Run the six exercises in order with the whole group facing you so you can check form: band pull aparts or arm pulls, hip hinges, lunges with a twist, streamline squats, scapular push ups and calf raises. One set of 10 each, then a second set of 8 at a brisker pace before the warmup swim.
Coaching points
Squeeze the shoulder blades together on the pulls. Find a tight streamline on every squat, biceps by the ears and hands stacked.
Line swimmers up on deck and lead the five exercises from the clip: arm swings, trunk twists, leg swings, shoulder taps and squat jumps, 10 to 15 reps each. Repeat the set once more, then send them in for an easy 200 swim.
Coaching points
Shoulders back and chin up on every rep. If you cannot do it slowly you are not ready to do it fast.
Spread the team out on deck with a few feet between swimmers and run the dryland circuit from the video: jumping jacks, squats, lunges, arm circles, push ups and planks, about 30 seconds each. Go through it twice, the first round slow and the second at a quicker pace, then move straight into the pool.
Coaching points
Keep the movements big and controlled, no flopping. We are waking up the shoulders and hips before we get in, not racing.
Swimmers push off on their side with the bottom arm extended and the top arm resting on the hip, kicking steadily like the hull of a boat, six kicks, then take one stroke and switch sides. Go 4 to 6 x 50 with the first 25 drill and the second 25 swim.
Coaching points
Ear on the shoulder, hips high, kick small and quick. Rotate all the way from one side to the other on each switch.
Swimmers do 25 of body dolphin with arms at their sides, then 25 of single arm fly, then 25 full stroke, using the chest press and hip lift from the video. Repeat the 75 three or four times with rest on the wall between.
Coaching points
Press the chest down and let the hips come up. The arms follow the body, the body does not follow the arms.
Swimmers do freestyle breathing every second stroke to one side, keeping the breath quick and low, 4 x 50 easy. Then switch to the other side for 4 x 50 so both sides get the same work.
Coaching points
One goggle stays in the water when you breathe. Turn the head with the body, do not lift it.
With a kickboard held out front or on the back with arms in streamline, swimmers kick dolphin for 25 and rest 20 seconds, 8 times. Use the cues from the video about kicking from the hips with loose ankles.
Coaching points
Kick from the hips, not the knees. Both directions of the kick move water, up and down.
Run the four breaststroke drills from the video for 50 each, with a push off and streamline on every wall: kick on the back, kick with a board, two kicks one pull, and pull with a dolphin kick. Finish with 4 x 25 of full stroke counting strokes.
Coaching points
Heels to the hips, feet turn out, then squeeze the legs together into a glide. Pull, breathe, kick, glide, in that order.
Run the four butterfly fixes from the video for 25 each with rest on the wall: body dolphin, single arm fly with the breath to the side, three kicks one pull, and fly with a fins if you have them. Repeat the set twice and finish with 2 x 25 of easy full stroke.
Coaching points
Chin stays low on the breath and the hands enter about shoulder width. Two kicks per stroke, one when the hands go in and one when they come out.
Run the four drills from the video in order, 2 x 50 each: fingertip drag, catch up, single arm and fist swim. Finish with 4 x 50 of full freestyle trying to feel the same long stroke.
Coaching points
High elbow on the recovery and reach out front before you pull. Count strokes per length and try to take fewer.
Off every wall swimmers hold a tight streamline and kick underwater to the flags before breaking into freestyle, exactly as the video shows. Run 8 x 25 counting how many kicks it takes to reach the flags and try to hold the same count every length.
Coaching points
Hands stacked, elbows locked behind the ears, head between the arms. The streamline is the fastest you will ever go in the water, so hold it.
Swimmers kick breaststroke on their back with hands at their sides, tapping their heels into their fingertips on every kick, 6 x 25 with a short rest. Then flip over and do 4 x 25 of breaststroke kick on a board holding the same heel path.
Coaching points
Heels come up to the hands, not the knees to the chest. Keep the knees fairly close together and finish every kick with a squeeze.
Swimmers do freestyle with their head out of the water, eyes forward, like an ostrich, for 25 yards, then 25 normal freestyle. Run 6 to 8 x 50 this way with plenty of rest so the stroke does not fall apart.
Coaching points
Head stays still and the arms keep reaching long out front. When the head goes back down, keep the same long reach you felt with it up.
Swimmers scull with a pull buoy between the legs, moving the hands in small figure eights as shown: front scull with arms out front for 25, mid scull with elbows bent for 25, back scull by the hips for 25. Go through the sequence twice.
Coaching points
Fingertips point down and the forearm presses the water. Slow and quiet beats fast and splashy.
Swimmers do 2 x 50 of each backstroke drill from the clip: kick on the back with arms at the sides, single arm backstroke, and the six kick switch drill. Finish with 2 x 50 of full backstroke.
Coaching points
Hips up, belly button at the surface, head still like it is resting on a pillow. Rotate the shoulders, not the head.
