The Crawl Stroke (Progression Steps)
The Kick - 1. Holding the side of the pool and stationary kicking. This novice level step should have the coach in the pool manipulating, by hand, the range of motion.
2. Kicking with the kick board, head up and head down.
3. Arms extended, head down in the torpedo position. Do this on the surface and below the surface.
4. One arm extended, and one arm at the side of the body. The trunk is rotated to the side. Drill on both sides using 12/12; 10/10; 8/8; and 6/6 kicks, alternating sides. Place the cheek on the shoulder of the extended arm. The "pressure point" is one hand width below the armpit and slightly forward of center. Pressing down at this position will keep the legs and lower trunk high in the water, and attain a desirable trunk rotated position.
5. Add short fins to all of these drills, especially #4
The Arm Stroke - 1. The hand, wrist, elbow drill. This should be done standing and walking. Perform first without paddles, and with the reversed position on Han's Paddles.
2. Add one arm swims with one arm extended to #4 of the kicking drills.
3. Add Han's Paddles and Grippers to #2 in the armstroke.
4. One arm swims with the other arm at the swimmer's side. Breathe to the side of the non-stroking arm on some sets, and also on the stroking arm side on some sets.
5. Add Han's Paddles and Grippers to #4 of the arm stroke. The swim paddle is essential in this drill to learn the timing and peaking of the hip rotation. The hip rotates just in front of the finish of the arm stroke. The design of our paddle permits the hand to exit at the moment of maximum trunk rotation, and capture the rotating hip power at the finish of the stroke. This also assists the arm to get into a clean, effortless recovery.
6. "Russian" Crawl. One arm swims, with one arm forward, done in slow motion on the recovering arm, emphasizing high elbow, until it reaches the high point at the shoulder. "Freeze" at that point for 2 or 3 seconds, and then drive that arm forward into a hand, wrist, elbow entry. Alternate arms.
7. Add Han's Paddles and Grippers to #6 in the arm stroke.
8. "7-3-7" Crawl. One arm extended forward and one arm back at the side as in #4 in the kicking. Kick 7 kicks on one side, then swim 3 strokes of crawl, and then kick 7 kicks on the other side. Emphasize the pressure points" in this drill. Repeat over the distance of the set.
9. Add Han's Paddles and Grippers to #8 in the arm stroke.
10. Full stroke swims with and without Han's Paddles and Grippers.
11. Add short fins to all of the arm stroke drills except #1.
12. Minimum number swims. Swim 50's with the Gripper, then Han's Paddles, and then without paddles and attempt to swim the distance in the same number of strokes, or as close to that number as possible, with or without the paddles.
Technique Emphasis
1. Elbows up on the recovery and underwater.
2. "Skewered Swimming" and trunk rotation. Stay in line on a skewer as the trunk and head rotate.
3. Use a hand, wrist, elbow entry.
4. Use pressure point swims and drills as listed in #4 kicking
5. Breathe with the eyes focused on the surface just in front of the mouth. This assists in maintaining in line crawl swimming.
6. Keep the head down with the hairline in the water, and the eyes looking downward. This will aid in keeping the body streamlined in the water with the lower trunk higher.
The Backstroke (Progression Steps)
The kick - 1. Arms at the side. Flat position and trunk rotated position.
2. Arms extended in the torpedo kick. This is done on the surface, and under the surface both in back flutter kick, and in the butterfly kick.
3. One arm extended, and one arm at the side of the body in a trunk rotated position. Drill on both sides using 12/12; 10/10; 8/8; and 6/6 kicks, alternating sides. Stabilize the head, and rotate the trunk from side to side. The "pressure point" is one hand width below the armpit and slightly behind the center. Pressing down at this position will keep the legs and lower trunk high in the water, and attain a desirable trunk rotated position.
4. Add short swim fins to all of these drills, especially #3. Add the short monofin to #2 kicking.
The Arm Stroke - 1. One arm swims with one arm at the side of the body. This should be done without paddles, and with Han's Paddles in the regular position and the special backstroke position (sideways with the tapered end entering the water first). Grippers are very effective in the one arm swims as a progression after the use of Han's Paddles. The Grippers teach the timing and peaking of the hip rotation in backstroke as in crawl. The hip rotates just in front of the finish of the Gripper arm stroke. The design of the Gripper permits the paddle to exit as the moment of maximum trunk rotation, and capture the rotating hip power at the finish of the stroke. This also assist the arm to get into a clean, effortless recovery.
2. One arm swims with Han's Paddles in the regular position, and breaking water with the paddle at about or just past mid-point in the stroke. This teaches an accelerating bent arm pull and pinpoints the position of maximum arm bend in the pull. This is more effective when the swimmer can see the paddle breaking water in a full length mirror positioned on the deck at the end of the pool.
3. "Touchdown" swims. These are one arm swims that alternate arms every stroke, but wait for the stroking arm to finish or touch down at the completion of the stroke before the opposite arm begins a recovery.
4. Add Han's Paddles and Grippers to #3 in the arm stroke.
5. "Touch and Go drills". Backstroke the recovery arm to the highest vertical position above the shoulder and hold that arm there, until the other arm recovers to that same position, and then stroke with the "frozen" arm and continue to alternate the arms.
6. Add Han's Paddles and Grippers to #8 in the arm stroke.
7. Crawl and backstroke combination drills. Swim 7 strokes crawl, and then 7 strokes backstroke and continue to repeat this sequence. This can also be done 5/5, and 3/3. This drill teaches the swimmer the "feel" of moving the body past the arm. This is especially recognized on the rotation from crawl to back, and vice versa.
8. Add Han's Paddles and Grippers to #7.
9. Add short fins to all of the arm stroke drills.
10. Minimum number swims. Swim 50's with the Gripper, then Han's Paddles, and then without paddles and attempt to swim the distance with the same number of strokes, or as close to that number as possible, with or without the paddles.
Technique Emphasis
1. Assume a "canoe" position. This is a slightly concave shoulder position, and a slightly tilted head position.
2. Use a rifle barrel recovery.
3. Use a thumb exit of the hands, and a little finger first entry.
4. Stabilize the head and eyes position.
5. "Skewered" swimming and trunk rotation. Stay in line on a skewer as the trunk rotates.
6. Use pressure point swims and drills as listed in #3 kicking.
7. Make a near 12:00 o'clock entry and deep catch.
8. Strive for continuous arm propulsion, and accelerating hand movement in the arm stroke.