Ridgewood YMCA Breakers

Drill Videos

Breakers Bible drills with YouTube and Vimeo lookup links.

50

Bible drills

6

skill areas

2

video sources

Position 11 Kick

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Both arms extended forward in 11 o'clock position; kick only.

Body position; horizontal alignment; kick mechanics.

Ears between your arms - hold the arrow.

6-Kick Switch

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Kick on side for 6 beats, then switch to the other side with one pull.

Body rotation; balance; side-kick position.

Hip drives the switch - let your hip lead.

Single-Arm Freestyle

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

One arm extended forward; other arm pulls full cycle.

EVF catch; high-elbow pull; rotation per arm.

Press the water behind you before you rotate.

Catch-Up Freestyle

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Lead arm stays extended until recovery arm catches up to it.

Full extension before catch; DPS; timing.

Wait for the high-five before you pull.

Fist Freestyle

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Hands in fists throughout stroke.

Forearm as paddle surface; EVF awareness.

Feel the water on your whole forearm, not just fist.

Finger-Drag

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Fingertips drag along the water surface on recovery.

Low recovery; relaxed elbow lead; feel for water level.

Drag your fingertips like you're painting the surface.

Front Sculling

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Arms in front of body, scull figure-8 motion.

Feel for water; pressure on forearm and palm; early catch.

Find the pressure - hold the water, don't push through it.

Middle Sculling

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Arms at 90-degree bend under chest, scull.

Mid-pull feel; power position awareness.

Lock the elbow and use your forearm like an oar.

Back Sculling

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Arms near hip, scull backward.

Push phase completion; late-pull propulsion.

Finish past your pocket - feel the last push.

3-5-7 Breathing

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Breathe every 3, every 5, every 7 strokes in segments.

Bilateral breathing; CO2 tolerance; rhythm.

Breathe pattern matters - keep your stroke the same on either side.

Tarzan Drill

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Head up, eyes forward throughout.

Hip position; kick power without head lift; body horizontal.

Hips must stay up even with your head up.

Distance Per Stroke (DPS)

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Count strokes per length; target minimum count.

Efficiency; full-stroke extension; avoiding dead spots.

Reach further - one more inch, one fewer stroke.

Snorkel Work

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Swim with front-mounted snorkel; no breathing rotation.

Body position without breathing disruption; pure rotation.

Use the snorkel to find your flat - then feel the rotation.

Tempo Trainer

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 41

p. 41

Set tempo trainer to target stroke rate; match stroke to beeps.

Stroke rate control; stroke-rate awareness.

Let the beep teach your body the pace.

Closed-Fist Sculling

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

Fists closed, scull in EVF position.

Pressure on arm, not hand; forearm feel for catch.

Your forearm is the paddle now - use the whole thing.

EVF Pause

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

Pause stroke for 2 counts at full EVF position before pulling.

EVF position lockout; proprioception of catch angle.

Hold the catch - feel your forearm vertical before you pull.

Streamline Kick on Back

Backstroke · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

Arms in streamline, kick on back.

Body position; hip height; kick mechanics.

Push your belly button to the ceiling.

6-Kick Switch (Back)

Backstroke · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

Side kick on back for 6 beats, one pull-switch.

Rotation; balance; side position on back.

Hip drives the switch - same as free, just upside down.

Single-Arm Backstroke

Backstroke · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

One arm at side, one arm pulls full cycle.

High-elbow catch; rotation per arm.

Catch the water before you rotate - not during.

Double-Arm Backstroke

Backstroke · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

Both arms pull simultaneously, like inverted fly.

Timing; pull feel; power position symmetry.

Pull both hands toward your hips at the same time.

Closed-Fist Back

Backstroke · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

Hands in fists.

Forearm paddle; arm mechanics not hand-reliant.

Feel the water pushing on your arm, not your fingers.

Spin Drill

Backstroke · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

Very fast single-arm backstroke rotations with emphasis on turnover.

High turnover rate; recovery speed.

Spin fast - let your hips keep up with your arms.

Pull-Buoy Back

Backstroke · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

Pull buoy between legs; arms only.

Arm mechanics; pull power isolated from kick.

Every pull should move your whole body, not just your arm.

Catch-Up Back

Backstroke · Breakers Bible p. 42

p. 42

Lead arm stays in entry until recovery arm catches up.

Full extension; reach depth before pull.

Wait for your arm to reach fully before the other pulls.

2-Kick-1-Pull

Breaststroke · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

Two full kicks for every one pull.

Kick timing; feel for glide; leg dominance awareness.

Kick twice before you pull - feel the glide each time.

1-Kick-2-Pull

Breaststroke · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

One kick for every two pulls.

Pull mechanics; upper body emphasis; stroke count.

Arms earn their distance - kick once to set up two pulls.

Underwater Pulldowns

Breaststroke · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

One full pulldown cycle after push-off; no kick allowed.

Pulldown power and streamline; body position underwater.

Pull all the way to your hips, then squeeze to a point.

Sculling Outsweep

Breaststroke · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

Hands scull outward from prayer position; no insweep.

