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Swim Talk: One-Arm Drill

Improve your balance and swim faster

By Kevin Koskella

May 8, 2008 -- It is time to put together what you have been practicing into an advanced drill and a new workout! Today’s focus will be the One-Arm Drill.

You will be swimming freestyle with one arm, the other arm at your side. This drill will help you with body rotation, breathing, and pull. It also isolates one arm so you can really concentrate on what that arm is doing through the whole stroke cycle.

For one-arm freestyle, do a full stroke with one arm, and keep your other arm at your side. Breathe on the opposite side of the arm that is working. Make sure you do the full rotation with your hips, as if you were swimming with both arms. This is a hard drill, so don't be discouraged if you don't get it at first!

This drill will definitely feel awkward, especially at first. If you have experience doing balance drills in the past, it will be easier for you to perform this drill. I wouldn’t recommend this drill if you are just starting out. Instead, save it for when you attain a good feel for the water and have improved your balance. You might try this at first with a pair of Zoomers, until you get used to it.

Here's a sequence of picture demonstrations of the drill:
swim1

Here’s a workout that incorporates this drill and others I have written about before.

Warm-up: 400 yards or meters free. Breathe every 3 or 5 strokes on at least 200 of the 400 (doesn’t have to be straight, just work on bilateral breathing in warmup if you don’t do this).

Set #1: 6x100's. Rest :15 between each 100.

Odd 100’s: Each 100 will be done as 50 free with your hands in fists, followed by a 50 free with hands normal. The fist drill will teach you to get the most out of your body rotation, to get you through the water most efficiently.
Even 100’s: Normal freestyle swim.

Set 2: 12x50's. Rest :15 between each 100.

Each 50 will be done as 25 one-arm freestyle, followed by 25 normal freestyle.
On odd 50’s use your right arm (left arm at your side).
On even 50's use your left arm (right arm at your side).

Set #3: 5x200’s cruise. Pick an interval you can make with about 20 seconds rest in between each 200.

1-4 Descend (get faster), but keep close to your Optimum Stroke Rate (from last month's article), or the lower part of your average strokes per length. Number 4 should be 85-90 percent effort, while paying attention to stroke length and hip rotation.
Number 5- Moderate pace, focusing on distance per stroke (keep strokes long)

Warm down: 200 freestyle, breathing every 3 strokes on odd lengths.

Total: 2800 Yards or Meters

To see video clips of these drills, as well as others, go to www.triswimcoach.com and check out the Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming or the Essential Triathlon Swimming DVD.