Recovery Drills: An Introduction

Last Updated on May 28, 2024 by admin

Recovery drills are those sets and/or repetitions) that are performed at a slow swimming pace to enable the swimmer to recover from the rigours of training during a session. — **Recovery drills are those sets and/or repetitions that are performed at a slow swimming pace to enable the swimmer to recover from the rigours of training during a session.**

In this article, we’ll provide advice, drills, hacks and tips on the benefits of recovery drills, during a training session.

What are recovery swims?

Recovery drills are those sets and/or repetitions (reps) that are performed at a slow swimming pace to enable the swimmer to recover from the rigours of training during a session.

The benefits of recovery drills

Recovery drills provide the swimmer with many benefits. These include,

Promoting mid-session recovery

Swimming training can be gruelling. To enable swimmers to continue to train at their optimum, they should perform less intensive recovery drills to enable them to recover during the session.

Refocusing on technique

Many sets during training focus on a swimmer’s swim speed, during which a swimmer may lose focus on their swimming technique.

Recovery drills enable the swimmer to refocus on their technique.

Heart rate recovery

The intensity of some swimming sets are measured by the swimmer’s heart rate.

Recovery drills allow a swimmer’s heart rate to recover mid-session.

Metabolic waste removal

Recovery drills are an effective way of removing metabolic waste from a swimmer’s body.

When swimmers train, their body uses oxygen to break down the stored glucose for energy.
When a swim set or session becomes intense, swimmers do not generate enough oxygen to continue this process.
As a result, the swimmer’s body produces metabolic waste, which it can convert to energy without the use of oxygen.
However, over a period of prolonged intense swimming, this can accumulate in the swimmer’s bloodstream.
This build-up can leave the swimmer with sore and weak muscles.

Recovery drills

Listed below are some of our favourite recovery drills.

Catch up drill

Purpose

This is a classic multi-functional freestyle drill, used by the world’s top swimmers.

This is not only an excellent recovery drill, but it also helps to continue to develop and maintain their stroke.

This drill not only develops a swimmer’s freestyle arm stroke but also develops their kicking and breathing techniques.

How to perform this drill

A swimmer should start this drill in a streamlined position (figure1)

They should ensure that their left arm remains fully extended into the catch position, whilst their right arm performs a full freestyle stroke (figure 2), until it has ‘catches-up’ with the fully extended left arm, back into a streamlined position. (figure 3)
Their left arm now performs a full freestyle stroke (figure 4) until it has ‘catches-up’ with their right arm back into a streamlined position (figure 5).
Swimmers should ensure that each arm pull is finished in a streamlined position.
Their head should be in a horizontal/prone position, in line with their body and legs, looking at the bottom of the pool, whilst swimming.
They should smoothly rotate their body, from their shoulders, trunk and hips, to assist them when turning their head to breathe.
Swimmers should have one goggle lens in the water, and the other looking across the surface of the pool, whilst inhaling.
However, when first learning this drill, they should ensure that their mouth is as close to the surface as possible.
Swimmers should ensure they have a high elbow during the recovery phase, to assist in achieving a maximum stroke length.
Their feet should be in a pointed (plantar flexion) position.
They should maintain a strong and steady leg kick.

We recommend that they use fins when first learning this drill.

Coaching Tip

Coach Arthur says, “This is one of my favourite drills, as it is excellent for developing an effective freestyle stroke.

As such this drill should not be rushed.
I, therefore, recommend that you hold each streamlined position (figures 1,3 and 5) for three leg kicks, before commencing with a single-arm pull”.

Sculling

There are many different swimming sculls.

They are conducted at a slow pace and as such are great recovery drills.
Sculling is a swimming technique, which focuses on the pitch and position of the swimmer’s hands and forearms in the water.
Sculling is often overlooked and is an undervalued key swimming skill.

Super slow swimming

Purpose: Super slow swimming is an excellent recovery drill, which allows the swimmer to focus on their technique.

How to perform this drill: Quite simply, swimmers should perform this drill, by swimming as slowly as they can.

At the same time swim with the best technique they can for a series of single lengths/laps of the pool.

Easy swim with fins

Purpose: An easy swim with fins is a simple but effective way to allow the swimmer to recover after a tough training set or session.

Most coaches use freestyle for this drill, but some prefer to use backstroke as it uses different muscles than freestyle.
This is especially useful for younger or less experienced swimmers as backstroke allows the swimmer unrestricted access to breathe.

Stroke counting

Purpose: Stroke counting is the number of strokes it takes for a swimmer to complete a given number of lengths/laps.

Stroke counting drills are conducted at a slow pace and as such are great recovery swim drills.

Recovery Drills: Takeaways

Recovery drills are those sets and/or repetitions (reps) that are performed at a lower swimming pace to enable the swimmer to recover from a rigorous training set or session.

They can provide the swimmer with the following benefits.

Promotes mid-session recovery
Refocus on technique
Heart rate recovery
Lactate removal

Swimming resource library

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Recommended swimming equipment

We have provided a recommended swimming equipment page, containing the swimming equipment that we and our swimmers use and recommend. You can access this page by clicking on the following link: recommended swimming equipment

The Competitive Swimming Exchange – Facebook Group

The Competitive Swimming Exchange. Is a Facebook group to help exchange ideas and information to collectively improve the sport we love.

It’s an international group for all swimmers, coaches, teachers, masters, triathletes and swimming parents.
In fact, it’s for all those who are interested in competitive swimming, either in the pool or in open water.

For more information about joining this group please use the following link: The Competitive Swimming Exchange

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