Lessons

Browse through our thousands of Lessons to gain a deeper understanding of swimming. Use our search bar located above or, if you're new to the site, use the Guided View to help narrow down the Lessons presented to you. If you use the Guided View, you’ll also be able to add your Expertise Level as an additional filter.

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Breaststroke - Head-on video - Roque

Short clip shot from under Roque. This video best illustrates the pull pattern and hand speed into the recovery.

Go Swim Breaststroke - Brendan

For the final section of the video, Brendan will just swim…and you can watch how all the parts come together to create speed. Try to pick out the things we focused on. Does he have streamline timing? Does he connect his hands, head, and hips as he goes up to air? Do his hands, head, and hips connect as he surges forward into streamline? Are his hands fast…and do they set the rhythm for his stroke? How well does he hide his kick? And is he sending everything forward by keeping his chest low and his hips high? In these next few clips, Brendan will start slow and build to race pace. See if the key elements are there – no matter how slow or how fast Brendan swims. As you add these focus points to your own swimming, remember to work on just one thing at a time. Start slowly, don’t be afraid to experiment, and remember that breaststroke is all about timing. As Brendan would tell you: Always swim with focus, and never give up searching for the techniques that will make you faster. This is the beginning. Now it’s up to you to add focus to your training.

Nov. 28, 2023 - Technique Under Pressure Zoom

“It all comes down to the ability to sustain and maintain great technique at high speed and under pressure and fatigue.” -- Wayne Goldsmith This week we explore sets that favor technique under pressure – not yardage above all. Monday All Drills: All-Strokes – Stroke Count Most elite swimmers can tell you EXACTLY how many strokes they took on every length of a set or workout. There’s a reason. Counting strokes is the simplest way to know if you’re maintaining technique over the course of a set. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2321-all-strokes-stroke-count> Watch on iPad Tuesday Discovering Efficiency Step 2 How fast can you swim at a given stroke rate? Paying attention to stroke rate and time gives you the discipline needed for fast swimming. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1008-freestyle-discovering-efficiency-step-2> Watch on iPad Wednesday Free Drill: Reduced Stroke 100s Do you have complete knowledge of what you’re doing in the water – the kind of knowledge that helps you compete at high levels? Try this and find out. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1881-freestyle-reduced-stroke-100s> Watch on iPad Thursday All Drills: Wax On – Wax Off Set This 300-yard/meter set checks all the boxes for this week’s theme. It demands that you maintain technique at high speed and under fatigue. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1878-wax-on-wax-off-set> Watch on iPad Friday Turn Drills: Under Over Drill Here’s a fun, team-building exercise that demands that all swimmers practice deeper, longer pushoffs. This one is only for more advanced swimmers! <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1606-turns-under-over-drill> Saturday Free Drills: Freestyle/Backstroke – Head Games Watch how one team demands head stability while under the pressure and fatigue of a long set. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1986-freestyle-backstroke-head-games> Sunday Kara Lynn Joyce: Sprint Breathing If 50 free is your race, and you want to minimize your breathing in the race, you need to practice your race-day breathing pattern in practice. This won’t build your yardage, but will increase your ability to swim a fast 50 free. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/657-sprint-breathing> Bonus Free Drill: Tempo-Trainer Kick The FINIS Tempo Trainer is a powerful tool in helping you maintain technique under pressure. Here it’s used to test how well you can maintain the rate of your kick. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1903-freestyle-backstroke-tempo-trainer-kick> Jessica Hardy: What Is Speed? <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1286-what-is-speed> Chat 12:04:13 From Brian Lindsay to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): Like to know how I can delete a video I take on the app. 12:26:38 From Monty Krieger to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): better to do these 100s at the beginning or end of a workout? 12:39:21 From helen naylor to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): this is why she doesn't breath on a 50 🙂 haha 12:47:54 From Monty Krieger to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): her speed of lifting her head to breath is slower than the return into the water 12:49:05 From helen naylor to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): sorry, I had sent that right before you asked what she swims and how many breaths she takes. 12:51:08 From Glenn Mills to helen naylor(Direct Message): Reacted to "sorry, I had sent th..." with 👍🏼 12:52:14 From Brian Lindsay to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): When I swim Glen, I am working on improving the timing of my rotation, speed at which I do then, and amount of rotation that I do. I talk to the kids of keeping the head still and that it is their rotation that brings the head into the breathing position. 12:53:50 From Brian Lindsay to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): Michael’s book Developing Swimmers is a great reference book and is on my shelf. 12:57:23 From Brian Lindsay to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): Drop down push offs and no breathing flags into walls on free. 12:57:33 From Lesley Dusevic to Everyone: Masters swimming - all must do a PROPER underwater breast stroke pull out. 13:00:22 From Beth Baker to Everyone: I have a hard time getting the college kids to do fast turns ALL the time then they wonder why they can’t get good walls at midseason invite.🙄 13:02:00 From Charlie McCanless to Everyone: love it Paul! I’m going to give that a shot tonight! 13:03:25 From Beth Baker to Everyone: Reacted to "I have a hard time g..." with ❤️ 13:03:54 From Monty Krieger to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): sorry, my internet failed when you were answering my comment about head rotation speed out and in on breath. 13:04:03 From Lesley Dusevic to Everyone: Must go. Thank you all! 13:04:44 From Cindy Dyer to Everyone: diving 13:05:33 From Peggy Haykal to Everyone: working on rotation 13:05:44 From Nancy Schley to Everyone: Thank you Glenn and Barbara 13:07:15 From Nancy Schley to Everyone: diving and Br 13:07:23 From Linda Daniel to Everyone: Thank you 13:07:25 From Beth Baker to Everyone: Great session today, Glenn, thanks! 13:07:29 From Charlie McCanless to Everyone: Thanks guys! 13:15:06 From Anders Malmquist to Everyone: how can i get in my coaches so they can work as i can do it and this is interesant with video making 13:27:01 From Glenn Mills to Everyone: [email protected]

