Pickleball Drilling and Scoring

Drill session became a series of games. I thought this transition could possibly be counter-productive. Let's find out ...

AI: the case against scoring games during drilling

The case against keeping score during practice drills centers on a fundamental athletic philosophy: introducing a scoreboard shifts an athlete’s focus from developmental process to immediate outcome. While gamified drilling can inject high energy into a practice, making a drill about winning and losing often actively sabotages the exact skills a coach is trying to build.

The primary arguments against scoring games during drilling include:

1. It Incentivizes Safe, "Ugly" Mechanics

When a score is introduced, the brain instinctively prioritizes the easiest path to winning.

• The Problem: If a player is drilling a [third shot drop, lob or backhand], they need to fail repeatedly to build muscle memory. [negated]

• The Reality: The moment a score is kept, players will revert to their old, comfortable mechanics just to win the drill, completely defeating the purpose of the developmental exercise.

2. It Punishes Calculated Risk-Taking

True skill acquisition requires testing boundaries and embracing failure as a catalyst for growth. [negated]

• The Problem: If a missed experimental shot or aggressive, creative [play] costs their team a point in a practice drill, players will stop trying them.

• The Reality: Scoring creates a low-risk environment where athletes play it safe, turning them into predictable, rigid players who struggle to adapt to live game variables.

3. It Generates "Stat-Hunting" and Excludes Weaker Teammates

Scoring drills changes the interpersonal dynamics of a team during a time meant for collaborative growth.

• The Problem: Once a competitive drill begins, the strongest players naturally want to control the outcome.

• The Reality: Dominant athletes will freeze out developing teammates to protect the "score". This deprives the very players who need the repetitions most from getting meaningful touches.

4. It Breeds Cognitive Fatigue and Burnout

Drilling is meant to be a micro-focused environment where an athlete can relax into a repetitive flow to build cognitive pathways. [negated]

• The Problem: Layering performance pressure onto every single minute of a two-hour practice causes undue stress.

• The Reality: Constant evaluation can exhaust athletes mentally, transforming what should be a fun, engaging skill-building process into an anxiety-ridden environment.

AI: pickleball

For advanced pickleball players, the case against scoring during drilling becomes even more critical. When you are looking to elevate your game from a 4.0 to a higher level, the margin for error shrinks, and the temptation to rely on "comfort zone" shots during a scored drill can severely plateau your development.

The specific drawbacks of scoring pickleball drills include:

1. It Kills the Intent of the "Third Shot Drop" and Reset Drills

• The Problem: If you are scoring a drilling game that starts with a third shot drop, players will instinctively hit safe, high drops that won't get punished easily, or they will resort to driving the ball every time just to secure the point.

• The Reality: To master a true unattackable third shot drop or a soft reset from the transition zone, you must hit balls that hit the net or land slightly too deep while fine-tuning your paddle angle. If a mistake costs a point, you will stop testing the margins of the kitchen line.

2. It Reverts Players to "Survival Dinking"

• The Problem: In a scored dinking drill, players often default to passive, cross-court survival dinks just to keep the ball in play and wait for the opponent to make an unforced error.

• The Reality: Advanced dinking requires practicing aggressive, purposeful dinks—changing pace, attacking the feet, creating extreme angles, and using subtle deception. These high-reward intents carry a high risk of error initially. Scoring completely disincentivizes this necessary experimentation.

3. It Prevents Fast-Paced Hands Battle Development

• The Problem: When drilling volleys and counters at the kitchen line, scoring causes players to become tentative. They will soften their counters or hesitate to speed up the ball because they are afraid of losing the hand battle exchange.

• The Reality: To build the lightning-fast reflexes required at the 4.0+ level, you need high-volume, rapid-fire repetitions where you are deliberately speeding up marginal balls to test your partner's counter-attacks and your own resets.

4. It Disrupts Co-Operative Drilling Flow

• The Problem: Scoring turns drilling partners into opponents. Every time a mistake is made, the ball stops, someone counts a point, and the rhythm is broken.

• The Reality: The faster you can feed the next ball and stay in a "flow state," the more muscle memory you build. Advanced drilling requires cooperative feeds where one player acts as a "feeder" (e.g., driving balls continuously) so the other can get 50 uninterrupted repetitions of a specific shot (e.g., blocking drives into the kitchen).

AI: i dont want to count or score

To completely eliminate tracking metrics and remove the concept of numbers, points, or quotas from your sessions, you can shift entirely to a rhythm and boundary-based drilling framework. This removes the analytical "scorekeeping" brain and allows you to sink fully into a pure flow state focused on paddle feel and ball striking.

The most effective ways to drill pickleball without counting anything include:

1. The Continuous Feed Loop (Infinite Resets)

Instead of starting a point, playing it out, and stopping, you utilize a continuous loop where the rally never truly ends until you run out of balls.

• How it works: One player positions at the kitchen line acting as the "wall," while the other starts in the transition zone or baseline. The kitchen player feeds a challenging ball (a drive or deep volley). The transition player attempts to drop it into the kitchen.

