7 drills to improve your swimming workouts and increase your tempo

Here are some drills for your swimming workouts just in case that you were not born with fins (like most of us, me included). Remember these points: When your hands immerse into the water think of lying in a box. Your hands should break the waterline at the position of the lateral boundary of this imaginary box. Don't put your hands in front of your head. Then you pull an "S" kind of shape beneath the waterline with that particular hand passing your stomach.

1.) If swimming is your weakest leg then you should try to make it a basic principle to go at least twice (for beginners) or even three times (for advanced) into the wet element each week. Otherwise you probably won't have a proper training effect and will get discouraged over time. Also go for swimming in lakes whenever possible to improve your navigational skills and get used to the different "feeling" of swimming outside.

2.) If possible get a coach because only a coach can see your mistakes and advice proper drills to correct bad swimming habits.

3.) To improve your coordination and technique you can practice to crawl with one arm while the other one is pointing forward or backward. After several cycles you simply change.

4.) You might also crawl while keeping one arm straight in front of you until the other arm reaches it and then you change. This will increase your speed dramatically.

5.) Crawl with your hands baled to a fist.

6.) Practice different respiration cycles: 3, 4, 5 and 7 crawls.

7.) Practice to crawl with your head above the waterline. This is particularly important when swimming in open water.

There it is: 7 simple drills to improve your swimming workouts.

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