Over-Under Drill, Training Back and Free

I’m sure many of you coaches out there use a similar drill to this, but I have really liked the results I’m seeing in my swimmers stroke so I decided to share my version of Over-Under Drill. I love under water recovery because it slows down the set up for the catch. In backstroke, I find that a common stroke flaw is over reaching. The under water recovery forces the swimmer to set the catch wider and the goal of Over-Under Drill is to help them find that same feeling within a normal stroke cycle. It’s kind of like single arm with training wheels. When we do single arm I find that the swimmers tend to go flat and forget about rotation. A slow underwater recovery sets up a single arm cycle that, when done right, emphasizes rotation and power. The other point of focus when doing Over-Under with backstroke or freestyle is keeping the hands at the opposite end of the stroke. When one is catching the other should be starting the recovery. Special thanks to one of Phoenix Swim Clubs top Age Groupers, Jocelyn Jones for demonstrating!