SFAM TRAINING PROGRAMME SFAM TRAINING PROGRAMME

SESSION 10: High Elbow Recovery TECHNICAL POINTS: SESSION 10

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Week 4, 1600m Training Programme - 25m Pool Format

Finger Trail / Tickles Drill
Activity Description Rest
As we have mentioned before, it is important to keep a high elbow
Warm up during the recovery of Freestyle, as this places your hand and forearm
4 x 50m #1 Swim #2 Kick As in the correct position for the hand entry and catch. To ensure the high
#3 Pull #4 Swim Required elbow is effective, you must have your hand directly below it, this is what
Finger Trail / Tickles teaches you!
Main Set
4 x 25m Finger Trail Also known as “Tickles”! Keeping your hand as 30 Begin by swimming full stroke Freestyle, however, once your hand exits
close to your body as possible, this drill should Seconds the water behind your hip, you must stick it to your body! From here drag
reinforce a high elbow recovery. your hand along the side of your body and the surface of the water, until
it passes your arm pit. This will ensure your elbow stays high and your
4 x 25m Freestyle Easy, long smooth arms, but strong kick. This 30 hand below it! As always - DON’T FORGET TO KEEP KICKING!
should reinforce a strong 6 beat leg kick during Seconds
full stroke.

2 x 50m Speed #1 First 10m and last 10m at a fast pace, rest of As
Bursts the swim smooth required
#2 Fast in and out of the turn (5m in 10m out),
rest of the swim smooth.
Cool Down
100m Choice Stretch out your joints and get your heart rate As
down!. Mix up the strokes if you like! Required

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SESSION 11: Feel of the Water! TECHNICAL POINTS: SESSION 11

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Youtubechannel: https://youtu.be/0wp9tFEJ3gk

Week 4, 1600m Training Programme - 25m Pool Format Scull

Activity Description Rest Remember our technical points from session 1:
To move forward during scull, point your fingers towards the bottom of the
pool, keeping your wrists stiff and rotate your hands to face inwards and out-
Warm up wards. Switch between in and out continuously – you should feel the
150m 50m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle As resistance of the water against your palm - this is sculling!
Required
Main Set - Front end scull: lay on your front, with your arms extended and hands at
shoulder width. From here begin to scull and lightly kick, this position
4 x 25m Scull #1 Front end scull. 30
Seconds replicates the catch.
#2 mid scull
- Mid scull: This is the same idea, only now we are in a position that replicates
#3 moving from front end, to mid to back end
the underwater pull. Laying on your front allow your hands and forearms to
scull (3 sculls at each point)
sink below your elbows, keeping your elbows at the surface of the water. Now
#4 Easy swim Freestyle
begin to scull in a wider and deeper fashion than the front scull, almost like a
window wiper!
2 x 50m Fists As 12.5m Fists, 12.5m Swim 30
Seconds - Back end scull: Hands at your hips this time, replicating the end of the
underwater pull, before your hand exits the water. Keep elbows pinned close
4 x 25m #1 Swim as you normally do and count your 20
Seconds to your trunk and begin to scull side to side with fingers pointing straight
Reducing Stroke strokes
down to the bottom of the pool and palms facing your feet.
Count #2 Try and lengthen your strokes and reduce
Lift head gently forward when you need to breath, but don’t stop kicking as
the count
you breath, other wise you will sink!
#3 & #4 Try and reduce further!
Take a note of your stroke counts and remem-
ber for next time! Freestyle Fists
This drill increases your sensation of the water and where the grip points are.
Cool Down
Begin by swimming Freestyle as usual, however, this time you are going swim
2 x 50m Social Kick! Grab a buddy and loosen those legs! As
Required with closed fists! Notice how your hands slip through the water and don’t pro-
pell your forward. Now, when you switch at half way, you will notice how much
water you can grab during the catch and underwater pull phases of the stroke!

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SESSION 12: Freestyle Rotation TECHNICAL POINTS: SESSION 12

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Week 4, 1600m Training Programme - 25m Pool Format Head Lead Kick
Activity Description Rest This should test your body position, which we worked on last week.
Remember to keep the line down the back of your body, from your head
through your spine, right to your ankles! You will really have to focus on
Warm up keeping your kick continous and hips high in the water, when your lift your
2 x 100m 50m Freestyle, 50m Choice As head to breathe.
Required
Main Set Head Lead Kick, Rotation
4 x 25m Freestyle Kicking on your front, with hands pinned to 30 Take your time as you transition from side to front and vice versa, make sure
Kick - Head lead your hips, kick lightly and raise your head gently Seconds you are kicking through the rotation and smoothly rolling rather than jerking
when you need to breathe. from one position to the next.

Be careful not to over rotate when kicking on your side, your shoulders should
4 x 25m Freestyle, Same as above only this time, rotate from side 30
be in line with each other, with one pointing to the bottom of the pool and the
Head Lead, to front, to side every 6/8 kicks. You can breathe Seconds
other to the ceiling.
Rotation Kick on your side after the rotation or on your front.

50m Front end Back to kicking on your front, only this time you 20
Scull can bring in the front end scull which we learnt Seconds
in session 11. Lift head gently to breathe.
2 x 50m Full Stroke Keeping the exact same body position as you 20
Freetyle did on the kick, focussing on smooth rotations. Seconds

Cool Down
100m Smooth Your choice of stroke, stretch out and relax! As
Required

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