Freestyle Drill #5- Head up/tarzan drill

Freestyle Head up or Tarzan drill

How to do it?

Body position

• Begin with your normal freestyle

• Lift your head up and look directly forward

• Keep your mouth above the water line, avoid bobbing for air

The Movement:

• Ensure that hands enter at 1 and 11 (directly in front of the shoulders)

• Maintain a quick rhythm so there are no pauses in the stroke

• Movement is catch and pull, eliminating the extension or push phase of the stroke (front dominate stroke)

• Maintain a very strong steady kick throughout

Focus:

• High hand speed

• Maintain a straight line

What does it improve?

• Develops an early catch during the high tempo swimming necessary for shorter sprints

• Drives arms immediately into catch position which increases stroke rate -great for sprinting

• High kick rate to maintain your head above water

• Eliminates over gliding at the front of the stroke

• Develops an awareness of drag with the change in body alignment

Pitfalls?

• Head position lowers the hips and legs

• Eliminates hip drive forcing a more shoulder driven freestyle for sprinting, which does not translate well over longer distances or training.  

This is a fantastic drill to include as a progression up to full sprints or in warm up to get ready to sprint. It is also a great tool to use for those who may not naturally be sprinters to examine their strokes in a different way and discover the early vertical forearm catch and shoulder driven freestyle that is so crucial in sprint swimming.