Swimming Progression and Drills to Improve Your Swim: There is HOPE!

In 2010 after having my third child I went from bobbing my head in the water in March to finally making it across the lane by May. Learning to swim as an adult has been a struggle. What I’ve learned is that it is about “feeling” the water and learning technique over the amount of hours you spend in the pool. However, finding someone who can teach an adult swimmer is quite difficult. I am really lucky in that recently I found a swim coach in Roanoke at the Carter Athletic Center named Eva Steib who really knows how to communicate to an adult swimmer. She is able to identify your weaknesses and knows how to fix them.

I’ve been swimming with her 9 weeks. The first thing she corrected was my kick. I never realized your feet are supposed to be so close to the surface with a small and fast kick. Just by getting my feet up I lost a lot of time on the swim in my first couple of classes with her. I found by relaxing my hips I move much quicker through the water as well.

The second thing she was able to correct was my head position in the water. She gave me tons of drills and I am finally turning my head so my body stays in alignment.  Thirdly, she has been teaching me to stretch out my arms VERY far while still kicking. In the past I would stop kicking every time I took a breath but now I have learned to reach out really far, turn my head to breath, and kick while slightly rotated on my side.

I also learned that I am very stiff on my left side and when I reach out my right arm I have a tendency to sink but finally today after weeks and weeks of drills I did not sink while extending my right arm!

Here are two drills that have helped me improve my swim form and have therefore made me much more streamlined and faster in the water. These drills specifically improve your head position, rotation, and body alignment.

1.  Hold your arms on your sides and swim on one side breathing with your head out of the water and looking up with your chin in line with your shoulder for six kicks and then turn your head down looking towards the bottom of the pool with your chin in line with your shoulder and kick for six on your. Repeat and alternate sides per 25 yards/meters.

2.  Reach one arm out with the other arm relaxed on your side. And by reach out, I mean REACH forward so you can feel a stretch in your armpit and without a bend in your elbow. Swim flat for six kicks, rotate to your side and turn your head to breathe for six kicks. Make sure your chin is line with your shoulder when you breathe and you are rotated on your side. Don’t forget to kick when you are rotated on your side and breathing. Repeat and alternate sides per 25 yards/meters. This drill will really let you know if you have a weak side such that you might find that you sink doing this drill on one side versus the other.

And finally, if you are one of those adult swimmers – there is HOPE. I am full of it. I feel with the right instruction I will get there and I am on that path now! So don’t give up! Keep plugging along and find the right swim coach who can communicate with you on how to improve your swim.  It is possible and we are doing it!