These sessions are designed to introduce you to the 10 aspects of swimming we believe contribute to fast swimming.
1. Posture
2. Relaxation
3. Flexibility
4. Kicking Basics
5. Arm Setup
6. Feel
7. Speed Capacity
8. Taughtness and Rhythm
9. Fitness and Strength
10. Open Water - Mental Toughness
Do not wear a watch on your wrist for these sessions or worry about pace unless specified. Tune into the sensations of your body and your surroundings rather than tuning out.
You can't look at your watch during an open water swim in a race and nor should you. You need to learn how to swim and pace without it, you simply can't afford to be reliant on it.
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Warm Up
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Pre Swim visualise your most successful swim to date.
If you have a choice use a 25m pool rather than a 50m pool for this session. Every time you push off the wall for a few strokes your technique will be improved by the momentum and body position from the push.
Practice a streamlined position on poolside pre swim. One hand flat on top of the other. As tall and narrow as you can be, use a window reflection or mirror to check this pre swim.
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MAIN SET
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32x 50m
Swim relaxed, focus on the turns and maintaining the tall posture into your stroke.
Perfect streamline position off the wall. Touch or tumble turn but ensure you have a tall streamlined position off each wall. Hold this position for an extended period of time compared to normal, so that you start to lose momentum slightly then break into a swim before you stall completely.
You should be able to reach the flags at 5m each time comfortably.
This is about streamlining not holding your breathe! You should be breathing out in a consistent pattern each time you push off under the water ready to come into a breathe as you break into swimming.
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COOL DOWN
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Get out reflect on how this went. Do some stretching, we will come to flexibility later on.

These sessions are designed to introduce you to the 10 aspects of swimming we believe contribute to fast swimming.
1. Posture
2. Relaxation
3. Flexibility
4. Kicking Basics
5. Arm Setup
6. Feel
7. Speed Capacity
8. Taughtness and Rhythm
9. Fitness and Strength
10. Open Water - Mental Toughness
Tune into the sensations of your body and your surroundings rather than tuning out.
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Warm Up
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The last session started to think about changing from that tall/narrow/flat streamlined position. Unfortunately we can't stay in that torpedo like position as we need to breathe in.
Equally important to breathing in is breathing out. More so in fact for swimming, it is critical that you become comfortable with exhaling under the water so that you can maximise the short window you have when your torso rotates as one and your head turns with it creating the opportunity to breathe in.
This first session will therefore focus on breathing out.
Complete 10 long slow breaths. Perhaps a reminder of the YWTL.
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Main Set
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6x 200m
With 2 Sink Downs before each 200. Use exhalation only to sink in the water. Breathe out fully, you should be able to complete a breathe out, hold your breath for a little and then push back up to the surface in a relaxed manner. Imagine sinking down into a nice comfortable arm chair. Each individual will vary in their buoyancy so will the amount you sink will vary. The key is to be comfortable blowing out a long stream of bubbles in a relaxed manner.
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Cool Down
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Stretch and try to recall the cues of worked well in the pool. What did you focus on, what did you forget about?

