Swimming: Nomenclature of Technical Exercises

Swimming is much more than just paddling from one side of the pool to the other. To improve your technique, endurance, and efficiency in the water, it's essential to understand technical exercises —often used in structured training. These exercises help improve posture, breathing, coordination, and the efficiency of each stroke.

If you're just starting out or simply want to better understand the vocabulary used in swimming training, this guide is for you. 💧

📚 What are technical exercises in swimming?

Technical exercises (also called drills ) are specific movements, isolated or modified, that aim to improve technical aspects of the four swimming styles:

• Crawl (freestyle)
• Back
• Breaststroke (or chest)
• Moth (butterfly)

These drills are used by swimmers of all levels—from beginners to high-performance athletes.

🔹 1. Exercises Without Specific Equipment

These exercises can be done using just your body, without using any materials.

🟦 Canoeing ( Sculling )

• Small movements with your hands to feel the water better.
• Improves traction sensitivity and control.

🟦 Single Arm Drill

• You swim with one arm while the other is extended or at your side.
• Works on rotation and correct hand entry.

🟦 Catch-Up

• Start the new stroke only when the opposite hand touches the other.
• Helps with swimming length and symmetry.

🟦 Thumb Drag

• Recovery with the thumb rubbing the body up to the armpit.
• Promotes a correct technical path of the arm.

🟦 3-3-3

• Three strokes with each arm alone, followed by three with both.
• Trains coordination and breathing.

🟦 Controlled Breathing

• Control your breathing every 3, 5 or 7 strokes.
• Increases lung capacity and respiratory efficiency.

🔹 2. Plank Exercises

The swim board is a simple tool that helps isolate your kick and maintain buoyancy in your upper body.

🟨 Plank exercises:

• Front crawl with plank – Legs extended, side breathing.
• Back Kick with Plank – Arms extended in front or to the side.
• Prone Kick with Plank – Open kicks with glide.
• Butterfly Kick with Plank – Wave-like movement with the forehead supported.
• Kick with plank in side position – One arm extended, the other at the side of the body.
• Kick with controlled breathing – Inhale every 5, 7 or 9 kicks.
• Front kick with submerged head – To work on alignment and resistance.

🔹 3. Exercises with Pullbuoy

The pullbuoy isolates the arms, positioned between the legs. It's ideal for working on traction and torso rotation without interference from the leg kick.

🟩 Pullbuoy exercises:

• Crawl with pullbuoy – Smooth stroke with a focus on alignment.
• Isolated stroke with pullbuoy – One arm works while the other remains extended.
• Catch-up with pullbuoy – Hand touch technique with floating.
• Pull with unilateral/bilateral breathing – To reinforce breathing pattern.
• Long, slow stroke with pullbuoy – Emphasis on glide and efficiency.

🔹 4. Fin Exercises

Short fins increase speed and improve body position. They allow for longer, more dynamic kicks with less effort.

🟪 Fin exercises:

• Streamline Kick with fins – Kick with arms extended in front.
• Back Kick with Fins – Great for strengthening your core and lower back.
• Side kick with fins – Side position to reinforce trunk rotation.
• Underwater kick (dolphin kick) – Continuous undulation in controlled apnea.
• Canoeing + fins – Combines sensitivity with propulsion.
• Technical sprint with fins – 25m crawl at high speed focusing on technique.
• Front sculling with continuous leg kick – To improve positioning and strength.

🔹 5. Exercises with Paddles (or hand paddles)

Paddles increase the surface area of the hand , creating more resistance during the stroke. They are ideal for working on strength and traction control.

🟥 Exercises with paddles:

• Front crawl with paddles – Focus on the traction phase and pushing the water backward.
• Isolated stroke with paddles – One arm at a time to feel the glide.
• Catch-up with paddles – Coordination + resistance + alignment.
• Kick with board + paddles – For advanced swimmers, working arms and legs separately.
• Pullbuoy + paddles – Powerful set for technical arm work.
• Sculling with paddles – Sensitivity and forearm strengthening.

🔹 6. Snorkel Exercises (Swimming Snorkel)

The front tube eliminates the need to turn your head to breathe, allowing total concentration on stroke technique and postural stability.

🟫 Tube exercises:

• Tube crawl – Focus on head alignment and body stability.
• Catch-up with tube – Pure technical coordination without breathing interruptions.
• Slow stroke with tube – Ideal for correcting technical errors.
• Streamline kick with tube – Arms extended and continuous breathing through the tube.
• Pullbuoy + tube – Total concentration on arm movement and rotation.

🧠 Extra: Advanced Combinations

Some of the most effective exercises result from a combination of several pieces of equipment:

• Pullbuoy + Paddles + Tube – Combo for total focus on the stroke
• Board + Fins – Ideal for beginners to gain confidence
• Paddles + Fins – Speed + endurance for experienced swimmers

📌 Conclusion

Mastering the nomenclature and variety of technical exercises allows you to plan more effective workouts and learn more consciously. Each piece of equipment has a function, and knowing how to use them strategically can transform your swimming—whether for leisure, performance, or rehabilitation.

Whether you're in or out of the water, technique is always the starting point. 🧭

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