If you want to be the BEST that you can be, you MUST pay attention to the little details in your training.

Why do it:
When many swimmers view certain parts of their training as a place to relax, the great swimmers like Brendan McHugh, increase their focus to gain that advantage over those who slack.

How to do it:
1 - When kicking, to increase your focus, put on a snorkel so you're not distracted by those around you.
2 - Instead of holding the board on the edges, place both hands on top of the board to demand the perfect amount of pressure from the hands, through your lats and chest.  This will be a similar connection to when you're in the extended position in breaststroke.
3 - Finish every kick.

How to do it really well (the fine points):
Notice the stability of the board, how it doesn't bob up and down, but is pushed directly forward.  Stabilizing the board takes focus and adds a level of detail to a standard set that will be felt.

Watch how Brendan holds the end of each kick for an extra instant so he can FEEL the close of his feet.  At race speed, he won't be able to hold them in this position because of his high rate, so taking the time to build that instinct becomes more important when he starts to swim faster.

Sign In to watch video

Breaststroke - McHugh Kick