“Pull, Breathe, Arms-over, Dive (Shoulders), Kick, Long”

Introduction to Butterfly

Some teachers say ‘forget the legs’, others ‘forget the arms.’ It depends rather on how advanced they are. For beginning emphasis on the kick and flude, snaking movement through the water. Then add the arms.

Once they are swimming fly and have the arm stroke telling them to ‘forget the legs’ can improve the timing of the kick.

On the Side of the Pool

Fig. 1 Dolphin Kick from ‘The Swimming Drill Book’ Ruben Guzman part 22

Take swimmers through the dolphin kick: from the hips.

Fig. 2 Dolphin Kick from ‘The Swimming Drill Book’ Ruben Guzman part 22

Demonstrate the kick action from the hips, then have them do the same in the water.

Hips back and forwards to kick like a dolphin or merman.

Beth Ross’s Fly Arms sequence

Lie on the side of the pool head over the edge.

Hands at side.
- 1. Flick wrist
- 2. Raise arm
- 3. Bring arm over.
- 4. Repeat

Dolphin resting on lane rope. Legs pointing straight down … as they have done poolside.

Kicking

Kick with Woggle: with arms out.
1 x 25m Kick on Front (KOF)
1 x 25m Kick on Back (KOB
1 x 25m Kick on Front (KOF)
1 x 25m Kick on Side (KOS)

Drills

Single arm fly.
1+1+1 one right, one left, fullstroke.

G4 did a dive into fly with four kicks to the pull, counting out 4 kicks with 5th the arms in, and 6th the arm pull.

Dead swimmer (From ‘The Swim Drill Book’)

Then from the streamlined position then dolphin kick into FC shallow end and deep, on the ‘T’ or under the flags.

Part: Arms

Single Arm 6 kicks to one pull

Watch the straight arm as it comes over

“Kick the hand in, Kick the hand out”

Focus points : Timing of breathing/Rhythm

Whole: Full Stroke

From a dive.

Focus points : Hand entry position/Body movement and undulation

Turns : Transition into stroke.

Focus point : No breathing first stroke

Fun Activities

Bounce from a pencil jump
‘Sea Otter’
Handstands
Somersaults
Mushroom float
Sitting/Lying on the bottom of the pool

Starts and Turns

Fig.1. The importance of streamlining. “Dead Swimmer’ sequence from ‘The Swim Drills Book’ Ruben Guzman

Warm Up

50s FC and BC with emphasis on smooth swimming and long legs. I run through in a multitude of adjectives:

Slinky
Smooth
Silent

I draw on drills from Ruben Guzman’s ‘The Swim Drill Book’

Smooth
Sneaky

Send them on a secret mission

What works wonders with the younger swimmers is to tell them that they are ‘secret agents’ on a ‘secret mission’ and have to swim in the dark without being seen or heard.The result can be highly controlled, smooth swimming – just the kind of thing you’d hope for from a squad rather than a teaching group.

I centre everything on streamlining in starts and turns so start off where I usually end with a streamlined bounce, a handstand with emphasis on long legs and pointy toes, then a cannon ball and somersault.

Fun activities include:

Streamlined bounce off the bottom. Jack in the box style trying to touch the 5m flags, or the length of the pool.
Mushroom float
Summersault
Canon-ball summersault over the side of the pool – taught in an ASA Course
Canon-ball backwards fall over the side of the pool
Sea Otter – a series of playful duck dives the length of the pool

The formal sequence into starts and turns:

glide out to the flags (or beyond)
glide and add a few dolphin kicks
then glide, dolphin kick a single stroke of FC and tumble (flip)
then glide, dolphin kick and two strokes.
do Fly here as it is appropriate to do so

Repeat on the back with backstroke

Then with breastroke.

From the centre of the pool do turns into the wall, potentially with swimmers heading off to opposite ends of the pool and meeting in the middle. This can be done as a relay. A large float can be used for bouyancy.

Fig.2 Dive, flight, entry, glide. From ‘The Swim Drill Book’ by Ruben Guzman.

From a dive:

Glide
Glide and add the BR underwater stroke
the full BR transition
And from 10 m out all the turns.

And with time spare some fun activities and efforts to fault correct.

