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Drill of the Month: kicking on your side
Why do this drill?
This is a great drill for practicing rotation from the hips, a long leg kick from the hips and practicing relaxed breathing without lifting the head. It’s also a good drill to help you to develop balance in the water.
How to do this drill
Lie on your side with a rotation of around 45degrees from a flat position and your bottom shoulder and arm fully extended. Your ear should be tight to your shoulder with your head in your neutral swimming position. The extended arm should be 1-2 inches below the surface of the water and fingertips should be slightly facing down as in the initiation of the catch and your arm should be parallel to the bottom of the pool. The upper arm and hand should be relaxed and resting on your thigh. Move yourself through the water using a flutter kick making sure your toes and feet are facing straight back behind you. As a guideline have one goggle in the water and one out when you breathe. The movement is a roll-there is no lifting of the head. Try 6-10 kicks on one side and the roll to the other recovering with the upper arm and taking a stroke with the bottom arm. Switch sides this way every 6-10 kicks. This drill is best done with fins as it allows you to focus on the rotation and staying streamlined in the water.
To watch a video of this drill have a look at our Stroke Builder swim app.