• The No-Score Rules: If the transition player misses into the net or hits it wide, the kitchen player immediately taps a fresh ball from their hand or pocket into play. There is no stopping to reset positions or discuss a missed point. The goal is pure volume and maintaining physical rhythm.

2. Time-Boxed "Station" Swapping

Instead of drilling until someone reaches a specific number of successful shots, let an external cue dictate when you change focuses.

• How it works: 
• Use a basic phone timer or a wearable watch interval. Set a timer for 5 or 7 minutes.
• Basket of Balls

• The No-Score Rules: For the duration, work exclusively on one specific shot variation (e.g., cross-court backhand dinks). You don't care how many land in or out. When the [basket runs out], immediately switch sides or move to the next drilling station without evaluating the previous block's "success rate."

3. Target Placement and Auditory Feedback

Instead of keeping a mental tally of how many times you hit a good spot, let the court layout give you instant feedback.

• How it works: Place an object—like a flat rubber spot marker, a small towel, or a specific line of tape—deep in the kitchen or near the baseline.

• The No-Score Rules: Your only focus is the visual trajectory of the ball or the sound of it clipping a target line. If a ball hits the target, great. If it doesn't, you don't track the failure; you simply adjust your paddle face angle on the very next ball. The feedback is instant and immediate, leaving no lingering data for your brain to collect.

4. Alternating "Feeder and Worker" Roles

This removes the competitive urge to win a rally because one player is intentionally sacrificing their own offensive options to keep the ball in play for the other.

• How it works: The "Feeder" agrees to only hit soft, predictable, cooperative balls to a specific location. The "Worker" focuses entirely on practicing a precise footwork pattern or paddle stroke (such as sliding laterally to pick up a low ball between their feet).

• The No-Score Rules: Because the Feeder is deliberately giving you perfect setups, there is no game to be won. The moment the ball dies, the Feeder gently tosses another one into the exact same spot. It transforms the court into a fluid, stress-free laboratory.

AI: i see players taking lessons but i don't see them improving; they revert to old habits once the lesson is over

The reason players stagnate despite taking lessons is a phenomenon known as the "Practice-to-Game Transfer Gap." During a lesson, a pro provides a highly controlled environment with perfect feeds, explicit technical cues, and immediate corrections. This creates an illusion of competence. However, as soon as the player steps into a live, chaotic recreational game, the cognitive load spikes, and the brain defaults to whatever neural pathways are strongest—their old habits.

To bridge this gap and actually lock in changes without structured lessons, players must transition through three distinct phases of learning:

1. The Missing Link: Unscored "Transition Drilling"

Most players go straight from a 1-hour lesson into a live game to 11. This is a critical mistake.

• The Dynamic: In a lesson, the brain is focused on mechanics. In a game, it focuses on survival.

• The Fix: Players need un-scored, cooperative drilling sessions with a partner to bridge the gap. They need to replicate the exact shot from their lesson in a fluid, non-competitive setting where there is zero pressure to win a point. This builds the necessary muscle memory volume before facing live pressure.

2. Eliminating the Fear of Failure

Old habits are comfortable safe-havens. New mechanics feel awkward, uncoordinated, and result in immediate errors.

• The Dynamic: In recreational play, people hate making mistakes in front of peers or letting down a partner. To avoid looking bad, they revert to their old, ugly, but "reliable" mechanics.

• The Fix: True improvement requires a willingness to lose recreational matches in the short term to win in the long term. If a player just learned a new backhand roll volley, they must commit to hitting it in games, even if they miss the first 20 into the net.

3. Hyper-Focusing on a Single "Intention"

When players finish a lesson, they often try to implement everything at once: better footwork, a deeper paddle drop, a looser wrist, and better court positioning. This causes cognitive overload.

• The Dynamic: The human brain cannot consciously track four mechanical adjustments while a ball is flying at them at 40 mph.

• The Fix: Pick exactly one intentional focus for an entire night of recreational play. For example: "Tonight, I do not care if I win or lose a single game. My only metric of success is making sure my paddle face stays open on every single third shot drop." This shrinks the cognitive load, allowing the new habit to gradually become subconscious.

4. Over-Coaching vs. Under-Drilling

Lessons often provide too much intellectual information and not enough physical repetition.

• The Dynamic: A coach might explain the physics of spin for 15 minutes, but the player's muscles only learn from hitting the ball. Understanding a concept intellectually is completely different from executing it reflexively.

• The Fix: For every hour of instruction or tactical advice a player receives, they need at least 3 to 4 hours of pure, mindless, non-scored hitting to bake that movement into their nervous system.

If you are watching friends or drilling partners hit this plateau, let me know:

• Are they reverting to bad habits on an offensive shot (like speeding up the wrong balls) or a defensive shot (like popping up resets)?

• Do you have a regular drilling partner who is open to trying a non-scored [drilling] session with you?

