SwimSwam Drill of the Month: “Paddle Push” Freestyle with Gold Medal Swim Club

SwimSwam is proud to present the Drill of the Month for January 2023. Drill of the Month is a SwimSwam recurring feature that brings drills and idea submissions from various creative and innovative coaches at every level all over the world.

April’s Drill of the Month comes to us from Kyle Johnson, the Head Age Group Coach at Gold Medal Swim Club in the Greater Phoenix area. Johnson has been with GMSC since 2018, during which time he coached the team to their first-ever Arizona Age Group State Championship team title in 2022. Per his bio on the GMSC website, Johnson has also developed nationally ranked age group swimmers, Arizona State Champions, and Senior Sectional qualifiers. He was also selected as one of the American Swimming Coaches Association’s (ASCA) ’30 under 30′ for 2022. Johnson is also an assistant coach with the senior and pre-senior groups.

This month’s drill is “Paddle Push Drill,” which is meant to reinforce proper head position on freestyle. Here is Johnson’s description of the drill:

“The purpose of this drill is to teach proper head position on freestyle, and also proper head position during the breath. To do this drill swimmers need one paddle of medium size and any shape. The swimmer places the paddle on the top of their head and uses the pressure of the water while swimming to hold the paddle in place. In order to keep the paddle on their head the swimmer must keep their head in line with their spine, not lift their head while breathing, and apply constant pressure during the breathing cycle. I use this drill to set up body awareness and positioning for any freestyle set.”

Here is a video of some of Johnson’s GMSC age group swimmers doing “Paddle Push.”