Jump To:
Dive Start Drill Library
BASIC DIVE START PROGRESSION
Purpose: Helps the kids learn step by step
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Hands in tight streamline, squeezing the head at ears, for each step.
- Sit on edge with feet in water and dive
- Kneeling and dive
- One leg kneels, the other is on front and dive
- Dive from edge (try either feet together or stagger foot positions)
- Repeat from blocks
Repeat steps from the block as needed
COWBOY
Purpose: Helps to get arms driving forward and pulling body along while diving
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do a start, but start with your hands near the hips like a cowboy in a gunfight
SIGHT THE BOARD
Purpose: Teaches to drive head forward as far as possible for extra speed from the coupling motion
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
While diving take a brief look at the board held up by someone 15-20 yards down the lane. Can switch board colors and have kids tell you which one it was when they get to you
CACTUS
Purpose: Helps with arm speed
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Lift your hands up towards the ceiling with arms bent on elbows. Throw them in front as you dive
SOARING EAGLE
Purpose: Helps to practice swinging arms around, not just to the front
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do a start, but as soon as you leave the block fly out your arms to side and try to get them back to streamline before you hit the water
BALL ROLL START
Purpose: Drill for the kids who are having trouble progressing from sit/kneel dives to squatting or those who essentially jump/belly flop off the blocks. This helps them feel what the water entry should feel like going in head first in streamline.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Take a big exercise ball and put it right beside the pool. Have the swimmer lay on the ball on their lower belly and get into streamline position. Hold their waist, if they are OK with it. If they say yes, stand over them and hold their waist, then roll them into the water
RELAY or RUNNING START
Purpose: Gives more time in air to pay attention to what your body is doing and to get into perfect entry position with hips flexed
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Take a step on the block with arms starting on top, making a reverse circle from behind and then flinging forward from below. If the pool/conditions allow, you can also run a few steps and then dive the same way from beside the block
DIVE AND FLOAT
Purpose: Forces you to have good clean entry and to be in an efficient streamline
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do a start, but then only float as far as you can. Fun Fact: Some swimmers can float to the end of a short course pool just from a dive
ONE LEG DIVE
Purpose: Balance
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Balance on front leg and lift the back leg up, do a correct dive
DIVE BETWEEN NOODLES
Purpose: Teaches to go into one hole as you dive
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Have two pool noodles in the water across the lane a few feet apart. Swimmer dives and tries not to touch either noodle. Make it as narrow as you can
DIVING OVER THE NOODLE
Purpose: Getting air and distance on a dive, practice correct head first entry for smaller kids. They like the challenge!
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Someone holds the noodle in front and above water, swimmer has to dive over without touching it
DOUBLE HAND BUOY TOSS
Purpose: Agility with hands pulling first and then flinging them forward. Also isolates legs, so you feel what they are doing better
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
In starting position, have a buoy in each hand and as you jump off toss the buoys backwards
BUOY BETWEEN LEGS DIVE
Purpose: Entering water firm and keeping legs/feet together. Good for kids who tend to spread or crisscross their legs on dive.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Dive with buoy between legs and try to hold on to it. Progress from between thighs to between knees to between ankles
Backstroke Start Drill Library
Jump To:
BASIC BACKSTROKE START PROGRESSION
Purpose: To practice the backstroke start step by step
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
- Sink down, push off and float on back, as far as you can. Eyes to sky and straight as an arrow.
- Add (minimum 5) dolphin kicks after streamline float, when float is perfected.
- Add a bit of amplitude after kicks are good- Hold the edge of the pool (not the block) with feet for about 2 feet under the surface, push off, fling your arms over head and behind you, push hips up and land in the water hands first after clearing a bit of air or just on the surface
- Move to the block, grab the bar, put your feet so that toes are just under the water line and do the same thing as previous step while still going into streamline and doing the UDK
SEATED CUP
Purpose: To teach pushing forward, legs out and getting butt over water
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Push of like normal start, but land butt first in a seating position with arms and legs stretched straight back
KICK THE BALL
Purpose: To get legs high and reaction speed
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Use a volleyball, or something softer. Hold it over the legs and as the swimmer pushes off, they have to kick the ball out of your hands with their feet. More advanced is to drop the ball from little higher on “Go” and swimmer has to react fast enough to kick the ball before it falls into the water
DIVE OVER KICK BOARD/POOL NOODLE/PHYSIO BALL
Purpose: Making a high arch
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Hold the physio ball/object behind the swimmer and when they dive, they have to get over the object, preferably without touching it. In deep end of the pool obviously
Swim Atlas 