TEACHING GROUP PROGRAMME Jan 2015-March 2015

w/c	Stroke	Contrast	Notes
Mon 5th Jan	Front crawl	Diving
Mon 12th Jan	Backstroke	Back-stroke turns
Mon 19th Jan	Breaststroke	BRS Turns
Mon 26th Jan	Butterfly	Fly Turns
Mon 2nd Feb	Starts and Turns F/C & B/C turns
Mon 9th Feb	Breast-stroke	Breast-stroke Turns
Mon 16th Feb	Backstroke	Back-stroke turns
Mon 23rd Feb	Butterfly	Fly Turns
Mon 2nd March	Frontcrawl	F/C starts
Mon 9th March	Assessments		All assessments to handed in by the end of this week
Mon 16th March	Individual Medley	Medley Turns
Mon 23rd March	T.10/T.15 Use/Intro of Pace clock		Grades 2-4 T10 Grades 5-8 T15
Mon 30th March	Starts and Turns Fly/BR Turns Competitive Start Award Testing

Backstroke for 9-12 year olds, MSM Grades 4 and 5 (ASA equivalent NPTS 9 to 10) (+G8 additions)

	G4/G5	G8
Post registration Pre-Pool	By the wall, left shoulder, palm facing thigh, rotate arm as if bringing it out of the water, rotate so that the palm faces the tiles, twist shoulder, drop and ‘pull’ down to the thigh. Repeat. x3. Then turn and face the other way. Use Ruben Guzman.	X
	Streamlined positon against the wall	X
	Streamlined bounce in the water Push and glide off the wall for start and turns.	X
WARM UP	2 x 50m FC Emphasis on ‘long legs’ and ‘silent, smooth swimming’.	100s
	1 x 50m BC Emphasis on body position, head back as if resting on a pillow.
MAIN SET	2 x 50m BC kick	50s
	1 x 50m Float over knees. Knees should not touch, float should not bounce. Keep the legs long.
	1 x 50m Ideally, kicker float above the head, held at sides. Stretch. Body position flat on the water.
	2 x 25m Pull along the lane rope Instruct them to swap arms / Help them get the drill right	100m
Applied FUN	Double arm down the lane 1 x 25m Emphasis on a steady flutter kick Off the block with a pencil jump then streamlined bounce to the shallow end
+G8	Single arm BC – stretched out and under the water Swap arm after 25m	50
	Single arm BC – arm raised for entire length. Swap arm after 25m
	Push and glide on the back in the shallow end Add a dolphin kick Start the stroke with ONE arm while stretched out
DRILLS	2 x 25m Submarine periscope During stroke HOLD the arm in the vertical, laser the ceiling, then continue the stroke Emphasis on a steady flutter kick	50m
	Repeat 2 x 25m Typically have the best one demonstate Emphasis on counting three seconds when the arm is raised
	2 x 25m Have them go down in pairs, side by side, synchronising the raised arm
RACE PACE	1 x 25m race pace BC From the shallow end Streamlined glide Dolphin kick into stroke Steady breathing
	1 x 25m race pace BC Using the grip on the block Dive backwards into glide and dolphin kick
	Sea Otter 1 x 25m On frony, duck dive to the bottom, up to the top, swim along on your back, roll over.
FUN END	Somesaults (towards BC turn)

Front Crawl – Grades 4 and 5

09h15 The Dolphin, Haywards Heath

I had two lanes: five in one, four in the other. Our first day back, but possibly some kids going to local private schools are still on holiday. The approach the club takes is to determine the main stroke and alternative activity for the week; in this case, front crawl and diving.

I add in plenty of streamlining exercises which serves many roles: body position, pushing off and gliding out of turns and dives and of course for diving itself.

A warm up might be no more that 50m Front Crawl and 50m Back Crawl.

‘Dead Swimmer’ in Ruben Guzman. The Swim Drill Book.

I then use the Kindle to show a page from Ruben Guzman book on how to do what I call ‘dead swimmer’ where the swimmers go from floating on the surface of the water into a streamline position, and from there with a few butterfly kicks into Front Crawl. We did this in the shallow end, starting at the ‘T’ of the lane and under the flags in the deep end. Four times.

2 x 50m FC Kick

2 x 50 FC Single Arm, changing arm at 25.

‘For fun’ tucking a kicker float between the legs and touching it with each stroke.

Also for fun, bouncing the length of the pool in the streamlined position.

From pushing off and gliding we added first the a dolphin kick, then added the stroke.

With a dive we did a couple of sprints.

Some backstroke, but with one boy not allowed to do breaststroke at the moment I kept off it. Ditto butterfly – work on the leg kick will help with butterfly development.

In every case I have their names within a few lengths. Not rocket science. I just go to the trouble of getting a fix on the face and the name and by using it often I am quickly corrected where I get it wrong. Kids are far more responsive when you use their name. Unless they are all of a very similar standard I will get them into ‘speed order’, though this is often more like ‘enthusiasm order’. I’ll alter the order often to try to stop anyone feeling they have ownership of a slot, whether at the front or at the back.

