Sculling is all about awakening the hands, and building an awareness of how any little movement can help you go forward.

This week, as our first drill of 2007, we thought it would be appropriate to revisit one of Go Swim's very first drills, and do an update. The drill that we've chosen to update is Front Scull, and we conveniently posted this as last week's drill, to make it easier for you to compare the two versions.

This is one of the first drills we posted, way back in July 2003. We're revisiting this because sculling NEVER goes out of style. Also, next week, we'll show you a great athlete doing this drill, just much better. :)

Catch and kick. Those two very important components of a good freestyle are tough to work on at the same time. It's hard to think about two focus points at once -- especially when they involve OPPOSITE ENDS of the body.

Working on a solid dolphin kick usually requires a board, or the rigors of holding your breath and kicking under water. Here's a drill that will help you develop a stronger kick, as well as allow you to work the core muscles.

While pulling breaststroke may seem like a no-brainer type of exercise, there's more to it than you might think.

Many swimmers have a funny way of forcing their arms through the water during the breaststroke arm recovery. This happens especially when they get tired, and start to fall lower in the water. Here's a quick way to learn exactly what that extra resistance feels like -- while at the same time you're learning how to AVOID that extra resistance.

When you're trying to learn to swim REALLY fast, it's sometimes hard to simulate the speed that you're trying to achieve. Swimming lap after lap tends to make the swimmer JUST a bit slower than top speed at the places in the race where things need to be MORE exact.

If your butterfly is feeling a little too easy these days - like comfort fly - here's a drill that will get you back on track with a little INTENSITY.

Butterfly is the type of stroke that requires specific training. You need to swim ENOUGH butterfly to strengthen the specific muscles for the stroke. But if you train A LOT of butterfly, there's a good chance that you will train yourself to have a slow stroke cadence, and this is not effective for racing. The question is: How do you learn to slam race-pace butterfly, especially early in the season?

Most swimmers strive for a low, sweeping arm recovery in butterfly. But sometimes it's hard to know if you've actually ACHIEVED this type of recovery. Here's a drill with a built-in - correct detector - your thumbs.

Test 2

Breaststroke Underwater Pull Test Page

This week's drill honors not the fastest swimmers in the world, but the youngest. As you watch or take part in the swimming events of the next few weeks, take time to remember the other end of the sport, and take time to help a child explore the water. While our goal is speed, we have almost a responsibility to make a path through the water for those that will follow us.

Swimming through milfoil or other weeds can be rpetty yukky. Close Encounters can help you prepare for swimming through weeds, while you're still in your nice, clean, clear swimming pool.