Outsweep feel; initial catch pressure; wrist angle.

Sweep to the widest point - feel your palms face out.

Sculling Insweep

Breaststroke · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

Hands scull inward from wide position.

Insweep mechanics; catching inward motion propulsion.

Sweep your hands together like you're closing curtains.

Heel-Tap Kick

Breaststroke · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

On land or shallow water, bring heels to touch glutes on each kick.

Heel recovery path; narrow knee position.

Heels come straight up - knees stay inside the hip line.

Kick on Back

Breaststroke · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

Breaststroke kick while on back; arms at sides.

Kick mechanics visibility; ankle dorsiflexion; foot spread.

Turn your feet out at the end - hook them to catch the water.

Eyes-Down Glide

Breaststroke · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

Full stroke with face submerged during glide phase.

Glide duration; streamline position; head neutral.

Chin down in the glide - look at the bottom, not forward.

Single-Arm Fly (R)

Butterfly · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

Right arm only pulls; left arm extended forward.

Right-arm timing with kick; entry angle; pull path.

Right arm enters, kick fires - feel the connection.

Single-Arm Fly (L)

Butterfly · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

Left arm only pulls; right arm extended forward.

Left-arm timing; symmetry check between sides.

Same timing, other side - both arms should feel the same.

3-Strokes Fly + Drill

Butterfly · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

3 full fly strokes, then 6-beat flutter kick on stomach.

Rhythm maintenance; rest cycle; body position between efforts.

Fly 3, kick 6 - keep your rhythm even when you switch.

Right-Left-Both (1-1-2)

Butterfly · Breakers Bible p. 43

p. 43

1 right-arm stroke, 1 left-arm stroke, 1 full fly stroke.

Symmetry; individual arm timing; integration.

R-L-Both - feel each arm match the rhythm before combining.

Fly Kick on Back

Butterfly / UDK · Breakers Bible p. 44

p. 44

Dolphin kick on back, arms at sides or streamline.

Kick mechanics visibility; hip-initiated undulation; upbeat power.

Push your hips to the ceiling - let the wave go through you.

Dolphin Body Wave

Butterfly / UDK · Breakers Bible p. 44

p. 44

Standing in shallow water; full-body undulation without arms.

Wave initiation from chest; hip timing; ankle flexibility.

Start at your chest - let the wave flow to your toes.

Press the T

Butterfly · Breakers Bible p. 44

p. 44

Swimmer stands on pool edge; arms in T-position; falls forward into fly entry.

Wide entry angle; shoulder position at entry.

Enter wide at shoulder width - press down not forward.

Underwater Fly Kick

Butterfly / UDK · Breakers Bible p. 44

p. 44

Full 25 of underwater dolphin kick; count kicks.

UDK endurance; kick count awareness; consistency.

Same power on kick 15 as kick 1 - build the engine.

Vertical Kicking (No Arms)

UDK · Breakers Bible p. 44

p. 44

Upright in deep water; kick to stay above surface; arms folded.

Both upbeat and downbeat; kick power; ankle flexibility.

Stay up - kick up and kick down with equal power.

Vertical Kicking (Arms Up)

UDK · Breakers Bible p. 44

p. 44

Same as vertical kicking; add arms raised out of water.

Kick power without arm assist; maximum effort.

Your legs are holding you up - make them earn it.

Streamline Kick

All / UDK · Breakers Bible p. 45

p. 45

Tight streamline, kick entire 25 without surfacing.

Body position with kick; UDK distance; breath control.

Arrow shape - kick as many as you can before you need air.

Board Kick

All · Breakers Bible p. 45

p. 45

Arms on kickboard; flutter kick for freestyle/backstroke.

Kick mechanics in isolation; beat pattern; ankle flexibility.

Small, fast kicks - knees barely bend.

Side Kick

Freestyle / Backstroke · Breakers Bible p. 45

p. 45

Kick on side; bottom arm extended; top arm at hip.

Side-body position; rotation reference for freestyle.

Hip up, shoulder down - you're a torpedo on your side.

UDK with Fins

UDK · Breakers Bible p. 45

p. 45

Dolphin kick with fins; sprint 25s.

Increased amplitude feedback; ankle flexion; full-body wave.

Feel the fins pull - now try to generate that without them.

UDK Without Fins

UDK · Breakers Bible p. 45

p. 45

Timed 25 underwater dolphin kick; count kicks.

Raw UDK velocity; kick count; efficiency.

Count your kicks - can you do it in fewer next time?

Resisted UDK

UDK · Breakers Bible p. 45

p. 45

Tubing around waist; UDK against resistance.

Kick power production; loaded hip drive.

Drive from your hips against the resistance - feel the power.

Build-by-25

Freestyle · Breakers Bible p. 129

p. 129

Increase speed progressively by 25 within a swim or set.

Progressive acceleration; pace awareness.

Build speed without losing the stroke.

Dead Bug

Core · Breakers Bible p. 130

p. 130

Core anti-extension exercise performed on land.

Anti-extension stability.

Ribs down, low back quiet.