Swimming
Conditioning
Aerobic Pace Control Set
Swimming drill for conditioning training sessions
Swimmers maintain a consistent aerobic pace across a long set to build endurance and pacing awareness.
What This Drill Improves
This swimming drill is best for advanced players who need focused work on conditioning. It works well with 8 players and can be adjusted by changing the space, pressure, or scoring rules.
Setup
Lane of 8. Target pace set at 5 sec per 100m slower than race pace.
Instructions
- 10×100m on 1:45 (or adjusted to ability).
- Swimmer must hit the same split every 100m — no drifting faster.
- Coach records each 100m split.
- Cooldown: 200m easy.
Coaching Points
✓ First 3 should feel easy — if not, the target pace is too fast.
✓ Stroke count per length — consistency shows efficiency.
✓ Don't kick harder to keep pace — fix the stroke.
Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Players losing focus on the main coaching point.
- The drill area being too large or too small for the group.
- Progressing the drill before the basic pattern is clean.
Progressions: Make It Harder
→ Reduce rest (1:45 to 1:40 to 1:35).
→ Descend last 3×100m to race pace.
→ Introduce open-water sighting every 4th length.
Regressions: Make It Easier
Reduce the number of defenders or make pressure passive for the first few rounds.
Increase the playing space so players have more time to make decisions.
Want to add drills directly to a session plan?
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