Swim Drill: Tarzan Swimming And Why You Need To Do It!
Tarzan swimming drill and how it can help your freestyle swimming.
There are many differences between swimming in the open water and swimming in a pool. The drill we are going to talk about in this post is one that will really prepare you for the open water and help you with some other parts of your stroke. A major difference between swimming in the open water versus the pool is that you need to sight so you know where you are going. If you are new to sighting, then please go check out our video all about sighting!
What is Tarzan Swimming And Why Do I Need It?
Sighting requires a great deal of strength and it contorts the body in a way that may be uncomfortable. The Tarzan Swimming Drill, also known as head up swimming and the water polo drill, is a great drill that can be done in the pool to help prepare you for open water swimming. This freestyle drill is great for triathletes and open water swimmers to practice in the pool in the preseason. This drill helps to build the strength in the trapezius muscles that are essential for sighting. Tarzan swimming is also great to allow you to see how your hands enter the water. This allows you to work on entering the water properly so your finger tips enter first without your hands crossing over upon entry. The video below is a demonstration of the Tarzan Swimming Drill!
Welcome to another installment of the Swim Tips From The Cold Tub series! Let’s learn the Tarzan drill!
What to think about to do this drill properly!
Keep your head looking straight ahead. Don’t turn it to the side when breathing.
Kick a little harder and faster than normal so your hips and feet don’t fall to the floor.
Keep the stroke rate up a little higher than normal to keep the head nice and high.
Enter the water with your finger tips in first and try to keep a nice high elbow.
When entering the water keep your right arm inline with your right shoulder and your left arm inline with your left shoulder. Never let your hands cross the mid-line of your body.
Try to keep a balanced rotation as if you were swimming normally.
If you are looking to take your open water swimming to the next level, this is a great drill for you. You will get a great workout and improve your technique at the same time with the Tarzan swimming drill. Have fun and watch the improvements just pour in after adding this to your workouts.
Start adding this drill to your workouts today and reap the benefits come open water and triathlon season. If you give it a try or know a different variation of it, please let us know in the comments!
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