12 year old in the country is other than their parents and a probably really inexperienced coach (unless that 12 year old is 2 metres tall and making senior national cuts, then it is totally different!).
Keith Dennison •
Practicing good drills and always learning from the best is a key
features in swimming success. Practicing drills that do not make any
sense, nor make you a better swimmer are futile at best. There are some
amazing coaches out there and some amazing master's swimmers to learn
from. I am 42 and in my prime was in the top 20 in the world in the 100M
Fly. After watching Phelps develop his underwater, I was able to
prefect some drills that made my under water kick outs 10X better than
they were in College. Albeit in the rubber suites, I was able to go
50.7, 100 fly in 2009 at USMS Spring Nats, 50% of it was under
water....all from watching Phelps and practice those drills.
ON the other hand, the KRLS drill is a complete waste to time, other than loosening up your shoulders.... That is my two cents.
ON the other hand, the KRLS drill is a complete waste to time, other than loosening up your shoulders.... That is my two cents.
Henry "Hank" Buntin •
We learn by drilling. Everything we repeat is a drill. We create
habitual and reflexive behaviors by drilling or repeated actions. So it
is with learning math or swimming. Effective drills are repeated stimuli
of significant duration and intensity for creating patterns of behavior
of desired responses. Concentrate on those things which make you go
fast not on going fast. Learn how to do it right before you do it fast.
Teach swimmers the whys of doing things and they will be more inclined
to accomplish their goals because they will understand what the goal is
and why doing a thing in a specific way will enhance their skills. For
example: Keeping the elbow higher than the fingertips in the prone
strokes,
is necessary for leverage and thus mechanical advantage and effective power. This is only one example of a basic principle that many coaches may approach with different drills but leverage is the key lesson to be taught. Drills include every aspect of training from repeating laps to repeated nourishment, resting and life style. Our lives are one big drill. The key is to select those that most beneficial for the goals you want to achieve.
is necessary for leverage and thus mechanical advantage and effective power. This is only one example of a basic principle that many coaches may approach with different drills but leverage is the key lesson to be taught. Drills include every aspect of training from repeating laps to repeated nourishment, resting and life style. Our lives are one big drill. The key is to select those that most beneficial for the goals you want to achieve.
