Terrier Swim Descriptions

 

Abbreviations

Rest and Send Off’s

RI – Rest interval.  Amount of rest you get after each interval.

SO- Send Off.  You begin each interval in a specific time.  Rest is determined by how easy or hard you perform the interval.

 

Swim

S - Swim (Crawl/Free)

B - Back

F - Fly

BR – Breast

SP – Sprint 

 

Drills

D - Descend

B - Build 

NS – Negative Split

K – Kick

P – Pull

CU– Catch-up

FI – Fist

FT – Finger Tip

R/L – Right Arm/Left Arm

CR – Cruise Set

 

Open Water Drills

SI - Sighting Drill

BL - Blind Swimming

 

Equipment Needed

Fins, Paddles, Pool Buoy, Kick Board

 

Drill Definitions

Descend

Descending sets ask you to swim each repetition faster than the previous.  For example, the following set: 

6x50: Descend 1->6 (You to swim six 50's, with each one slightly faster)

 

Build 

Building is different from descending in that the swimmer's goal is to increase speed within the single swim distance(s). For example, the following set: 

3x100: Build 

You to swim each 100 starting easy (with perfect technique) and increasing speed within each 100 to a fast finish (maintaining perfect technique throughout). As you may have guessed, the goal in a "Build" swim is to build speed while maintaining good stroke technique. 

 

Negative Split 

Swimming a Negative Split means that the second half of the distance is swum at a faster pace than the first half. For example, the following set: 

1x 600: Negative Split - Swim the second 300 yards at a faster pace and time than the first 300 yards. The idea is to control your pace at the beginning so that you have the energy necessary to swim faster at the end of the swim.

 

Kick

Kicking without a kickboard will allow you to perform your kick in the same body position of the stroke. If you’re more comfortable kicking with a board then feel free to use it anytime. 

 

Kick on your side with your bottom arm (the one closer to the bottom of the pool) extended straight out of your shoulder line before your head. Keep your palm facing down and your extended hand about 8 inches under water. The top arm (the one on the surface of the water) should be relaxed at your side with your hand on your hip and out of the water. Maintain a head position as though you were swimming freestyle, with your head in line with your spine. Press your armpit toward the pool bottom to get your hip at the surface of the water. Your extended arm should feel weightless.

 

Catch-Up Drill

Pull with one arm at a time and touch your hands in a streamlined position out front between each alternating arm stroke. Keep your extended hands about 6 inches under the surface of the water for improved body position.  Concentrate on swimming in the front quadrant and keep a long, streamlined bodyline.  You can progress to simply exchanging hands in the "passing zone" extended in front. We call this the "Ear Catch-Up" Drill, wherein you begin your pull as your opposite arm passes by your ear near the completion of the recovery. 

 

 

Fist Swimming 

Swimming with hands completely in a fist. No "karate-chop" hands allowed! Concentrate on body position, using your forearm in the catch and optimum elbow bend through the stroke. When you return to swimming with an open palm, your hands will feel as large as kickboards! Have fun and think Distance Per Stroke! 

 

Fingertip Drag Drill 

This drill is swimming normal Freestyle while dragging your fingertips along the surface of the water on the recovery. Focus on a high elbow recovery, which ensures proper hand and elbow position at your hand entry. You should also check your body position during this drill, focusing on good side-to-side rotation.  An alternate version of this drill involves dragging the entire hand, wrist-deep, through the water. This helps build strength and speed of the arm recovery motion. 

 

Cruise 

The cruise interval is the time that allows you to swim 100 yards of freestyle at least ten times comfortably with a low heart rate when you have 7- 10 seconds rest between each 100 yards. For example, a 1:30 cruise swimmer is a swimmer who swims 100's comfortably in 1:20-1:23 and departs (has a send-off) on a 1:30 interval. For this swimmer, 1:30 is called the cruise send-off interval. 

 

Single Arm (R, L) Drill 

Single arm freestyle swimming can be done in one of two ways. 

1. With the opposite (nonworking arm) at your side.  Breathe to the side of the nonworking arm. The secret to success with this drill is to complete your breath before stroking.  Concentrate on the catch, initiating body rotation with the core body muscles. Take this drill slowly, technique is more important than speed. 

2. With the opposite (nonworking arm) extended in front.  Breathe to the side of the working arm. Focus on high elbow recovery, hand entry, and hand acceleration.

 

Open Water Swimming Drills 

Sighting Drill: Swim normal freestyle. On every 5th or 7th stroke, raise your head straightforward and "sight" on an object off in the distance. You can place a target object or sight something already in place, i.e. a tree. After sighting the object, lower your head back into normal position. Practice maintaining a balanced stroke rhythm and rotation, while clearly seeing the target object. 

 

Blind Swimming: Swim with your eyes completely closed. On every 5th or 7th stroke, raise your head straightforward and "sight” on an object off in the distance. Make sure you are maintaining a straight path down the pool.

 

 

Your swim workouts will be broken down as follows:

WARM UP & DRILL

MAIN SET

COOL DOWN

 

WARM UP & DRILL

Depending on distance, your training will range from of 400-800 yards/meters. All your trying to do is get the body warmed up! Stop to stretch whenever you want. This is the time to adjust goggles, caps and what not. 

 

The drill set is an extension of warm-up. So that you may focus totally on stroke technique without concerning yourself with speed or rest. Again, stretch as necessary and pay close attention to your body position and form. Allow your heart rate to come up slowly. You should get 10-15 seconds of rest between each part of the drill set.

 

MAIN SET

The main set will range in length depending on fitness and distance you are training for.  These sets are all times and make up the bulk of your swim sessions.

 

COOLDOWN

This will usually will be an easy swim or pull of a couple hundred yards.