Creating Custom Drills for Front Crawl Improvement

Beyond the Cookie-Cutter — Designing Drills That Solve Your Stroke's Unique Challenges

Every swimmer's front crawl tells a story—and that story is written in subtle details: a dropped elbow here, a cross-over entry there, a breath that disrupts rhythm. Generic drills like "catch-up" or "fingertip drag" help many swimmers, but they rarely address the specific inefficiencies holding you back.

The fastest path to improvement isn't found in someone else's drill menu—it's in custom-designed exercises that target your precise technical gaps. When a drill is engineered for your unique stroke signature, progress accelerates dramatically: what took months of generic practice can transform in weeks.

In this guide, we'll give you the framework to become your own drill architect—diagnosing flaws, designing targeted exercises, and building progressions that turn weaknesses into strengths.

Why Custom Drills Outperform Generic Ones

The Problem with One-Size-Fits-All Drills

Generic Drill	What It Fixes	What It Misses
Catch-Up	Rushed recovery	Doesn't address cross-over entry if that's your issue
Fist Drill	Over-reliance on hands	Won't fix dropped elbow if forearm isn't engaged
6-Kick Switch	Body rotation	Doesn't solve asymmetrical breathing if that's the root cause

"A drill that doesn't match your specific flaw is just busywork—it burns calories but doesn't build skill."— Sheila Taormina, Olympic Triathlete & Technique Coach

The Custom Drill Advantage

Custom drills work because they:

• Isolate your exact weakness without reinforcing other habits

• Provide immediate sensory feedback specific to your stroke

• Build neural pathways for your body's unique movement patterns

• Accelerate progress by eliminating wasted effort on irrelevant skills

The 4-Step Framework for Creating Custom Drills

Step 1: Diagnose with Precision (Not Guesswork)

Before designing a drill, identify the root cause—not just the symptom.

Symptom You See	Possible Root Causes	How to Diagnose
Dropped elbow on recovery	Weak shoulder stabilizers OR poor timing OR rushing	Film side view; does elbow drop before hand exits water (timing) or during recovery (strength)?
Legs sinking	Head position OR weak kick OR poor body rotation	Try pull buoy: if legs rise, it's rotation/core; if not, it's head position
Breath disrupting rhythm	Late breath timing OR lifting head too high OR bilateral imbalance	Count strokes between breaths; film breathing side vs. non-breathing side
Inefficient catch	Early vertical forearm not achieved OR hand entering too wide	Fist drill: if speed drops dramatically, you're hand-dependent; if not, your forearm catch is weak

💡 Pro Diagnostic Tool: Film yourself from three angles (side, front, above water) and compare to elite swimmers. The gap between your stroke and theirs is your drill design brief.

Step 2: Define the Sensory Target

Great drills create a feeling—not just a movement. Define what correct execution should feel like:

Flaw	Sensory Target to Create
Cross-over entry	"Hand enters in line with shoulder—feel space between arms"
Dropped elbow	"Elbow leads recovery—feel weight in forearm, not hand"
Late breath	"Head turns as arm passes hip—feel water on cheek before air"
Weak kick	"Kick originates in hips—feel core engagement, not knee bend"

🎯 Key Principle: If you can't describe the feeling of correct execution, your drill won't create it.

Step 3: Design the Constraint

Constraints force new movement patterns by limiting old habits. Choose constraints that block your flaw while allowing correct movement:

Flaw	Constraint Type	Example
Cross-over entry	Spatial: Physical barrier	Place tennis ball under armpit—drop it if arm crosses midline
Dropped elbow	Equipment: Altered leverage	Use paddles with hole in center—forces high-elbow catch
Rushed recovery	Temporal: Timing restriction	Use Tempo Trainer set 0.2s slower than race pace
Poor rotation	Positional: Body limitation	Swim with one arm in pocket—forces rotation to breathe

⚠️ Critical Rule: Constraints should make the correct movement easier—not just make the wrong movement harder.

Step 4: Build the Progression

No drill works forever. Design a 3-stage progression:

1. Isolation: Drill performed slowly with maximal focus (25-50m)

2. Integration: Drill blended with normal stroke (e.g., 3 drill strokes + 3 normal strokes)

3. Transfer: Normal swimming with conscious application of drill sensation

📈 Example Progression for Cross-Over Entry: Stage 1: 8x25m with tennis ball under armpit (isolation) Stage 2: 6x50m—first 25m with ball, second 25m normal but focusing on same sensation (integration) Stage 3: 4x100m normal swimming with mental cue: "Enter wide like the ball is there" (transfer)

Custom Drill Library: Solve Your Specific Flaws

🔧 Flaw #1: Cross-Over Hand Entry

Root Cause: Shoulder internal rotation weakness + poor spatial awareness

Custom Drill: "Railroad Tracks"

• Constraint: Visual boundary

• How: Place two parallel lane lines 18" apart at surface; swim with hands entering outside lines

• Sensory Target: "Feel hands entering in separate lanes—no crossing the tracks"

• Progression:

  • Stage 1: 6x25m focusing only on entry position

  • Stage 2: 4x50m—odd lengths with lines, even lengths without (eyes closed)

  • Stage 3: 3x100m normal swimming with "railroad" mental image

🔧 Flaw #2: Dropped Elbow During Recovery

Root Cause: Overuse of hand muscles instead of forearm/back engagement

Custom Drill: "Elbow Spotlight"

• Constraint: Visual feedback + equipment

• How: Wear bright wristband on lead arm; have coach/friend watch for elbow position during recovery. Add small weight (0.5lb) to wrist to exaggerate elbow drop sensation.