•  NVZ - Front
• Straight Across
• Forehand
• Backhand

To build deep, unconscious muscle memory and a reliable "feel" for the ball at the Non-Volley Zone (NVZ), you must strip away standard competitive pressure. Feel in pickleball comes from two things: a loose paddle grip and consistent visual tracking.

• No-Man's Land / Reset - Middlle

This drill removes the chaos of movement so you can focus entirely on paddle angle and grip pressure.

• The Setup: Player A stands firmly at the kitchen line. Player B stands dead-center in the middle of transition zone (halfway between the baseline and the kitchen) and remains frozen there.

• The Routine: Player A hits continuous, medium-paced topspin drives or roll volleys downward at Player B's feet. Player B must absorb the pace and softly drop every ball into the kitchen. Play 20 balls on the forehand side, then 20 on the backhand side.

• The Muscle Memory Key: Paddle push, not swing. Your paddle should move less than six inches. Meet the ball out in front of your body with an open paddle face and let the ball hit the paddle; do not swing at it.

• Baseline 3,5,7,9 - Back
• Drop
• Drive / Drop
• Drop

Slinky (Work Up) Drill: One player anchors at the NVZ line acting as the wall. The other player starts behind the baseline. The baseline player feeds a third shot and attempts to hit successive 5th, 7th, and 9th drop shots, slowly sliding forward through the transition zone only when they hit a quality, un-attackable ball. The point becomes live once the transitioning player successfully reaches the kitchen line.

• Serve, Return and Third Shot

Three Sequence Chain

• The Setup: Set up standard crosscourt positioning.

• The Routine: Player A serves. Player B hits a standard deep return. Player A then executes a hard third-shot drive or a rolling third-shot drop-drive targeting the opponent's feet or the deep opposite corner.

• The Focus: The drill ends immediately after the 3rd shot. This eliminates the habit of standing and watching your serve like an observer. It programs your feet to instantly split-step and balance right after the serve so you are fully set to handle the return.

67 yo endurance athlete ran a 10k 53:53 is sub 50 possible?

Yes, a sub-50 minute 10K is absolutely possible for a 67-year-old endurance athlete, though it will require a highly structured and deliberate training shift.

• Running a 53:53 means you are currently averaging a 5:23/km (8:40/mile) pace. 
• To break 50 minutes, you need to hit exactly 5:00/km (8:02/mile). 
• This requires a 7.2% increase in speed, which is a significant but realistic jump for an established endurance runner. 
• Your current time is already highly impressive—placing you well ahead of the average 10K finish time for men over 65 (which sits around 1:03:00) and putting you in a strong competitive bracket. 
• The Challenge vs. Your Advantage
• As an endurance athlete, you likely have a massive aerobic engine and excellent mental stamina. 
• However, the primary physiological barrier at age 67 is the natural decline in maximal heart rate and a gradual loss of fast-twitch muscle fibers. 
• To drop nearly 4 minutes, you don't need more mileage; you need to train your body to tolerate a higher sustainable intensity (lactate threshold) and improve your running economy. 
• How to Close the 3-Minute, 53-Second Gap
• Target the Lactate Threshold:
• The 10K is fundamentally a threshold race. 
• To run a sub-50, 
• incorporate weekly tempo runs. 
• Start with intervals like 3 x 2 km at your target 5:00/km pace with 90 seconds of jogging rest, eventually building up to a continuous 5–6 km tempo run at that target pace.
• Introduce Neuromuscular Speed (Strides):
• To fight off age-related decline in stride length, add 4 to 6 short strides (100-meter accelerations) to the end of your easy runs twice a week. 
• Focus on a quick turnover and tall posture to recruit those fast-twitch muscle fibers without overtaxing your aerobic system.
• Prioritize Heavy Strength Training:
• If you aren't lifting, this is your secret weapon. 
• Two days a week of lifting weights (focusing on squats, deadlifts, and calf raises) improves running economy—meaning your body will use less oxygen at that faster 5:00/km pace.
• Ruthless Recovery:
• Masters athletes can often train as hard as younger runners, but they cannot recover as quickly. 
• Keep your easy days truly easy, maximize sleep, and give yourself a slightly longer taper (10 to 14 days) before your goal race.

To drop your 10K time from 53 minutes to 50 minutes at age 67, use an 8 to 10-week balanced schedule featuring 3 running days and 2 recovery or cross-training days per week.

• A 53-minute 10K is roughly an 8:30/mile (5:17/km) pace. To hit 50 minutes, your target race pace is 8:03/mile (5:00/km). At 67, prioritizing recovery, longer warm-ups, and injury prevention is just as important as the speedwork itself.

