Drill-Swim Combinations for Developing Specific Skills or Awareness

The key to transferring drill insights to the whole stroke is to think about doing only one thing really well on both drill and swim. If you do 25 Skate/25 Swim, and focus on “keeping your head in line” during the drill, then think only about your head position as you swim. Here are some other suggested combinations of drill and focal point for drill and swim:

DRILL	FOCAL POINT FOR SWIM LENGTHS
UnderSkate	Roll like a needle to breathe; roll all the way to the air.
ZipperSkate	“Lean on your lungs” with light hips and legs; feel supported by the water.
UnderSwitch	Roll freely as you swim.
ZipperSwitch	“Pierce” the water, fitting your body through the smallest possible “hole.”
Triple Under	Stay “connected” as you swim; swim with your whole body.
Triple Zipper	Gentle, compact recovery; your hand barely clears the water and reenters immediately.
Triple Over	Cut a hole with your fingertips and slip your arm cleanly through that hole. VARIATIONS • Start with multiple lengths of drills, single lengths of swim and progress to fewer drill lengths and more swim lengths. • Do 200 to 400 yards with one drill and one focal point to imprint it deeply. • Combine several pairs of drill + focal point in sequence to improve your adaptability.