• Sensory Target: "Feel elbow leading—wristband should disappear behind elbow during recovery"

• Progression:

  • Stage 1: 8x25m with weight + observer feedback

  • Stage 2: 6x50m without weight but maintaining sensation

  • Stage 3: 4x75m normal swimming with periodic "elbow check" every 6 strokes

🔧 Flaw #3: Late or Disruptive Breathing

Root Cause: Poor timing between arm pull and head turn

Custom Drill: "Breath Window"

• Constraint: Auditory timing cue

• How: Use Tempo Trainer set to stroke rate; program second beep 0.3s after stroke beep to signal breath timing. Inhale on second beep.

• Sensory Target: "Head turns as beep sounds—smooth, not rushed"

• Progression:

  • Stage 1: 8x25m with Tempo Trainer, focusing only on breath timing

  • Stage 2: 6x50m—first 25m with beeper, second 25m without (internalizing rhythm)

  • Stage 3: 4x100m normal swimming with periodic beeper checks

🔧 Flaw #4: Legs Sinking During Breathing

Root Cause: Head lift disrupting body alignment + weak core engagement

Custom Drill: "Chin Lock"

• Constraint: Physical limitation

• How: Tuck tennis ball under chin during entire length; if ball drops, head lifted too high

• Sensory Target: "Breathe by rotating body—chin stays connected to chest"

• Progression:

  • Stage 1: 6x25m with ball, focusing on body rotation to breathe

  • Stage 2: 4x50m—breathe every 3 strokes with ball, every 5 without

  • Stage 3: 3x100m normal swimming with "chin lock" mental cue during breaths

🔧 Flaw #5: Weak or Inefficient Catch

Root Cause: Failure to achieve early vertical forearm (EVF) position

Custom Drill: "Forearm Press"

• Constraint: Equipment + tactile feedback

• How: Wear short-blade fins + swim with fists closed; focus on pressing water back with forearm, not hand. Place palm of non-pulling hand on forearm of pulling arm to feel pressure.

• Sensory Target: "Feel water pressure on forearm—like leaning on a wall"

• Progression:

  • Stage 1: 8x25m fist swimming with forearm focus

  • Stage 2: 6x50m—alternate 25m fist/25m open hand with same forearm sensation

  • Stage 3: 4x100m normal swimming with periodic "forearm check" every 4th stroke

Advanced Drill Design: Combining Constraints for Complex Flaws

Some flaws require layered solutions. Example: "Breathing disrupts body rotation on left side only"

Custom Drill: "Asymmetry Corrector"

• Constraint 1: Equipment (fins to maintain speed while focusing on technique)

• Constraint 2: Positional (single-arm drill to isolate left-side rotation)

• Constraint 3: Visual (mirror on lane rope to see rotation angle)

• How:

  1. Swim 25m right-arm-only freestyle (left arm at side)

  2. Focus on rotating 45° to breathe left

  3. Check mirror for equal rotation to both sides

  4. Repeat left-arm-only, comparing sensations

• Sensory Target: "Left-side rotation feels identical to right—same hip lift, same shoulder exposure"

Safety & Effectiveness Guidelines

⚠️ When NOT to Create Custom Drills

• Pain present: Stop and consult sports medicine professional

• Fundamental fear: Address water comfort before technical drills

• Extreme fatigue: Drills reinforce habits—good or bad—under fatigue

✅ Keys to Drill Effectiveness

• Duration: Never drill longer than 20% of total workout volume

• Frequency: 2-3x/week maximum for same drill (neural adaptation plateaus)

• Fatigue management: Always perform drills fresh—never at end of hard set

• Feedback loop: Film before/after drill sets to verify improvement

Your Custom Drill Design Worksheet

Use this template before your next pool session:

SWIMMER: _______________ DATE: _______________

1. PRIMARY FLAW OBSERVED:

[Describe symptom with video timestamp if possible]

2. ROOT CAUSE DIAGNOSIS:

[What's creating the symptom? Test with constraint if needed]

3. SENSORY TARGET:

[What should correct execution FEEL like?]

4. CONSTRAINT DESIGN:

Equipment: _______________

Spatial: _______________

Temporal: _______________

Positional: _______________

5. PROGRESSION PLAN:

Stage 1 (Isolation): _______ x _______m

Stage 2 (Integration): _______ x _______m

Stage 3 (Transfer): _______ x _______m

6. SUCCESS METRIC:

[How will I know it's working? Stroke count? Video? Feel?]

Voices from the Deck: Custom Drill Success Stories

"I struggled with cross-over entry for years. My coach had me swim with a tennis ball under my armpit for two weeks. The constraint created a sensation I could replicate without it. My 1500m time dropped 45 seconds."— NCAA Distance Swimmer, Age 20

"As a triathlete, my left-side breathing was terrible. I designed a drill swimming only left-arm freestyle while watching myself in a mirror. In three sessions, my bilateral balance improved dramatically—and my open water navigation straightened out."— Age Group Triathlete, Age 38

"My masters group created 'constraint challenges' where we design drills for each other's flaws. It's become our favorite part of practice—and our times keep dropping."— USMS Coach, 15-year program

Final Thoughts: The Art and Science of Drill Design

Creating custom drills transforms you from a passive recipient of coaching into an active architect of your own improvement. It requires observation, creativity, and courage to experiment—but the payoff is profound: you develop not just better technique, but deeper body awareness that serves you for life.

Remember:

A perfect drill for someone else might be useless—or harmful—for you.

But a perfectly designed drill for your stroke?

That's the shortcut to breakthrough.

So next time you notice a flaw:

Don't just repeat a generic drill.

Diagnose. Design. Refine.

Because the fastest path to a better front crawl

isn't found in a textbook—

it's engineered in the space between your observation and your imagination.

Observe Deeply. Design Boldly. Swim Freely.

The water doesn't care about your drills—

it only responds to the movement you create. 💙🏊‍♂️