Effective Training Techniques: Running and Swimming

Posted on Feb 11, 2025 in Physical Education

Running Techniques

Carrera Technique: There are many techniques we can use to run most effectively. Start with light cardio to increase your resting pulse. Here are some exercises:

  • Skipping: Start on your knees, bringing your knees to your chest, for no more than 10 meters.
  • Heel-to-butt kicks: Bring the heels of your feet to your glutes, first statically, then while running.

Cone Drills: Perform a short zig-zag drill with cones, ending with a small sprint to a cone located five meters ahead. Return to the starting line with a lateral run or running backward.

Russian Skipping: Perform Russian skips with legs fully extended.

Coordination Ladder: Use a coordination ladder for various exercises, such as skipping in each space, single-leg jumps, and in-and-out movements.

Bodyweight Exercises:

  • Squats (10-20 reps)
  • Bodyweight lunges (10-20 reps) to engage your quads and glutes.
  • Mountain climbers to work your legs and torso.

Wall Drills: Perform skipping drills while leaning against a wall with hand support.

Stair Jumps: Perform jumps on stairs or steps, landing with strong support on both feet.

Swimming Techniques

Warm-up: Begin with static stretching out of the water for no more than 20 minutes. Then, enter the water and swim between 200 and 500 meters freestyle for a progressive warm-up.

Crawl Technique Drills

Focus on improving your crawl technique with these exercises:

  1. Body Position: 2 sets of 25 meters, taking your head out of the water every 6 kicks, with arms in an arrow position. Rest for 5 seconds.
  2. 2 sets of 25 meters, rest 5 seconds. Perform 3 cycles of normal stroke + 3 cycles of stroke with head outside and without leg action.
  3. 3 sets of 30 seconds of vertical kicks with arms in an arrow position, rest 30 seconds.
  4. 2 sets of 25 meters, use hand paddles to improve water entry. A variant could be using a pull buoy between the legs to make the task more difficult.
  5. 2 sets of 25 meters of kicking with fins and arms fully extended in an arrow position.
  6. 2 sets of 25 meters with one hand in an arrow position and the other parallel to the body.
  7. 2 sets of 25 meters in torpedo position, focusing on a good kick.
  8. 2 sets of 25 meters with a kickboard, focusing on correct kicking technique.

Always breathe bilaterally.

  1. 2 sets of 25 meters, 3 strokes with one arm and 3 strokes with the other arm.
  2. 2 sets of 25 meters, swim crawl with head out of the water (lifeguard swim).
  3. 2 sets of 25 meters with good technique in the underwater swim and practicing turns.

Cool-down: To finish the session and return to a calm state, practice some games like relay races, orientation exercises, and group massive starts.

Other Swimming Styles

Backstroke

Breathing is easier in backstroke. Maintain a horizontal position and look at the ceiling. Use an alternating kick, initiating the movement from the hip, relaxing the ankle, and keeping the knees from going outside the water. Shoulder movement and hand entry are important.

Butterfly

Butterfly is an evolution of breaststroke. Use frontal breathing and an undulating body position with simultaneous arm movements. Enter the water with your arms on the first kick and come out with the second kick.

Breaststroke

It is forbidden to take your arms out of the water, except in the first stroke. It is also forbidden for the arms to exceed the hips (only in the first stroke). Use a simultaneous style with an extension-flexion position. There are two styles or ways: wave style and undulating style. Use frontal breathing with a 1 stroke = 1 kick (flexion-extension) coordination.

Hydrodynamics

Water is 20 times more dense than air, so we need more energy to move within it. There isn’t an ideal style. Two objectives are key: the speed of displacement is the most important, and for that, we need to apply propulsive forces in time and reduce resistive forces.