All reasonable swimmers and it made a change that all could dive.

Ages 9 – 11

A progressive set through top teaching groups into Mini and Bronze. FC/BC uwphase, rotational turns

G6, 7 & 9 MINI & BRONZE Date….27/10/2010

POOL SESSION TIME SESSION LENGTH

Ardingly (4x25m) 5.45pm -8.30pm 45 mins / 1 hr

	FC BC & FLY UW phase & rotational turns
	G6,7,8,9 Teaching Group (T)			Age 9-11
	Mini (M)				Age 9-11/12
	Bronze (B)				Age 11/12
	SETS/	STROKE	ACTIVITY/COMMENTS			OFF-TIMES/	TOT
TOT DIS	REPS		SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS			REST/TRGT
B	4X100	F/C	Kick 25 Explosive 50 Moderate 25 Explosive			@1:45	10
M	1X100 1X100 1X100 1X100	FC BC FC BC	Full Stroke Full Stroke Drill – Zip it Up Drill – Roll Shoulder			@2:00 @2:15 @2:30 @3:00
T	1X50 1X50 1X50 1X50	FC BC FC BC	Full Stroke Full Stroke Drill – Zip it Up Drill – Roll Shoulder N.B. BALANCE/SYMETRY/STREAMLINING			@1:00 @1:15 @1:30 @1:45
B M T	10X50 8X50 8 x 25	FC FC FC	Piggy-back (kick/arms) FC Zip Up 25m, Full Stroke 25m FC Zip Up 25m, Full Stroke 25m			@0.50 @1:15	10
B M T	8X50 4X50 4 x 25	Fly/BC Fly/BC Fly/BC	5m UW kick off start and turn minimum Streamlined.			@0:50 @01:00	10

4X100

8X25

4X25

FC/BC/

FLY

Fly

Legs Only (+ fins)

Superman

(Walk along bottom & add arms)

2+2+2

8 kicks to one arm pull

4 kicks to one arm pull

Alt: Superman

(Walk along bottom & add arms)

@1:00

RELAY PLUNGE + Dolphin kick to 12.5m

200

2 x 100

Bilateral breathing every 3,5,7,9,7,5,3

Total Distance

1700m – 2200m

Total Time

60 mins

Evaluation of Session

BREASTSTROKE G6, G7, G8, G9, Mini and Bronze

A versatile 45 mins to 60 mins aerobic session based on Breaststroke, with breaststroke progressions, starts and turns and some fun alternative activities.

WARM UP

2 x 100m alt FC into BC 200 5 mins r.15

2 x 100m alt BR into FC 200 5 mins r.15

Emphasis on streamlined drive off the wall in turns

4 x 75m as FLY, BC, BR. 300 8 mins r.10

Drive at start from the blocks.

BR 8 x 50m

2 x 50 BR kick r.10

2 x 50 BR extended glide r.10

2 x 50 as 2K1P (3K1P for higher grades)

1 x 50 stroke

SPRINTS

4 x 25m alt. 25m kick, 25m full stroke

Mini and Bronze 3 x 50

Mut be a whip kick into the glide getting the hips high.

STARTS AND TURNS

Dive, from 10m out, turn and finish x 4

Alternative Activities

Cannon Ball Roll

Cat and mouse

Tandem Swim

Pish of war

Relays

Small Teaching club autumn teaching programme

PROGRAMME OF WORK (Autumn)

For a small teaching club. A 4 x 25m pool. Aimed at Level 2 teaching qualification.
September Session 1

All able to demonstrate leg kick with float for 25m Reminder of rope rules All able to push, glide then swim 25m showing basic technique Emphasis on getting the head down

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME FRONT CRAWL / BACK CRAWL

Demonstration Push and glide on front + kick + arm Stroke analysis and correction Second stroke (Breast Stroke)

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Kneeling/Crouch dive/Lunge dive

September SESSION 2

Introduction of best practice for Breast Stroke Reminder of rope rules All able to demonstrate leg kick on side. All know correct arm position for a push and glide.

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME – BREAST STROKE

Demonstration Float exercises back and front.