Weekly Training Schedule Structure

• Monday: 
• Rest or 30 minutes of low-impact cross-training (swimming, cycling).
• Tuesday (Intervals/Speed): 
• Build speed tolerance. 
• Warm up with 15 minutes of slow jogging and walking. 
• Follow with 5 x 800m (or half-mile) repeats at a slightly faster-than-goal pace (around 7:45–7:50/mile pace), resting 2–3 minutes walking/jogging between each. 
• Cool down with 10 minutes of easy walking/jogging.
• Wednesday: 
• Strength and mobility training (20–30 minutes of core work, lunges, squats, or light weights) to protect joints.
• Thursday (Tempo/Threshold Run): 
• Build lactate clearance. 
• Warm up for 10 minutes, then 
• run 20–25 minutes at a steady, comfortably hard pace (around 8:15–8:20/mile pace), followed by a 
• 10-minute cool-down jog/walk.
• Friday: 
• Complete rest day. 
• Older bodies need extra recovery time between hard efforts.
• Saturday (Long Run): 
• Build endurance. 
• Run 6 to 8 miles at an easy, conversational pace (9:15–9:45/mile pace). 
• Embrace a slow start—let your joints and muscles loosen up for the first 10 to 15 minutes.
• Sunday: 
• Easy recovery run or brisk walk (30–40 minutes) or total rest if feeling fatigued.

Key Rules for Runners Over 60

• Embrace the Warm-Up: At 67, your body acts like a "rusty old steam locomotive"—take at least 15 minutes of walking and slow jogging before any fast running.
• The 80/20 Rule: Keep 80% of your weekly mileage at a truly easy, conversational pace, reserving only 20% for hard intervals or tempo runs.
• Listen to Your Body: Take an extra rest day if you feel persistent joint or tendon aches. Consistency beats forced training through minor injuries.

Boulderthon 10K

Boulderthon 10K

September 27, 2026
Chip Time 53:53
Pace 8:41
Distance 6.2 Miles
Overall 307 / 2495 = 12.3%
Male 204 / 959 = 21.2%
M 65-69 4 / 21 = 19.0%

After deciding to drop from half to 10k my training was unfocused, mostly slow treadmill runs of 30-60 minutes and pickleball. I knew, or at least thought, I could do a 10K. I could; with a big slowdown on mile 6.

Garmin

Pace     HR    Cad    Stride

1 8:06    137    182        1.07
2 8:00    143    191        1.05
3 8:12    145    190        1.03           
4 8:38    145    189        0.98
5 9:07    147    189        0.93
6 9:18    162    189        0.91

I was thinking during the run 'I've trained for the result I'm gonna get; and did! All good

Even though your speed dropped, your heart rate still surged to 162 bpm because your running efficiency collapsed.

• When your stride length shortened to 0.91 meters, your body had to work significantly harder just to move forward. 
• Spinning your legs at a rapid 189 cadence consumes a massive amount of energy, even if you are covering less ground per step. 
• Your heart had to pump heavily to support that high-frequency leg turnover, meaning you were burning more fuel for less speed.

What This Means for Your Performance

• The Energy Breakdown: Your cardiovascular system (heart and lungs) was operating at a very high intensity, but the energy wasn't being converted into forward momentum because your muscles were too fatigued to maintain a powerful stride.
• A Classic Fatigue Signal: This decoupling—where heart rate goes up but speed goes down—is the definitive sign of hitting a muscular endurance limit at the end of a 10k.

How to Fix It

• To stop this late-race slowdown and heart rate spike, your training needs to focus on fatigue resistance so your stride mechanics don't break down:
• Strength Endurance: Include high-rep lower body work (step-ups, lunges, and calf raises) to help your legs handle the repetitive impact of a 10k without shortening your stride.
• Fast-Finish Long Runs: Run the final 1–2 miles of your weekly long runs at your goal 10k pace. This teaches your brain and muscles how to maintain a long, efficient stride when you are already tired.
• Form Cues: When you feel yourself tiring in the final miles, focus on driving your elbows back and pushing off the ground with power, rather than just spinning your feet faster.

Performance Breakdown 53:53 Age graded sub 40!

• Age-Graded Percentage: ~67.1%
• Performance Level: Local Class (Scores of 60% to 69% indicate a solid, dedicated runner who trains consistently).
• Age-Graded / Open Equivalent Time: ~39:20 (This estimates what the equivalent performance would be for a runner in their prime years of 25–35).

Goal Time 50:00

• Age-Graded Percentage: ~72.3%
• Performance Level: Regional Class (Scores of 70% to 79% represent highly competitive runners at a regional level).
• Age-Graded / Open Equivalent Time: ~36:30 (The equivalent performance for a runner in their prime years of 25–35).

The 50-Minute 10K Pacing Targets

• 6.0 mph 10:00 Easy Base Pace
• 7.0 mph 8:34 Close to Current Pace
• 7.1 mph 8:27 Lactate Threshold (Tempo)
• 7.4 mph 8:06 Just under goal pace
• 7.5 mph 8:00 Goal 10K Race Pace
• 7.8 mph 7.41 800m Interval (VO2 Max) Target
• 7.9 mph 7:36 400m Interval Target
• 8.0 mph 7:30 High-End Speed

I started thinking ... How would a 53:53 compare to the BolderBoulder with 47,645 participants?

Age Group 67 (yes the "age group" is age 67) - 15 of 124 = 12%
Overall 4,033 of 47,645 8.4%

66 yo male 10k time 53:53

• A 10k time of 53:53 for a 66-year-old male is an impressive, well-above-average performance (about an 8:41 per mile pace).
• Performance Breakdown
• Pace: Roughly 8 minutes and 41 seconds per mile (5:23 per kilometer).
• Comparison: The average 10k finish time for men aged 65 and older is roughly 1:03:02. 
• Your time is about nine minutes faster than the average for your age group.
• Ability Level: Based on standard age-graded running databases, this time falls into the Intermediate to Advanced category for a 66-year-old male, approaching local age-group competitive standards.

vo2 max fell to 43

• A VO2 max of 43 is an excellent, elite-tier score for a 66-year-old male. 
• For perspective, the average VO2 max for your age group is roughly 26 to 30 mL/kg/min. 
• A score of 43 places you in the top 5% or higher for your demographic and perfectly aligns with your impressive 53:53 10k race time.
• Even though 43 is a phenomenal number, seeing your VO2 max fall can feel alarming. 
• It is helpful to look at why this happens and how to contextualize it.
• Why Your Estimated VO2 Max Might Drop
• If you are tracking this via a smart watch (like a Garmin or Apple Watch), it is highly likely the drop is a false alarm caused by the device algorithm rather than an actual loss of physical fitness:
• Weather and Heat: If you have been running in hot or humid conditions, your heart rate naturally stays higher to help your body cool down. Smartwatches interpret a higher heart rate at a given pace as a drop in cardiovascular efficiency, which tricks the algorithm into lowering your score.
• Changes in Training Terrain: If you recently transitioned to trail running, hiller routes, or softer surfaces, your pace will slow down while your heart rate stays high. Your watch doesn't fully account for the extra effort of running uphill or on uneven dirt, resulting in an artificial drop in your score.
• A Shift to Slower, Longer Runs: Spending more time doing low-intensity "Zone 2" base-building mileage is incredible for long-term health, but it can temporarily cause smartwatches to underreport your true VO2 max capacity.
• Algorithm Adjustments: If you recently updated your body weight or personal data in your fitness app, the algorithm will automatically recalculate and sometimes lower your metric instantly.
• True Physiological Causes
• If the drop is sustained over several months across flat terrain and perfect weather, it could point to a true physical shift:
• Overtraining or Lack of Recovery: A lack of high-quality sleep, high life stress, or not taking enough rest days between hard 10k efforts can suppress your heart rate variability (HRV) and compromise your aerobic output.
• Recent Illness: Recovering from a viral infection or flu-like illness can leave minor, lingering cardiovascular fatigue that suppresses your numbers for weeks.
• Natural Age-Related Decline: Over time, VO2 max naturally declines by about 5% to 10% per decade. However, structured running cuts this rate completely in half.

These are results for 67 yo male why do i feel shame moving from half marathon to 10k

• It is completely normal and very common to feel this way, but it is important to know that your shame comes from a psychological shift in identity, not a failure of performance.
• At 67 years old, transitioning from a half marathon to a 10K is a smart, proactive adjustment for longevity. However, your brain is likely treating this transition as a loss.

Why You Are Feeling Shame

• Identity Disruption: You likely view yourself as a "long-distance runner" or an "endurance athlete." Moving to a shorter distance feels like losing a piece of who you are.
• The "Less Than" Trap: Runners often accidentally create a hierarchy where longer always equals better. Your brain is falsely telling you that a 10K is "lesser" than a half marathon, rather than just a different strategy.
• Confronting Aging: Shifting distances can feel like an open admission that your body is changing. This can trigger unspoken grief or anxiety about getting older.

Reframing the 10K

• A 10K is an incredible, highly respected distance that requires a beautiful balance of speed, stamina, and tactical pacing.

• Half Marathon 
• Pacing Strategy: Conservative, survival-focused
• Physical Toll: High joint wear, long recovery.
• Training Focus: Time on feet, volume

• 10K 
• Pacing Strategy - Aggressive, sustained speed
• Physical Toll - Lower impact, faster recovery
• Training Focus - Cardiovascular efficiency, intensity

How to Overcome the Funk

• Change the Goal: Instead of measuring success by how far you go, measure it by how fast or how smoothly you run. A fast, well-executed 10K is incredibly demanding.
• Prioritize Longevity: Your goal now is to keep running for another 10, 15, or 20 years. Shorter distances reduce injury risk and keep you in the game longer.
• Acknowledge the Achievement: Millions of people of all ages cannot run a 10K. Running 6.2 miles at 67 puts you in an elite tier of physical fitness globally.
• You haven't stepped down; you have pivoted your strategy to stay sustainable, healthy, and fast.

power smoothie

My Go To Power Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup frozen fruit, 
• 1 banana, 
• 1/2 cup fat free sugar free yogurt, 
• 12 oz almond milk, 
• 2 scoops pea protein power smoothie 

This specific power smoothie recipe yields approximately 

• 495 calories, 
• 62.4 grams of protein, 
• 45 grams of carbohydrates, and 
• 8.3 grams of fat.

Key Takeaways

• Very High Protein Efficiency: Packing over 62 grams of protein, this smoothie hits the upper limits of what your body can optimally synthesize for muscle repair in a single sitting.
• Low Net Carbs: With 7.6g of dietary fiber, the net carbohydrate impact is roughly 37.4 grams, primarily sourced from the natural fructose in the banana and berries.

finis agility paddles

what percentage of forward propulsion freestyle is pull

In freestyle swimming, the arm pull generates 70% to 90% of your total forward propulsion.

The exact breakdown relies on your distance, speed, and gender:

• Distance/Endurance Pace: 
• Your pull handles 85% to 90% of your forward drive. 
• At this pace, the legs drop down to about 10% of forward propulsion. 
• The kick shifts from a generator into a "chassis"—its job is to keep your hips high, stabilize body rotation, and reduce drag.
• Sprint Pace: In an all-out sprint (like a 50m dash), the legs are kicked furiously, driving their contribution up to 30% or 35%. 
• Studies on elite sprint swimmers show the pull accounts for roughly 70.3% of propulsion in males and 66.6% in females.

The Agility Paddle Effect

• Because you are training with FINIS Agility Paddles, your arm propulsion temporarily shoots even closer to 100%. 
• Paddles artificially expand the surface area of your hand, giving you massively increased leverage to grab and pull water.
• However, since the pull is your true primary engine, any flaw in the high-elbow catch will drastically tank your speed. 
• If your Agility paddles are slipping, it means you are losing a massive portion of that 70–90% propulsion window.

For long-distance and triathlon swimming, maximizing your arm pull efficiency is the ultimate goal. 

• Since the pull dictates 85% to 90% of your forward drive over long distances, your primary objective is to save your legs for the bike and run while building a highly efficient, sustainable upper-body engine.
• Using your FINIS Agility paddles is the perfect way to build this specific endurance, but you need to structure your sets to simulate open-water pacing rather than short pool sprints.

The Long-Distance Paddle Progression Set

This workout builds active pull strength, improves your catch efficiency when fatigued, and trains your body to sustain a high-elbow catch over distance.

• Warm-up: 
• 200m Easy Swim 
• (No equipment, focusing on a relaxed, balanced body position)
• Technique Prep: 
• 4 x 50m Catch-Up Drill with Agility Paddles.
• Focus: Keep the front arm fully extended to maintain high hips until the pulling arm returns.
• The Main Engine Set: 3 to 4 rounds of the following block:
• 1 x 200m Pull with Agility Paddles + Pull Buoy.
• Pacing: Steady, conversational aerobic pace.
• Focus: Absolutely zero leg kick. Let the buoy hold your hips up so you can focus 100% of your energy on an Early Vertical Forearm (EVF) catch. 
• If the paddles shift, you are rushing the stroke.
• 2 x 100m Swim (Remove paddles and buoy).
• Pacing: Match the exact stroke rhythm and hand pressure you felt with the paddles.
• Focus: Use a minimal 2-beat kick (one kick per arm stroke) just to maintain your body rotation and keep your legs from sinking.
• Rest: Take 20–30 seconds of rest between each distance.
• Cool-down: 100m Easy Choice.

Open-Water Habits to Practice Now

• Embrace the 2-Beat Kick: 
• Do not flutter kick rapidly. 
• Kick exactly once per arm entry. 
• This saves your glycogen stores for the bike and run while keeping your lower body perfectly aligned behind your torso.
• Maintain Pressure at the Finish: 
• In open water, chop and currents can knock you off balance. 
• Ensure your Agility paddles stay locked to your hands all the way past your hip to maintain a clean, stable exit.

neoprene buoyancy shorts simulate wearing a triathlon wetsuit in the pool

• To accurately simulate the "downhill" body position of a triathlon wetsuit in a swimming pool without overheating, your best gear option is a pair of neoprene buoyancy shorts.
• Unlike a traditional pool pull buoy, which locks your thighs together and completely paralyzes your lower body, buoyancy shorts lift your hips and upper thighs while still allowing you to execute a natural 2-beat kick and practice proper hip rotation. 
• They essentially act as a wearable pull buoy that mimics the precise muscle memory you need on race day.

how to use finis paddles

FINIS is famous for its unique, strapless, tech-focused designs that provide instant stroke feedback—if your technique slips, the paddle will literally shift or fall off your hand.

• How to put them on: 
• Slide your thumb through the designated thumb hole. 
• Your palm should rest completely flat against the convex surface of the paddle. 
• There are no other straps.
• The Technique: 
• You must maintain consistent water pressure against the palm to keep the paddle in place.
• Stroke Execution: 
• Enter the water cleanly, immediately tip your fingertips down, and keep a high elbow (Early Vertical Forearm). 
• Pull backward with a flat palm.
• Instant Feedback: 
• If you drop your elbow, lead with your elbow, slice your hand sideways, or stop pulling halfway through, the paddle will flap or fall off.

Tips for All FINIS Paddles

• Start Slow: 
• Because tech paddles alter your stroke mechanics and increase surface area resistance, start with just 100–200 meters at a time to prevent shoulder fatigue.
• Combine with a Snorkel: 
• Pairing these paddles with a FINIS Swimmer's Snorkel allows you to keep your head down and look directly at your hands to see exactly how they enter and track through the water.

Note:

• To master the freestyle pull using FINIS Agility Paddles, you must focus on maintaining continuous water pressure against the palm. 
• Because these paddles are strapless, the moment you lose pressure or use incorrect mechanics, the paddle will wobble, shift, or slip right off.

Here is a step-by-step breakdown of how to execute the perfect freestyle pull with your Agility paddles, from entry to exit:

• 1. The Hand Entry & Extension
• The Action: 
• Slide your hand into the water fingertips first, keeping your wrist slightly bent downward. 
• Extend your arm fully forward.
• Paddle Feedback: 
• Do not slap the water flat with your palm. 
• If you slap the water, air gets trapped under the paddle, causing it to instantly slide out of place or wobble.
• 2. The Catch (Early Vertical Forearm / EVF)
• The Action: This is the most critical phase. Initiate the catch by tipping your fingertips down toward the bottom of the pool while keeping your elbow high and stable near the surface.
• Paddle Feedback: 
• The paddle should immediately face the back wall of the pool. 
• If you drop your elbow first (a common mistake called "dropping the elbow"), the paddle will slice through the water flatly, lose all resistance, and float off your hand.
• 3. The Power Pull (Mid-Stroke)
• The Action: 
• Drive your hand straight back toward your feet, maintaining a flat, strong palm against the paddle. 
• Engage your latissimus dorsi (lats) and core rather than relying purely on your shoulder.
• Paddle Feedback: 
• Keep your hand moving in a straight tracking path. 
• If you slice your hand sideways, wiggle it, or try to do an old-school "S-curve" pull, the water will catch the edges of the infinity shape and twist the paddle off your thumb.
• 4. The Finish & Release
• The Action: 
• Push all the way past your hip, keeping the palm facing backward as long as possible before accelerating into your recovery phase.
• Paddle Feedback: 
• A very common error is letting go of the water early or lifting the hand upward too soon. 
• If you stop pushing before your hip, the sudden loss of pressure will cause the paddle to flop against your palm.

Drills to Try with Agility Paddles

• Single-Arm Freestyle (Non-breathing arm holding a kickboard): 
• Swim freestyle using only the arm wearing the paddle. 
• This allows you to look directly at your hand entry and catch phase without the distraction of breathing, ensuring the paddle stays perfectly locked to your hand.
• Catch-Up Drill: 
• Leave one arm extended fully forward until the pulling arm completes its entire cycle and touches the forward hand. 
• This ensures you maintain a high, stable catch position at the front of the stroke before initiating the pull.

Daily Reprieve

 09/20/26 1) Grateful or Hateful 2) Right Sized  

Swim Dryland

The pull phase is crucial for swimming fast. The pull constitutes 85-90% of direct propulsion during full swimming

best swim dryland exercises 

The pull phase is crucial for swimming fast The pull constitutes 85-90% of direct propulsion during full swimming at home with adjustable dumbbells

• To build a stronger pulling phase at home using adjustable dumbbells, focus on dumbbell exercises that target your lats, upper back, and shoulder stability.
• Best Dumbbell Pull Exercises for Swimmers
• Single-Arm Supported Row: 
• Place one knee and your same-side hand or forearm on a chair or bench. 
• Hold an adjustable dumbbell in your free hand, brace your core, and pull the weight back toward your hip rather than straight up. 
• This mimics the underwater pulling motion and targets your lats. 
• Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.
• Bent-Over Two-Arm Row: 
• Hinge forward at your hips with a flat back, holding a dumbbell in each hand. 
• Pull both weights up toward your lower ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top. 
• This builds upper-back strength needed for the catch and early pull phase. 
• Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
• Dumbbell Pullover: 
• Lie flat on your back on the floor or a bench holding a single moderately heavy dumbbell with both hands overhead. 
• Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lower the weight behind your head until you feel a stretch in your lats, then pull it back over your chest. 
• This directly strengthens the lat engagement required for propulsion. 
• Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Rehearsal Swings: 
• Stand in a staggered stance and hinge forward slightly. 
• Hold a light adjustable dumbbell and mimic the freestyle underwater pull path—from the high elbow catch, sweeping back to your hip, and recovering. 
• Keep movements controlled to build neuromuscular memory. 
• Perform 3 sets of 15 reps per arm.
• Core & Stability Additions
• Plank Pull-Throughs: 
• Get into a push-up position with one dumbbell placed just outside one hand. 
• Reach under your body with the opposite hand, grab the dumbbell, and drag it across to the other side while keeping your hips completely still. 
• Perform 3 sets of 10 drags per side to build the rotational core stability needed in the water.

weight bench and dumbbells

Adding a weight bench unlocks optimal range of motion and angles to target your latissimus dorsi and core, directly translating to a more explosive underwater pull phase.

Bench & Dumbbell Routine for Propulsion

• Incline Bench Rows: 
• Set your bench to a 30 to 45-degree incline. 
• Lie chest-down on the bench, letting your arms hang straight down with your adjustable dumbbells. 
• Pull the weights up toward your hips, keeping your elbows tight. 
• Supporting your chest completely isolates your lats and upper back, preventing cheating and mimicking the body position of swimming flat in the water. 
• Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
• Decline or Flat Bench Pullovers: 
• Lie on your back on a flat bench with your head close to the edge. 
• Hold one dumbbell with both hands directly over your chest. 
• Lower the weight slowly behind your head until your arms are parallel to the floor, then engage your lats to pull it back up. 
• The bench allows for a deeper stretch and longer range of motion than the floor, hitting the exact muscles used during your high-elbow catch. 
• Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.
• Bench Dumbbell I-T-Y Raises: 
• Lie chest-down on a flat or low incline bench with very light dumbbells. 
• Raise your arms straight ahead (forming an "I"), then out to the sides ("T"), and finally at a 45-degree angle ("Y"). 
• This targets the lower trapezius and rotator cuff, protecting your shoulders from injury during high-volume yardage. 
• Perform 2 sets of 8 reps per position.
• Single-Arm Bench Rows with Kickback: 
• Place one knee and one hand on the flat bench for support. 
• Row the dumbbell to your hip, and at the peak of the row, extend your arm straight back to engage the tricep. 
• This finishes the final 10-15% of your underwater pull stroke where you push past your hip. 
• Perform 3 sets of 10 reps per side.

Core Transition Power

• Bench Russian Twists (Feet Elevated): 
• Sit on the edge of the bench, lean back at a 45-degree angle, and lift your feet off the floor. 
• Hold a light dumbbell and rotate it side to side. 
• This builds the foundational oblique strength required to drive power from your hip rotation straight into your arm pull.

5-50 pounds adjustable

With a 5 to 50 lbs adjustable dumbbell set and a weight bench, you have the exact toolset needed to build competitive pulling power. 

Since the pull phase constitutes 85–90% of your swimming propulsion, you want to use the lower end of your weight range (5–20 lbs) for structural health and high-elbow mechanics, and the higher end (25–50 lbs) to build raw lat strength.

Here is a structured, scannable weekly workout template designed specifically to maximize your swimming propulsion at home.

Swimming Propulsion & Pull Phase Workout

Perform this routine 2 to 3 times per week on non-consecutive days. 

Focus on explosive pull movements and controlled, slow returns.

Key Execution Tips for Swimmers

• The Intentional Lat Squeeze: 
• On both the Incline Row and the Pullover, initiate the movement by driving your elbows down toward your hips. 
• Do not just pull with your biceps; swimming power comes from the large muscles of your back.
• Don't Rush the Return: 
• Take 2 to 3 seconds to lower the weight back down on every single rep. 
• This eccentric control mirrors the tension your muscles experience while resisting water drag.
• Keep Shoulders Safe: 
• For the I-T-Y raises, never go heavy. 
• A 5 or 10 lbs setting is more than enough to target the small stabilizer muscles that keep your shoulders healthy through thousands of swimming strokes.

distance

For distance swimming (400m+), your dryland training needs to shift toward muscular endurance, aerobic capacity, and fatigue resistance. 

While sprint swimming relies on high-load, explosive power, distance swimming requires your lats, shoulders, and core to maintain crisp, high-propulsion mechanics for hundreds of consecutive strokes without breaking down.

To train your body to hold a powerful pull over long distances, you will use your 5–50 lbs dumbbells for higher-rep ranges and shorter rest periods, simulating the metabolic demand of a long race.

Distance Swimming Pull Workout (Endurance Focus)

Perform this routine 2 times per week. 

Keep your rest times strictly between 30 to 45 seconds between sets to train your muscles to clear lactic acid efficiently.

Advanced Progression: 

• The "Distance Engine" Complex
• Once the standard routine feels manageable, try adding this continuous circuit at the end of your workout to test your endurance. 
• Do not rest until all three exercises are complete:
• 12 Flat Bench Pullovers (Immediate transition to...)
• 15 Incline Bench Rows (Immediate transition to...)
• 60 Seconds Bench Plank Hold
• Rest 90 seconds. 
• Repeat for 3 total rounds.
• Key Distance Principles
• Precision Over Weight: As fatigue sets in during high-rep sets, your body will want to cheat by shrugging your shoulders. 
• Keep your shoulders pulled down away from your ears to protect your rotator cuffs.
• Core-to-Stroke Connection: 
• In distance swimming, an unstable core creates massive water drag. 
• Treat the Plank Pull-Throughs as a primary movement—keeping your hips locked teaches your body to keep a tight, hydrodynamic line even when your arms are burning.