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Foundational Stroke Skills

1. Freestyle (Front Crawl) – body position, flutter kick, arm recovery, side breathing

2. Backstroke – straight-arm recovery, steady flutter kick, head/body alignment

3. Breaststroke Kick – proper whip kick mechanics (timing and coordination)

4. Butterfly Kick – undulating dolphin kick from the hips

 

Stroke Development & Coordination

1. Arm-Leg-Breath Timing – coordinating movements smoothly for all strokes

2. Stroke Drills – practicing sculling, catch-up drill, and other stroke refinement skills

3. Turns & Transitions – open turns for freestyle/backstroke, intro to flip turns

4. Wall Push-Offs – with streamline and underwater dolphin/freestyle kick

5. Stroke Legalities – understanding rules for competitive stroke technique

 

Endurance & Efficiency

1. Lap Swimming – swimming continuous laps with proper pacing

2. Stroke Count Awareness – maintaining stroke length and efficiency

3. Kick Sets – building leg strength with and without a kickboard

4. Pull Sets – using a pull buoy to focus on upper body stroke power

 

Miscellaneous Skills

1. Use of Swim Equipment – fins, kickboards, pull buoys, paddles, appropriately

2. Listening & Following Sets – understanding swim set language and pacing clocks

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Starts

1. Pool Deck Start – safe entry from a sitting, kneeling, or standing position

2. Compact Dive Start – basic forward dive from the edge with streamlined entry

3. Track Start (Advanced) – racing start with one foot forward, for older developmental swimmers

4. Streamlined Entry – tight body line upon water entry with no splash

5. Underwater Dolphin Kick – strong kick off the start before surfacing (especially in butterfly/freestyle)

 

Turns

1. Open Turn – Freestyle

2. Open Turn – Backstroke

3. Open Turn – Breaststroke

4. Open Turn – Butterfly

5. Two-Hand Touch Turn – required for breaststroke and butterfly

6. Push-off with Streamline – mastering the body position after every turn

 

Flip Turns

1. Freestyle Flip Turn – somersault into the wall, push off in streamline

2. Backstroke Flip Turn – backward somersault with correct back-to-belly transition

3. Breaststroke-to-Freestyle Transition Turn – when applicable in IM or drill sets

4. Timing and Distance to Wall – gauging when to initiate the flip turn

5. Tight Tuck Position – minimizing space and maximizing speed in the rotation

 

Stroke Count & Wall Timing

1. Stroke Count per Lap – for freestyle and backstroke, to improve efficiency

2. Stroke Count into Turns – knowing how many strokes before a flip turn

3. Consistent Breathing Pattern – matching stroke count with breathing rhythm

4. Distance per Stroke – maximizing glide and efficiency

5. Backstroke Flags Awareness – counting strokes from flags to the wall