These sessions are designed to introduce you to the 10 aspects of swimming we believe contribute to fast swimming.
1. Posture
2. Relaxation
3. Flexibility
4. Kicking Basics
5. Arm Setup
6. Feel
7. Speed Capacity
8. Taughtness and Rhythm
9. Fitness and Strength
10. Open Water - Mental Toughness
Tune into the sensations of your body and your surroundings rather than tuning out.
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From this session you will learn what constitutes as an effective pre swim warm up which you can use before every swim. The purpose of the warm up is to mobilise the main joints and to activate the muscles you will be using when you swim.
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FORWARD ARM CIRCLES - Start with both arms out by your side and begin to rotate your arms forward in a controlled circular motion. Slowly make the circles bigger and bigger until your arms are brushing your ears. Perform exercise for about 30 seconds.
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BACKWARDS ARM CIRCLES – Same principle as Forward Arm Circles however you are rotating your arms backwards. Perform exercise for about 30 seconds.
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OPPOSITE ARM CIRCLES – This exercise takes a lot of co-ordination. Make nice big circles with your arms rotating one arm forwards and the other backwards at the same time. Then swap direction. If you struggle with this you may find it easier to start off rotating one arm forwards and after a few circles introduce the other arm. Perform exercise for about 30 seconds.
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MONKEY SWINGS – Swing your right arm up and behind your head so that your fingertips touch your left shoulder. While doing so swing your left arm in front of your body so that you touch your right shoulder. From there swing your left arm up and over your head to touch your right shoulder and swing your right arm across your body to touch your left shoulder. Perform exercise for about 30 seconds. Repeat.
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PLANK – Get into the plank position on poolside using a kickboard as a mat if you prefer and hold this position. After 30 seconds of holding the plank start to alternate raising on leg at a time. Make sure that you are engaging and lifting from your glutes.
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SIDE PLANK – From the plank position rotate to side plank and then thread your free arm under your body. Do this 5 times before doing the same on the other side.
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SWIM KICKS – Lay flat on your stomach and squeeze your glutes a few times. Then while lying on the floor kick your legs as if you were swimming making sure you using your glutes to lead the kicking motion. Perform exercise for about 30 seconds.
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TRICEP DIPS – Using the ledge around the pool, rest your hands on it and extend your legs out in front of you. Lower yourself towards the ground and then push yourself back up. Do 10 repetitions.
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Now you are ready to begin your session.
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Warm Up:
200m F/C
200m Mixed Stroke
100m Build
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Main Set:
Hold a consistent pace over all distances
100m
200m 
300m 
200m 
100m
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Cool Down:
200m Mixed Stroke

These sessions are designed to introduce you to the 10 aspects of swimming we believe contribute to fast swimming.
1. Posture
2. Relaxation
3. Flexibility
4. Kicking Basics
5. Arm Setup
6. Feel
7. Speed Capacity
8. Taughtness and Rhythm
9. Fitness and Strength
10. Open Water - Mental Toughness
Tune into the sensations of your body and your surroundings rather than tuning out.
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Warm Up
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Complete some arm circles pool side and try to think back over your swims so far.
Lying down on the side of the pool on your front complete some single leg lifts. Keeping your legs straight and your toes pointed lift one leg alternately up to about 20 - 30 cm from the floor. Ensure you keep your leg straight and use your glutes to lift your leg. This will mean small movement at the hip and a larger movement at the end of your leg.
You can use some kick-boards, a large float or simply a dry area for this. It is also a great practice to do at home either lying on the bed or even in front of the TV.
Get up jump in and start the swimming immediately, don't dawdle get up, get in and swim!
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100m FC
100m Mixed Stroke
100m FC Try to maintain those leg lifts
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MAIN SET
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4x 200m
as
Ballet Leg Kick at the end/side of pool. Holding onto the side with your body vertical (a little ledge to stand on under the water is very useful!!) in the deep end kick alternately with one leg. Make sure this comes from the hip as you did on poolside, pointy toes!! Your knee will naturally bend a little in water, but it should be almost a relaxed straight leg kick from the hip. Straight into 200m swim each time.
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Complete 10sec each leg into
50m Kick on Front. Scull and lift head to breathe, immediately into
50m FC (use ballet leg kick as recovery)
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Cool Down
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100 Mixed Stroke Very Easy
Stretch, think about and remember positive cues. Leave the negative ones in the pool.
Pre-activity comments
The most important aspect of your leg kick is that it doesn't slow you down by causing a poor body position. Kicking can also be important to develop a rhythm and control within your stroke. However very little propulsion will come from the kick compared to the arms.

