MONS Athletics
Swim drills

Single-Arm Freestyle

Swim freestyle with one arm while the other stays still out in front, breathing to the working side. With one arm to watch, your weaker side shows.

catch · No equipment · In Find the Catch, Roll Cleanly

Why it works: Chapter 34, What does a long swim stroke need from your body?

The one cue

Front arm still, press back

How to do it

  1. 1

    One arm works, one waits

    Start with one arm stretched out in front, just under the surface, and keep it there. It gives you a long body line to press against. Swim freestyle with the other arm and kick steadily.

  2. 2

    Reach, then press back

    Enter in front of your own shoulder, not across the middle of your body. Reach long, then press the water back past your hip, elbow above the hand as the pull starts.

  3. 3

    Breathe to the working side

    Breathe every second stroke, or every stroke if you need it. Turn your head as the working hand pulls back, one goggle in the water, and put your face down again before that hand enters. Lifting the head sinks your hips.

  4. 4

    Roll a little, stay long

    Let the working shoulder come up as that arm swings forward. The still front arm limits the roll, and that is fine: the job here is the press. If you stall, kick a little harder or wear fins.

  5. 5

    Swap and compare

    One arm for the 30-second bout. After the rest, the other arm. Notice which side feels worse: that is the one the drill is for.

Watch for

  • The front arm sinking or drifting. Your body loses its long line and the hips drop.
  • Lifting the head to breathe. The hips sink and you stall.
  • The hand crossing the middle of your body. You snake side to side and the pull pushes you sideways, not forward.
  • Rushing and slapping the hand down. You push water down instead of back, and bob up and down.

Questions

Where does the other arm go?

Out in front, still. It keeps you long and gives your hand a fixed point to press past, so the pull has to do the work. Many coaches put it by your side instead, which lets you roll as far as in your normal stroke: that version trains the roll, this one trains the press.

Which side do I breathe to?

The side of the arm that is working, turning as that hand pulls back. In the arm-by-your-side version you breathe the other way, towards the resting arm.

What does it fix?

A weak or slipping pull on one side. With no second arm to cover for it, you feel which hand holds the water and which one slides.

How much, and when?

2 × 30 seconds, 20 seconds rest, one arm per bout, at the start of an easy swim. Hard swims skip drills: their job is the effort, and they need you fresh.