Firm & Relaxed Swim: (1000Yds)
The goal here is to remove all unnecessary tension from your body and switch between two states: totally relaxation and firmness (leaving “tense” behind).
24x50s with complete rest.
The first 25 is Fingertip Drag drill and the return 25 is regular, relaxed swim.
- Fingertip Drag is done by never letting your fingernails leave the water.
- When you finish each stroke lift your elbow out of the water, your forearm out of the water, the heel and palm of the hand out but leave the fingers in the water and let them skim on the water’s surface as you bring your arm up, forward through the recovery phase of the stroke.
- Let the entire arm dangle like overcooked linguini off of your elbow so much so that the fingers and hand are dragging behind the elbow as it moves forward.
- Once your hand passes you head it needs to come to life and get ready to enter the water out in front of you. But here the hand/arm only need to become firm, not tense to slice forward for entry and extension.
- For the length of “regular swim” to follow – maintain the same state of relaxation but now lift the arm high enough so that the fingers clear the water’s surface by a couple of inches.
4x(4x25s of breath progression).
- The first 25 you are only allowed 3 breaths.
- Take all three and space them equally across the pool. This is pretty easy for most so there are no hints given on this one.
Take complete rest on the wall.
The next 25 you are only allowed 2 breaths
- To succeed here you must relax and a great place to focus is on reducing the kick. Glutes, hamstrings and quads are some of the biggest muscles in the body and when you kick hard your exertion goes up quickly and the body begs for more fuel (air).
Take complete rest on the wall.
The next 25 you are only allowed one breath.
- Now you need to maximize relaxation and maximize breath control.
- Push off and swim easy and relaxed. Just slip through the water. Hold your breath for as long as you can and when you simply can’t take it any longer let out a few bubbles and hold again. If you do that a few times you will likely take one breath only and it’ll be very near the end of the length.
Take complete rest on the wall.
The last 25 in this series is a no breath 25.
- You need two things – extreme relaxation (take all the tension out of your body) and extreme air management (hold it for longer than you think you can and just let it seep out bubble by bubble when you have to. Do this series of 4 swims four times through.
100 easy – after your last no breath 25.
- Push off and swim one hundred yards. Do this as if you are heading into a no breath 25 (easy, relaxed) but breath early and often during the whole 4 lengths.