Freestyle - Side Full Body Under Water - Kara

Freestyle - Side Full Body Under Water

Go Swim Freestyle

For the final section of the video, Karlyn will just swim…and you can watch how all the parts come together to create speed. Try to pick out the things we focused on. Is she streamlined off every wall? Are her eyes focused on the tiles? Do her hands cross the centerline? Does she extend and pause on every stroke? Does Karlyn look like she’s paddling a surfboard during the catch and pull – with high elbows and straight wrists? And does she put the UMPH in the front? In these next few clips, Karlyn will start slow and build to race pace. At slow pace she’s thinking about technique. As Karlyn picks up the pace, the technique is still there, but she adds power to the technique. And at race pace, she adds tempo to the power and the technique. As you add these focus points to your own swimming, remember to work on just one thing at a time. This is especially important because most of Karlyn’s focus points are about the hands and arms. Start slowly, and allow some time for “weird” to start feeling “good.” But most important of all -- never give up searching for the techniques that will make you faster.

Butterfly from the side

Smooth butterfly from above water. Wu was just warming up his stroke on this 50.

Focus!

In practice, there are times when you need to slow down and work on technique... ... And times when you need to crank it up to race pace. But no matter how fast or slow you’re swimming, the most important thing is to focus on what you’re doing. There’s gotta be something in your head during workout. Whether you’re swimming slow or you’re swimming hard, you’ve gotta be focused on what you’re trying to do and not let your mind kind of wander off. Whatever it is you’re working on -- and it can be technique or rhythm or turns or pace -- you have to stay focused on what you’re supposed to do. Don’t ever just go through the motions. And don’t swim sloppy, even if you’re tired or just swimming easy. Mental focus is like another form of connecting -- you’re connecting with yourself and how you feel in the water. In this final section of the video, I’ll just swim...and you can try to pick out the things I’m focusing on. Am I in balance from front to back...and from side to side? Is my kick constant and continuous, and does it look like I’m starting it from the hip flexors rather than the knees? Do I initiate the catch out front and up near the surface? Where’s my elbow during the catch and pull? Can you tell that I’m trying to keep it high, and trying to grab water with my hand and forearm? And, most important, am I connecting my catch with my core? Am I swimming with my entire body rather than just my arms or just my legs? In these next few clips,I’ll start by swimming slow and easy...and then build to race pace. See if the key elements are there -- no matter how slow or how fast I swim. As you add these focus points to your own swimming, remember to work on just one thing at a time. Start slowly, don’t be afraid to experiment, and be patient when you try to change things with your stroke. The most important thing is learning how to connect -- and that can mean connecting the parts of your stroke, connecting mentally with what you’re doing, and connecting with your teammates and coach. It’s the connections that make it fun...and that will make you fast.

Pace 50 Free 1

Matt swims a series of pace 50's. This 50 was approximately 28 seconds.

Pace 50 Free 3

Matt swims his third pace 50. This one is approximately 25 seconds.

Pace 50 Fly 1

Wu cruises a 50 fly on a set of 4 descending 50's. His time was 28.0 for 50 yards.

Butterfly Under Water

All Strokes - Why Drill?

Not all coaches or swimmers like drills, nor should they. Coaches should coach the way they want to, and if a drill is in the mix, then do it correctly. Why do it: A drill should make you MORE aware of a specific point in your stroke. If you’re not feeling that specific point, you’re probably not doing it right, or aren’t thinking enough about it. How to do it: 1 - Take this drill for instance… double kick breaststroke. If your head isn’t in line, if your arms and legs are loose, if you’re NOT trying to get as much out of each sequence and feel what it’s really like to RIDE between the strokes… then you’re not doing it right. 2 - All drills will have specifics to help you, this specific drill tries to teach your correct head position, correctly body line, correct timing as the hands sweep out and the chin lifts for the breath, correct draw of the legs without too much tuck. Take each part and focus on it independently. How to do it really well (the fine points): Well this entire thing is about a fine point isn’t it? If your coach uses drills, and if you’re being asked to perform a drill, make sure you know the specific point you need to be thinking about, or indeed… Why Drill? Just start swimming, and focus while you’re doing that instead.