Balance and stroke drills

However, my approach to coaching swimming diverges from Marc's in a number of key areas. Specifically, I feel that enhanced balance in the water coupled with effective stroke drills can help improve your stroke technique and boost your swimming efficiency.

As a college swimmer 35 years ago, I raced the mile twice a season, finishing in 18 to 19 minutes and taking about 1600 strokes. Afterward, I'd be so exhausted it would take 30 minutes to recover, and my lats and triceps would be so sore that it was painful to lift my arms above my head.

Today, in my mid-50s, I swim the mile in 20 to 21 minutes, taking about 600 fewer strokes, and feel fully recovered within a few minutes. I no longer suffer post-race muscle soreness but, rather, experience a pleasant sense of having used my whole body vigorously but harmoniously.

What's the primary difference between my swimming then and now? First, my body position now -- balanced, long and sleek -- creates significantly less resistance. Second, my stroke is far more effective. But I couldn't have achieved the latter without first mastering the former. So let's examine the role that balance drills can play in such a transformation.

Skill development: Eliminating and creating skills

Eliminating skills work to improve body position and reduce water resistance, lowering both heart rate and work output. Creating skills are designed to enhance the propulsion generated by a swimmer's arms and legs; however, boosting propulsion also tends to increase heart rate and energy expenditure.

Researchers estimate that at 50 percent of maximum speed in the water, highly skilled swimmers employ about 40 percent eliminating skills and 60 percent creating skills. At 75 percent of max speed, that proportion shifts to 60 percent eliminating and 40 percent creating. And at 90 percent or above, it's 80 percent eliminating and just 20 percent creating. Eliminating becomes steadily more important because drag increases dramatically with gains in speed.

Physical laws that work in our favor on land become a hindrance in water: gravity pulls our legs down while the air in our lungs pushes the chest toward the surface, forcing the body into an inefficient position that increases drag and undermines the ability of our hands and legs to generate effective propulsion as they are preoccupied with countering the effects of gravity. Thus, balance is utterly fundamental to swimming.

To develop a feel for correct body position, I often recommend swimmers perform lengths in a fairly static position. In the course of perhaps five to 30 minutes, the athlete does little else but explore various angles or positions to learn which works best. Then it usually takes several hours of further practice to lock in the new body awareness and begin imprinting it as routine.

When I first worked on changing my head position, after 20-plus years of looking forward, it took me six months of steady focus to feel that a neutral position had grown into a habit. Twelve years later, I still check it from time to time and find room for improvement.

Making sense of it all

The lessons I draw from my own practice as well as teaching are the following:

Eliminating skills are critical for any swimmer -- but they are especially important for developing swimmers (and thus for 90 percent of triathletes) because without proper body position, a swimmer will remain inefficient in the water and may be forced to expend a disproportionate amount of energy in the race's first leg.

Eliminating skills should be considered a higher priority for at least the first few years of your development as a swimmer. If they account for 60 to 80 percent of your performance at racing speeds, you should at least devote that much of your attention to them.

To develop these basic skills, be sure to include a drill set every time you swim. Short-rest intervals will build your fitness, but paying attention to technique and efficiency will help you develop speed and allow you to go the distance with far less effort.

Persevere the right way. In the water you'll pay a much higher price for poor technique than you will on land, so take the time to master -- or revisit -- the basics