Varsity Swimming Practice Workouts

By the time a student swimmer reaches the varsity swim team, her body is most likely stronger and more coordinated than in previous years. Practice sessions in the pool can begin to get longer and more intense for a swimmer at this level. Training for the level of competition at varsity meets is hard but rewarding work, and can mean success for the athlete willing to put in the time and effort.

  1. Short Stroke Drills

    • With short axis strokes the swimmer relies on the body's core, or short axis, for rotation and power. These strokes include the butterfly and the breaststroke. One butterfly drill is the single arm fly drill. The swimmer keeps one arm stationary either out in front of him, or at his side. He strokes through the water with only one arm, switching arms at regular intervals. A good breaststroke drill is the opposite hand and foot drill. The right leg does the kick while the left arm does the pull; then switch sides. These drills help isolate each part of the stroke to improve it and help the swimmer feel the short axis rotation.

    Long Stroke Drills

    • Long strokes use the entire length of the body as their axis. These strokes include the backstroke and the freestyle. One such drill is the sighting drill. While swimming freestyle, the swimmer lifts her head on every fifth stroke and looks at a specific object in the distance. She must work to maintain her rhythm and rotation while spotting the object. One backstroke exercise is a rhythm drill. The swimmer takes two consecutive strokes with each arm instead of one. By alternating her arms after two strokes, instead of one, she is forced to focus on the rhythm and maintaining body position.

    Speed

    • Varsity swimmers learn quickly that the most subtle change in body position or rhythm can mean a loss or gain of crucial seconds. One method of working on speed is to isolate parts of the body. The fist swimming drill forces the athlete to swim with his hands closed in tight fists. When he opens his hands again he will be more aware of their placement and use them more effectively in each stroke. He can do this same type of isolation drill by pointing his feet and not using them to kick, relying only on the arms. When the swimmer's stroke returns to normal, he will sense increased speed.

    Endurance

    • To improve endurance, the same philosophy applies in the pool as out of the pool -- on a treadmill, for example. In interval training, any intervals that a coach wants to set for a swimmer, given her ability level, will work. The swimmer starts by swimming a long distance with no break, for example, 400 or even 800 meters. Then she swims that distance again, but in two swims with a short rest between. She swims that distance a third time in four swims and again in eight swims. As the swims get shorter, with more breaks, the swimmer stays motivated and can build endurance.