Yanti's Swim Tip 2013 #1 - Competition Doggypaddle

These are just fun and possibly even useful swim-related doggerel that I'll post from time to time. Feel free to question, comment, criticize, and even try.

This is a drill I love to do called Competition Doggypaddle (it exists in various other forms in swim books and 'Net swim stuff). It's very similar to head-up freestyle, but with an underwater recovery.

What Competition Doggypaddle Is Good For
- swim-specific strength and core training
- good catch and early vertical forearm--really scooping and pushing back
- practicing high-elbow position underwater (it's nearly impossible to do this drill with straight arms)
- the in-water recovery teaches you to feel for most efficient hand entry into water
- keeps shoulders level (while the body rotates in freestyle, the shoulders should not dip deeply into the water on their side)

I also sometimes use it to help teach a 2-beat kick, but that's not in this video and I will save that for another time to specifically focus on it.

Here's the underwater video of what Competition Doggypaddle should look like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwN4HnrKzi8

Arms are underwater at all time. Front arm "spears" through the water horizontally; catch is initiated with the wrist dropping and fingers pointing toward bottom of pool; elbow moves above wrist and fingertips, remaining high while pulling a large volume of water back.

Here's the above water video of what Competition Doggypaddle should look like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of8dJ6sOMnY

Panting and sound effects are optional.

A variation is to do this with head-down in neutral swimming position (basically just free with an underwater recovery, E. Maglischo recommends this for body position and being able to really observe your stroke underwater). It then becomes less effective for strength work, though.

This is tough stuff, so if you want to incorporate it into a workout, do it halfway down the pool, then switch to regular freestyle and incorporate the quick catch / early vertical forearm aspects. Perhaps 4x25 this way. Swimmers who just want to do it as a strengthening drill / part of workout could do 4x25 straight competition doggypaddle.