Stroke analysis and correction

Second stroke (Front crawl / Back crawl)

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Fetch diving stick (Shallow end)

September SESSION 3

All able to demonstrate leg kick with float for 25m front and back All able to push, glide then swim 25m showing basic technique Emphasis on getting the head dow

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME – FRONT CRAWL

Push and glide on front and back Introduce Dolphin Kick Stroke analysis and correction Second stroke (Back crawl)

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Crouch dive/Lunge dive

SEPT SESSION 4

All able to demonstrate leg kick with float All know correct arm position for a push and glide Rules on two hand touch Able to tread water using breast stroke kick.WARM UP Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME – BREAST STROKE

Float exercises, arm pull and glide into it Stroke analysis and correction Second stroke (Front crawl / Back crawl)

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Treading water/Sculling

SEPT SESSION 5

All able to demonstrate leg kick with float for 25m front and back All able to push, glide then swim 25m showing basic technique

SEPT SESSION 5

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME BACK CRAWL

Demonstration Push and glide on front and back Stroke analysis and correction Second stroke (Front crawl )

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Safety in water/Life jackets

SEPT SESSION 5

All able to demonstrate leg action for each stroke. All able to push, glide then swim 25m doing correct arm pull for each stroke All adhere to breast stroke rules for turns and touch

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME – ALL STROKES

Racing starts and finishes Stroke analysis and correction

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Surface dive for sticks

SEPT SESSION 5

Introduce breathing for Front Crawl

All able to demonstrate leg kick and breathing from rail. All can push and glide into kick All know correct arm position for arm pull and breathing

October SESSION 6

WARM UP

Front crawl, then back crawl

MAIN THEME – FRONT CRAWL

Demonstration + Whole part whole front crawl Single arm action with float and fins Second stroke (back crawl)

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Dive and glide

October SESSION 7

All able to demonstrate leg kick with float All know correct arm position for a push and glide Rules on two hand touch Able to tread water using breaststroke kick.

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME – BREAST STROKE

Demonstration+ Float exercises, arm pull and glide into it Stroke analysis and correction

Second stroke (Front crawl / Back crawl)

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Treading water, Two hand touch

Otober SESSION 9

All able to demonstrate leg kick with float for 25m front and back

All able to push, glide then swim 25m showing basic technique Work on leg position

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME – BACK CRAWL

Demonstration Push and glide on front and back Stroke analysis and correction Second stroke (Front crawl )

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Back crawl start, glide & kick

October SESSION 11

All able to demonstrate leg action for each stroke. All able to push, glide then swim 25m doing correct arm pull for each stroke All adhere to breast stroke rules for turns and touch

SEPT SESSION 12

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME – ALL STROKES

Racing starts and finishes Stroke analysis and correction

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Surface dive for sticks

SEPT SESSION 13

Work on breathing for Front Crawl All able to demonstrate leg kick and breathing fro 15m All can push and glide into kick All know correct arm position for arm pull and breathing

November SESSION 14

WARM UP

Front crawl, then back crawl

MAIN THEME – FRONT CRAWL / BACK CRAWL

Demonstration Whole part whole front crawl Single arm action without float with fins Second stroke (back crawl)

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Dive, glide, kick, full stroke timed.

November SESSION 15

All able to demonstrate leg kick with float All know correct arm position for a push and glide Rules on two hand touch Able to tread water using breast stroke kick.

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME – BREAST STROKE

Demonstration+ Float exercises, arm pull and glide into it Stroke analysis and correction Second stroke (Front crawl / Back crawl)

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Surface dive/

Dive from side for sticks

Novemebr SESSION 16

All able to demonstrate leg kick with float All know correct arm position for a push and glide Able to tread water using breast stroke kick.

WARM UP

Front crawl/Back Crawl

MAIN THEME – ALL STROKES

Relays & Fun races Stroke analysis and correction

CONTRASTING ACTIVITY

Sculling

T2T3 Sunday 1 hour

A two way split between T2 and T3 swimmers with a lane for masters and another for a disability swimming. The session goes on the whiteboard. T2 and T3 and supervised, usually going off on the whistle and rarely knowing what they are doing until they are told … some read the board and get on with it.

4 x 150 (T3 x 2) as

50 FC, 50 FC single arm, 50 BC 3.00/3.30

Front Crawl single arm will be a new one to them, though this is in effect what many do when I ask for Fly Single arm. Here for variety. Single arm to be smooth with the head kept low to the water on the turn.

600m 12/15 mins

4 x 75 (T3 x2)

as 25 mod, 25 firm, 25 sprint. alt 75 Fc, 75 No.1. Form stroke. 2.15/2.30

I like the idea of trying to get even non-squad swimmers to vary their pace and to know and feel the difference between modest, firm and sprint, between a steady pace, a strong swim without increasing the stroke rate, then a flat out sprint. Some swimmers only have two gears, slow or flat out.

The odd distances gives variety. As a coach you have to move up and down the pool too. No harm in that. You should be following them up and down the pool anyway.

