Why Swim Drills May Not Be Changing Your Freestyle

You've practiced catch-up, kickboard work, zipper drill, or many other exercises, yet your freestyle may still feel difficult. A drill does not create change simply because it is repeated. What matters is what the drill helps you notice and learn.

I'm Audrey. Don't get me wrong — I use drills every day. The problem isn't drills. It's how we were taught to use them: as commands. “Do 4×25 of this.” Command for the body, silence for the mind. You can repeat a shape a hundred times and learn nothing, because the body learns through experience — not instruction alone.

A drill is a question, not a command

Here's how I want you to think about it: every drill is a conversation. A drill is a question your body is being asked. Catch-up drill asks: “can you stay balanced while one arm waits?” Sculling asks: “can you feel the water pressing back?”

If you don't know what question the drill is asking, you can't hear your body's answer. That's why the same drill transforms one swimmer and does nothing for another.

The order problem

Another reason a drill may not help is order. A power drill on top of a shaky foundation doesn't build power — it builds struggle. If your balance and breath aren't calm yet, no arm drill in the world will hold.

The drill isn't wrong. The floor is.

Three ways to make a drill more useful

One: know the question. Before you push off, say in one sentence what this drill is asking.

Two: go slower. Slowing down often creates more room for awareness.

Three: notice ONE thing. Not five. One. “Where does the water press on my hand?” That's a complete practice.

Fewer drills. More noticing. Notice, reflect, adjust, repeat. The question is often more important than the answer.

Try this on your next swim

Take the drill you already do — whatever it is. Next swim, do it at half speed, half the usual amount, and ask it one question. See what your body answers. Notice whether the same drill begins to feel different when it has one clear purpose.