These sessions are designed to introduce you to the 10 aspects of swimming we believe contribute to fast swimming.
1. Posture
2. Relaxation
3. Flexibility
4. Kicking Basics
5. Arm Setup
6. Feel
7. Speed Capacity
8. Taughtness and Rhythm
9. Fitness and Strength
10. Open Water - Mental Toughness
Tune into the sensations of your body and your surroundings rather than tuning out.
This session will focus on your arm recovery. It is important to ensure that your hand is setup for a good entry into the water. A good entry is one where the hand is flat (not thumb first or little finger first). You are looking to rotate into the entry so that your rotation extends your arm forward. There is no reaching, stretching or strain in the arm at this point!! Your arm is as long as it is only rotation can extend it, you can not magically make your arm longer so relax here.
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Warm Up
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Complete some arm circles pool side and try to think back over your swims so far.
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100m FC
100m Mixed Stroke
100m FC
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MAIN SET
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3x 300m - 25 Drill into 75 Swim
as
1) Finger Trail - fingertips down, back of hand facing forward.
2) Zip up Side/Hip - elbow pointing to ceiling, don't cramp arm if you don't have flexibility to zip up to your arm pit. You may only get just past your hip .
3) Shoulder Tap - again this can be a tap or pause just level with your shoulder rather than touching it depending on flexibility.
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50m Kick on Front. Scull and lift head to breathe, immediately into
150m FC
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Cool Down
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100m Mixed Stroke Very Easy
Stretch, think about and remember positive cues. Leave the negative ones in the pool.

These sessions are designed to introduce you to the 10 aspects of swimming we believe contribute to fast swimming.
1. Posture
2. Relaxation
3. Flexibility
4. Kicking Basics
5. Arm Setup
6. Feel
7. Speed Capacity
8. Taughtness and Rhythm
9. Fitness and Strength
10. Open Water - Mental Toughness
Tune into the sensations of your body and your surroundings rather than tuning out.
This session will focus on the dark art of the catch. Often this takes up a lot of focus in swimming advice and perhaps leads to the thought that it is important for propulsion.
In itself it isn't this is not where most force is applied or speed created, but what it leads to is. Because it isn't very forceful it takes a lot of finesse to get it correct. For every second per 100m change in pace will require a completely different 'feel' or pressure to get this part of the stroke correct. Hence why many swimmers early on only have one pace, they are still trying to work out one gear let alone the many gears that experience proficient swimmers have.
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Warm Up
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Complete some arm circles pool side and try to think back over your swims so far.
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100m FC
200m Mixed Stroke
100m FC
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MAIN SET
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6x 150m (20sec Rest) as
2x
1. 12.5m Front Scull - (Pull Buoy) This is a side to side motion with your hands pressing out and then pressing in. Think about pressing sand into a pile and then flattening it out. Elbows are fixed and high, remember that downward slope from shoulder to fingertips. Little propulsion at this point.
2. 12.5m Mid Scull - (Pull Buoy)
Hands are dropped so that forearms are in a more vertical position. Elbow bent to allow the arm to drop but still remain high, although a little lower than front scull. You should feel more propulsion at this point.
3. 12.5m Varied Scull - (Pull Buoy) Gently bend elbows and let fingertips tip down first, then elbow bend so forearm drops, then upper arm so hand goes deeper. Feel the pressure build as you do this. Then slice hands back forward under water to Front Scull position and start again.
4. Straight Swim
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Cool Down
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200 Mixed Stroke Very Easy
Stretch, think about and remember positive cues. Leave the negative ones in the pool.

These sessions are designed to introduce you to the 10 aspects of swimming we believe contribute to fast swimming.
1. Posture
2. Relaxation
3. Flexibility
4. Kicking Basics
5. Arm Setup
6. Feel
7. Speed Capacity
8. Taughtness and Rhythm
9. Fitness and Strength
10. Open Water - Mental Toughness
Tune into the sensations of your body and your surroundings rather than tuning out.
This session will focus on swimming as hard as possible. In order to get faster you need to swim fast. It doesn't matter if it looks a bit ragged at this point. The trick here is to increase your potential for speed, your speed capacity if you like and then train in order to be able to sustain this potential speed.
This skill also happens to be very useful at the start of a race!
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Warm Up
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Complete some arm circles pool side and try to think back over your swims so far.
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300 Swim
200 Pull Buoy
100 Paddles and Pull Buoy
50 Back Stroke
50 Breast Stroke
50 25m Hard - 25m Easy (+10)
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MAIN SET
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4x 50m AS 10m Flat Out from deep water - literally swim as if a shark is behind you. Into 40m Easy.
100m Choice of Stroke
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Cool Down
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150 Mixed Stroke Very Easy
Stretch get a drink and relax!