4 x50 as 50 FC Hypoxic 5/7

50 Choice

as 50 FC Hypoxic 7/9

50 Choice

500m 11/16 mins

3 x 100 as 25 MAX, 75 Stroke Count reducing count by at least one stroke per length on each 25m in the 75m.

Relays

Increasingly the pattern is

2 x 50m as i) FC, ii) BR

6 x 25m IM Order as BC, BR, FLY, FC, FC, FC, FC (depends on the number of swimmers)

2 x 25m i) FC ii) Choice

200m Swim Down

Grades 3,4 & 5 (NPTS 5,6,7) Progressions into FLY

Grades 3,4 & 5 Progressions into FLY

A new intake.

I’m certain we’re getting them to younger: it feels that way. Starting to swim lengths at 7 & 8 is better than starting a 9 & 10. We want the able ones competing for the club at 8 & 9 which means they can dive, & tumble turn & swim all the competitive strokes like a competitive swimmer.

I share my first session with TJfwho is an assistant teacher. I’m happy to explain what I am doing as I go through a series of tests, the warm up then drills.

I’m delighted with the quality of swimming from all of them. High elbow on FC, Straight arm recovery on BK, long flutter kick, BR would not see any of them disqualified, they struggled with half a length of Butterfly though. I asked who their teacher had been because I’m not used to getting some conformity in a group, not the consistent standard. It was AJf. Brilliant.

BUTTERFLY

Progressions into FLY

Streamlining
Dolphin action on deck
Dolphin lengths/widths
Superman
Kick on Back (KOB)
Kick on Front (KOF)

I stuck with the kick at this Grade as with a new intake a) I didn’t want to rush it and b) believe that their first of impression of me will last, we had to do some fun things too.

ARM ACTION
Demo on side of pool
Walk along trying arm action
4 or 8 kicks 1 pull
1+1+1

FLY into BC

As the space ‘behind the boom’ was free I used this shallow water for a some of the following. They find it all a bit of fun, which is fine. I’ve learnt having done this for several years and with these drills for a year, that over a period of weeks there will be significant improvements.

Progressions into the FC Flip Turn

Streamline Jumps
Jump & somersault
Push-off & somersault
One-arm extension & flip
Plus 3 strokes, plus 3-count & flip
Feet on wall
12.5m out FC with flip turn
12 mins

None of this either this time. Once they had fins on we repeated many of the kicking drill and did some fun dolphin too.

All of this will have to wait another week too.

SCULLING

SCULLING – SHALLOW END

One arm

SCULLING – DEEP END

Both in deep-end
Both with legs crossed in deep-end
Vertical twist
Somersault

I make notes on each of the swimmers. The batteries in the digital recorder are dud so I added some notes to the register sheets instead – these will be an immediate aide memoir when I take these groups again in a weeks time. No good to me here as we’ve started a system of handing registers in at the end of the morning to keep in a box poolside.

So who did I have today?

I’ll write up a profile based on the child’s swim over 25m/50m for FC, BC BR with an attempt at FLY or Dolphin kick. We’ll do a push & glide into each strokes, and dives: sitting, kneeling & standing (sometimes from the block). In addition there will be confidence/skills assessments with handstands, somersaults, jumps from the block & surface dives.

This collection of activities allows me to assess quickly the latent potential of a child. It does not surprise me when a child who swims this level, showing confidence, balance, control & fluidity in the water progresses quickly through the teaching Grades to Mini-Squad. This can take only six months, or possibly a year. Those I scout are invited to a weekly one hour skills advancement session (that is free).

All of AJf’s group show this potential. I hope I will be able to progress them as a group and once I lose them to another teacher to invite them to this additional session so that there is continuity in their development.

After the session I spoke with two parents a mother, then a father. I was able to offer them a thorough profile of their child and suggest ways that the club can advance their skills. Turning up often and regularly is the key. Time spent with the different teachers is valuable as they have a different approach to everything. What we need is even more water time so that swimmers could swim three or more times a week – this is what I was able to do in a micro-club.

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w/c

Stroke

Notes

Mon 5th Jan

Diving

Mon 19th Jan

BRS Turns

Mon 2nd Feb

Mon 9th Feb

Breast-stroke

Turns

Mon 23rd Feb

Butterfly

Fly Turns

Frontcrawl

F/C starts

Mon 9th March

Mon 16th March

Individual Medley

Medley Turns

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G6, 7 & 9 MINI & BRONZE Date….27/10/2010

Ardingly (4x25m) 5.45pm -8.30pm 45 mins / 1 hr

SETS/

STROKE

TOT

Total Distance

1700m – 2200m

Evaluation of Session

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