Last Updated on March 12, 2024 by admin
In this article, we’ll provide drills, hacks and tips on the benefits of effective swimming streamlining to improving competitive performance.
- Effective swimming streamlining reduces drag and maintains the swimmer’s speed.
- Therefore, increasing the distance during the starts, turns and transitions* for all of the competitive events.
*transitions the phase from a start or a turn, where the swimmer breaks out into a full stroke.
Swimming streamlining is also a key skill while performing underwater dolphin kicking.
Related article on underwater dolphin kicking
We have produced a related article on underwater dolphin kicking. You can view it by clicking this link: underwater dolphin kicking
Therefore, the ability to perform an effective streamlined position is a key swimming skill.
- This should be regularly developed, practised and maintained, especially for young developing swimmers.
How to perform an effective streamlined position
To perform an effective streamlined position, the swimmer should be in a long torpedo shape.
- Swimmers should ensure their fingers, hands, arms, head, body, legs and feet are on the same level plane.
Fingers
The swimmer’s fingers should be closed and pointing in the direction they wish to travel.
Hands
Their hands should be placed on top of one another, with the thumb of the upper hand wrapped around the outside of the lower hand, locking them into position.
- They should be pointing in the direction they wish to travel.
Arms
The swimmer’s arms should be fully extended to narrow the shoulders.
- They should be pointing in the direction they wish to travel.
- There should be no bend at the elbows.
- The swimmer should feel a pull on their lats (latissimus dorsi muscle), which runs down their side from their armpit to their hip.
- To facilitate this and the swimmer’s biceps should be squeezed tightly at the rear of the swimmer’s head and not pressed against their ears.
Head
Their head should be positioned so that the swimmer’s biceps are squeezed tightly at the rear of the swimmer’s head, to facilitate a straight streamlined arm position.
Coach Arthur says: “When the swimmers are squeezing their biceps against their head, they should do so behind their ears.
- Not only is the head a little narrower there, which results in better streamlining, but by doing so it narrows the shoulders, resulting in a more effective streamlining position.
- Some coaches prefer that their swimmers place their chins on their chests and squeeze their arms behind their heads. I recommend trying both positions to see which one you prefer”.
Body
The swimmer’s body should be lat and horizontal with their core engaged.
How to engage your core
Engaging your core muscles ensures they are correctly aligned, to help support and perform certain swimming drills and skills effectively.
- To engage their core, swimmers should continue to breathe normally.
- They should then tighten/contract their stomach muscles while drawing their navel towards their spine.
Core strength development
To effectively engage their core whilst performing underwater dolphin kicking, swimmers should develop their core strength.
- Swimmers should perform core development training exercises such as crunches and planks as a regular part of their dryland/ land training programme.
Related article on developing your swimming core
We have produced a related article on developing your swimming core. You can view it by clicking this link: developing your swimming core
Legs
The swimmer’s legs should be straight and closed tightly together, with no bend at the knees.
Feet
Their feet should be in a pointed (plantar flexion) position, which reduces drag and places the feet in the optimum position for maximum propulsion.
Swimming Streamlining Development Drills
Listed below are some of our favourite streamlining development drills.
Push & glide in the prone position
Introduction: This is a classic introductory streamlining drill.
How to perform this drill: From the end of the pool, with a strong emphasis on very tight streamlining.
- Swimmers perform a push and glide underwater, in a streamlined prone position, about half a metre under the surface.
- They should attempt to get past the turn flags with their head (good!) or their feet (better!), before breaking out to the surface.
- Ensure that there is a strong push off the wall.
- Ensure the swimmer does not perform any kicking or body undulations.
- The coach should mark where the swimmer ‘breaks out’ to the surface on the poolside.
Coach Arthur says: To achieve an effective push off the pool wall. swimmers should ensure that their feet are firmly planted on the pool wall, ideally shoulder-width apart and that their knees are bent at approximately ninety degrees.
Starfish drill
Introduction: An excellent drill for demonstrating the effectiveness of tight streamlining.
How to perform this drill: Swimmers perform a push and glide underwater, in a streamlined prone position, about half a metre under the surface.
- As soon as the swimmer is in a tight streamlined position, they should open both their arms and legs into a forty-five degrees position.
- This non-streamlined position should result in the swimmer almost coming to a complete stop in the water.
- This should demonstrate the effectiveness of tight streamlining.
Push & glide in the prone position with underwater dolphin kicking
Introduction: A drill progression adding an underwater dolphin kick to streamlining.
How to perform this progression: As for the ‘push & glide in the prone position’ above, but for this drill, the swimmer adds five quick underwater dolphin kicks.
- Five underwater dolphin kicks should commence as soon as the swimmer completes the push off the wall!
- This should result in the swimmer moving faster and further down the pool past the turn flags.
- The coach should again mark where the swimmer ‘breaks out’ to the surface on the poolside and compare the difference between this and the drill above.
- The coach should give the swimmer feedback, regarding the distance achieved, any technical adjustments that may be needed and praise the good things about their technique.
- Once mastered this drill can be timed and recorded.
Push & glide in the supine position with an underwater dolphin kick
Introduction: A further progression adding rotation to the combination of underwater dolphin kicking and streamlining.
How to perform this progression: As above, but while performing a push & glide on their back (supine) in a streamlined position, about half a metre under the surface.
- The swimmer must rotate their shoulders and hips to turn over into a prone position, while performing five quick underwater dolphin kicks, without losing distance past the turn flags.
- Again, the coach should mark where the swimmer ‘breaks out’ to the surface on the poolside.
- The coach should give the swimmer feedback, regarding the distance achieved, any technical adjustments that may be needed and praise the good things about their technique.
- Once mastered this drill can be timed and recorded.
Related article on underwater dolphin kicking
We have produced a related article on underwater dolphin kicking. You can view it by clicking this link: underwater dolphin kicking
Related publication: Swimming Plus: Freestyle
Swimming Plus is a publication designed for those swimmers who want to improve their freestyle swimming technique.
- Swimming Plus provides you with a series of structured and progressive session training plans, plus detailed drill descriptions and expert coaching tips.
- With Swimming Plus you can progress at your own pace when it’s convenient for you.
For further details and ordering information please use the following link: Swimming Plus: Freestyle
Swimming Streamlining: Takeaways
The ability to perform an effective streamlined position is a key swimming skill. This should be regularly developed, practised and maintained, especially for young developing swimmers.
- Effective swimming streamlining reduces drag and maintains the swimmer’s speed. Therefore increasing the distance during the starts, turns and transitions for all competitive events.
- To perform an effective streamlined position, the swimmer should be in a long torpedo shape.
- Swimmers should ensure their fingers, hands, arms, head, body, legs and feet are on the same level plane.
Swimming resource library
We have produced a swimming resource library.
- This contains links to our ever-expanding portfolio of blog posts.
- These are subdivided by swimming category
Categories include: Swimmer Development | Swimmers Health | Swimming Coaching | Swimming Competition | Swimming Drills | Swimming Dryland/Land Training | Swimming Equipment | Swimming Psychology | Swimming Training
To access our library simply click on the attached page link: Swimming resource library.
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
Swimming Publications
We produce a growing range of publications on a wide range of swimming subjects.
- These include competitive swimming drill publications for backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.
- For information regarding our portfolio please follow our link: Swimming publications
Well described.