By Torrey Hart
March 31st, 2019

SwimSwam thanks SwimmersBest for sponsoring “Drill of the Month.” This is a SwimSwam recurring feature that brings drills and idea submissions from various creative and innovative coaches all over the world.

March’s drill comes to us from Seattle Metropolitan Aquatic Club Senior Performance and National Coach Tomas Mendez. Mendez spent last season as an assistant at Seattle University, and was an assistant at Pacific Lutheran for three years prior to that. He also coached at KING Aquatic Club. Mendez swam for Seattle, where he was a school record holder, and the Hillsboro Swim Team.

“As our swimmers transition from SCY swimming to LCM, we like to reset their strokes and mind to focusing on stroke count and efficiency,” Mendez said. “In a LCM race, it’s important that swimmers are able to maintain speed in the middle of the pool without the assistance of the wall. Having long, strong, efficient strokes is the key to success in a LCM racing.”

“I like to use this drill to emphasis swimmers’ length and power in each stroke. It’s also a great drill to teach hip-driven freestyle.”

HOW TO PERFORM THE 3-2-1 RESET DRILL:
1. Swim freestyle with a steady kick
2. Hold three seconds per side for a stroke cycle, then two seconds per side, then one.
3. Focus on a constant kick and being powerful when switching sides.
4. It’s not necessary to use fins and paddles, but coach Mendez likes to use them to “help maintain high position in the water.”

In the video, you’ll see two clips of each progression of the drill. Watch it below: