From strong swim technique to legs, hips and body position. This should build mobility in the water for changing directions to transitioning from horizontal to vertical, and vice versa.

Swim technique

• Rotating streamline** — Flutter kicking through any rotated position, start on back rotating along length of body 360 degrees each direction. Vary with dolphin kick.
• Sail drill** — emphasizing body roll and extended reach, 9 kicks per sail.
• Catchup Stroke, near and full** — for Full Catchup, complete hand pull recovery so that one hand lands on top of the other out front in streamline for several kicks, then tip the lower hand for proper high elbow pullback, leaning to that hand’s side rotating along length of body. In the Near Catchup, the recovering hand almost touches the hand out front, as it begins, emphasizing 3 kicks per stroke. Try also with a kickboard or ball, placing the lower hand underneath the board or ball as you reach and lean to that side just before pulling back.
• Running man — incorporating running and jumping off the bottom, each time raising knees above water surface. Pair freestyle with running; butterfly w/breastroke kick, with jumping when transitioning to deep water.
• Long stroke/max reach/straight arm recovery** — ensure hand tilt, high elbow underwater start of pull, hand straight back just outside of shoulder
• 3-kick breaststroke — perfect streamline on the third kick with head down, kicks are fast rhythm til 3rd kick going for distance, explosion is the most important part as this prepares proper lunging
• 4-4 — head up four strokes on front, four on back, with breastroke kick each transition, note that 3-3 is the same as 4-4 only for 3 strokes each
• 4-long 6-quick — headup four long strokes followed by 6 quick with high elbows, add eggbeater kick to quick if possible
• 5-5 — head up 5 strokes focus left, 5 focus right, building controlled awareness while giving effort

** marked drills also great when using fins, especially with those learning the feel of the water

Sprint conditioning

• Off the wall  4-6 strokes head down, max speed and stop, limit streamline to 2 dolphin kicks, and 4 flutter
• Half lengthers, at mid pool go over the hips with lunge to start; can use 2-hand water polo push off wall to go over the hips from the wall as well. Mix with regular streamline push that builds from the above item
• Relays, a little friendly competition seems to bring out some extra effort in a fun way
• Add pullouts, push-ups and squats, especially for sets using IMs, or broken 100s

Legs and Body position

• 6 quick 6 eggbeaters, headup singular focus point
• Lunge — breastroke kick each head up stroke
• Lunge every other — only when strong arm reaches
• Skating — zigzagging direction, eggbeater (“load legs”), lunge, eggbeater reset/reload legs, arms stay in water
• Lunge away, off arm brush off and eggbeater 6 to knee up/rise up and repeat, looking in trailing direction
• Feet first drifting/cycling, arms alternating push scull, top leg surfacing on reach,
• Feet first side switching — like previous but leaning one side then the other with explosive kick out to switch, ensure a top leg full extension kick out to switch sides
• Hipovers leading with feet squaring shoulders, full sequence build to blocking lunge with hand in the water attack ultimately adding lunge back crash to hole set
• Attack lunge/ upslide, rise up, forward 45 degrees left, then eggbeater stabilize and repeat right. Always lung on off arm with strong shoulder back
• Gut busters focusing on high knee and shooting legs out, both side-to-side and front-to-back, emphasize maximum effort for short periods with rest
• Somersults — resurfacing with high knees, otter like position
• One arm scull — off arm sculling in vertical position no leg support
• Eggbeater turns — quarter/half/full turns from vertical
• Knee ups — side to vertical knees up, front/back as well, also from low knee vertical to high knee ready/loaded position
• Shoulder fakes — using core and shoulder and back leg kickout with turn-in of foot and hip. Weak arm pulls when back leg kicks, and pushes when back leg resets with knee up. Find a rhythm.
• High 10s — reload (make center of gravity high as you can) before hitting it

Contact mobility

• Quarter turns
  • set position
  • perimeter position
    • Using momentum against defense to get by
• Kickouts — Set/postup leg kick out separation
• Basic push drill – eggbeater forward against flutter kick backward
• One-on-one shoulder push – facing eggbeaters
• Chairs – same direction eggbeater 
  • offense in chair moving backwards, defense on surface
    • straight arm; then pull chair by lifting arms straight up, or choosing side, keeping hand under armpit control of off-side, extending arm on-side
  • moving in facing direction offense prevents defense from getting around corner, like rebounding in basketball, place hand/arm low on side defense is trying to come around and ride forward
• Counter attack pairs — try to stay in front and slow down
• Partner pull – headup pulling partner laying on back grabbing suit on side to not be in the way of kick
• Knee to elbow riseups – Hand of defender leaning on off-hand shoulder not behind, but same level as offense or better, slightly in front
  • offense must learn to use off-hand to protect
  • end with strong knee to strong elbow rise up trying to keep head above water