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As improvement-minded swimmers, we drill faithfully.  And then we swim, hoping that the skills we practice during the drills will become evident in our whole-stroke. And often they do.  Two-Pause Overswitch Progression (TPOP) is a practice I developed, and have been using with great success recently in my own swimming, with my Masters group, and with the athletes I coach.  Once you’ve developed familiarity and competence with the drills, TPOP can help you cement skills in your whole stroke.

The Pauses

TI switch drills incorporate pauses to help isolate various elements of the stroke.  Typically, we pause in the skate position, and we pause at the "entry" point, prior to spearing the recovering arm forward.  These pauses allow us to assess and correct our current position, and plan the next move. 

In the skate pause, decide if you are really in your slipperiest position.  If not, make the changes before you proceed!  Next, determine how you will bring your recovery hand forward, and visualize your next position.  When it’s firmly in your mind, execute the move. You should be at the entry point.  Pause again.

Assess and correct your next body position. Plan your next move, which will take you to your skate position on the other side (the switch).  Skating practice and switch drills enable you to assess, correct, and plan quickly.  It takes comfort (Superman Glides) and discipline to correctly insert these pauses, and use them effectively.

All too often, swimmers pause for a certain amount of time without using that pause effectively. And therein lies the danger of pauses.  Pauses disrupt swimming rhythms, and the swimmer who merely pauses for a certain amount of time develops a habit of pausing, and finds it difficult to swim rhythmically.  Instead of pausing for a certain amount of time, have a mental checklist for each pause. When all the items have been completed, move on!  In general, your checklist should look like this:

  • Am I in my best skate position?
  • Do I know where I’m going (next position)?
  • Do I know how I’m going to get there?

 

As always, it’s best to have a single focal point for a drill.  If my focus is to have a patient lead hand, my checklist for the entry point pause will be:

 

  • Am I in my best skate position (is my lead hand still in front)?
  • Can I see my next skate position?
  • Do I know when I’m going to move my lead hand as I switch?

 

The more familiar I am with my skate position and the timing of the switch, the faster I can complete my checklist, and the shorter my pause can be.  At some point, I know where I’ll be and where I’ll be going before I get there!  Then I can eliminate the pause completely.  That’s not to suggest that I’ll never pause again.  The pause is still an important element for isolating and refining particular skills.  And for the Kaizen swimmer, skill refinement never ends.

The Progression

In TPOP, I use a set of 10 by 25 meters (you can use yards, if your pool is so equipped).  On the first 25, I have a pronounced pause in skate, and at the entry point.  I pause longer in skate than seems necessary, and develop a great sense of my best skate position, and how it will look and feel after I’ve switched to the other side.  Next, I think about my recovery.  I plan for an easy, casual, relaxed wide recovery, fingers barely above the water.  With my plan in mind, I execute the recovery and pause again right at the entry point, relaxed fingers less than an inch from the surface of the water.

In this pause, I assess my skate position.  Am I still balanced, just enough rotation, lead hand still in place, relaxed and tall?  If not, correct it!  If so, I plan my next move, the switch. 

During the switch, I’ll want to produce my best propulsion.  I want to integrate the kick, hip drive, and arm spear, and use my lead hand to anchor the thrust generated.  Every little bit of rotation should be driving my weight onto the opposite track while my lead hand holds its place.  The pause allows me the time to set up my most effective switch and maintain my slipperiest body position.  When I’m satisfied with my plan, I make the switch.  Lather, rinse, repeat. 

During my next 4 repeats (numbers 2 – 5) I’ll gradually reduce and eliminate the pause in skate, so that my stroking hand circles smoothly from anchoring to recovery, and then pauses at the entry point.  Ideally, I’ve hit my best skate position on each switch.

During the last 5 repeats, I’ll follow the same process to eliminate the pause at the entry point, so that by the time I get to the last length, I’m swimming smooth whole-stroke, optimizing my skate position and propulsion.

I usually use sweetspot breathing for the first 3 – 4 repeats, and then start using whole-stroke breathing as the pauses get shorter and my swimming becomes more rhythmic.

Longer Strokes

This drill progression has helped me develop a longer stroke.  By isolating the skate position (traveling position) from the switch (propulsion), I have a long rest period followed by a relatively short work period.  It’s during the switch that I’m least streamlined.  When I reduce the relative amount of time in a less streamlined position, I travel farther with each stroke.

I use TPOP before my main set, to establish stroke length, and at the end of a main set, to recapture the long stroke I had at the start of the set.  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

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