Swimmers set up in the water with hands on the bar and feet on the wall below the surface, then on go, throw the head and arms back and arch over the water into a streamline kick out, as the video demonstrates. Five starts each, swim to the flags.
Coaching points
Hips up and out of the water, head back, arms swing over together. Arch into a tight line and start kicking right away.
Using the breakdown in the clip, swimmers practice a track start from the block in three parts: the set position held for three seconds, the push and reach, then the tight entry and kick out past the flags. Rotate through the lane so everyone gets five starts.
Coaching points
Back foot pushes first, then the front foot. Reach for the water and stay tight all the way to the breakout.
Swimmers line up behind the blocks and take one start at a time with the coach calling take your mark and go, working the setup, the launch and the streamline entry from the video. Each swimmer gets five or six starts, swimming out to the flags on each one.
Coaching points
Weight forward, hands gripping the front of the block, head down. Explode off the block and enter through one hole in the water.
Teach the dive from the deck in the three steps shown: a seated dive from the edge, a kneeling dive, then a standing dive with toes over the edge. Move swimmers up a step only when the one before it looks safe and clean.
Coaching points
Chin tucked, arms squeezed tight over the ears, fingers aimed at the water. Follow your hands in, not your belly.
Swimmers do 25 backstroke into the wall, touch on their back, then do the turn in the video and push off into breaststroke for 25. Run 6 to 8 of these with rest so they can think about the turn each time.
Coaching points
Finish the backstroke on your back and touch the wall. Pull the knees in, spin, feet on the wall, push off on the stomach.
Swimmers swim in from the flags, touch with two hands at the same time, then pull one elbow back, turn to the wall, drop under and push off in streamline as the clip shows. Run 8 to 10 turns each, alternating breaststroke and butterfly into the wall.
Coaching points
Two hands on the wall together every time. Short and quick at the wall, then push off strong in a tight line.
Follow the three steps from the video: somersaults in open water away from the wall, then a somersault from the flags with the feet landing on the wall, then the full turn out of freestyle with a push off and streamline. Swimmers do 5 or 6 reps at each step before moving on.
Coaching points
Chin to chest, tuck tight, blow bubbles out the nose. Feet land on the wall and push off on the back, then roll to the stomach.
Run the three part open turn progression from the clip: stand at the wall and practice the hand touch and elbow drive, then swim in from the flags and turn without pushing off, then the full turn with a push off and streamline. Six reps at each stage.
Coaching points
Touch, knees up, head goes to the side, not back. Push off underwater in a tight line before the first stroke.
Set up 8 x 25 fast from a push with 30 seconds rest, finishing each one with a fast turn and a strong push off even though the length is over. Then 4 x 50 fast from a dive with a minute between.
Coaching points
Fast arms, fast feet, no breath in the last five yards. The turn is part of the sprint, so attack the wall.
Swimmers do 25 of straight arm freestyle like the video, with the arm recovering straight over the top, then 25 of easy swim, 8 times. Work on holding a high turnover on the fast 25.
Coaching points
Hands enter in front of the shoulders and the arms turn over like a windmill. Keep the kick going the whole way.
Swimmers push off in streamline and dolphin kick underwater as far as they can up to the 15 meter mark, then swim easy to the wall, 8 to 10 times with good rest. Use the cues in the video about small fast kicks from the hips.
Coaching points
Tight streamline, head between the arms, fast small kicks. Come up before you run out of air, not after.
Swim a 500 broken into 5 x 100 with 10 seconds rest at each wall, holding a pace you could keep for the whole thing, as laid out in the video. Older swimmers can do it as 2 x 250 with one rest; 8 and under do a broken 200.
Coaching points
Settle in and find a rhythm you can hold. Count your strokes on the first 100 and keep them the same on the last.
Swim 4 x 100 freestyle at a steady pace with 20 seconds rest, then 4 x 50 at the same pace with 15 seconds rest, using the stroke and breathing tips from the video. Younger groups can cut the distances in half.
Coaching points
Same pace on every repeat, no fading. Long strokes and a steady breathing pattern.
After the last set, swimmers do 200 easy choice swim, then get out and go through the six cooldown exercises from the clip on deck: shoulder stretches, chest opener, hip flexor stretch, hamstring stretch, calf stretch and deep breathing, 30 seconds each.
Coaching points
Slow breathing and easy stretching, nothing that hurts. This is where the body recovers for tomorrow.
Finish practice with 100 to 200 easy swim, then the five recovery moves in the video on deck: arm circles, cat and cow, child pose, a figure four hip stretch and a standing forward fold, about 45 seconds each.
Coaching points
Relax the shoulders and breathe through the stretch. Easy and gentle, we are done working.
Videos are linked, not hosted, and belong to USA Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming. Drill write-ups are by Cheat Code Coaching. Durations are what we run them at with a youth team; adjust for your group.
Run these drills with a timer on the field.
Every drill here is already in the Cheat Code Teams Practice Builder for Youth Swimming. Drag them into a plan, tap Start practice, and the clock, the whistle and the next drill are on your phone and your lock screen.