Swim Technique Priorities for the Off-Season

Swimming is the discipline where technique matters most relative to fitness — a stronger, fitter swimmer with poor technique will still lose time to a technically efficient one training less. The off-season, with race-pace volume off the table, is the best window of the year to actually fix technique rather than just maintaining fitness around it.

The Catch

A high, early vertical forearm at the front of the stroke does more for speed per stroke than almost any other single change. Most self-taught swimmers drop the elbow and push water down rather than back, which wastes effort. Front-loaded drills — sculling, catch-up drill with a pause at full extension — are worth dedicating whole sessions to now, since they’re slow, deliberate work that’s hard to fit in during in-season sessions built around pace and volume.

Body Position and Rotation

A flat, non-rotating stroke drags more than a body that rotates from the hips through each stroke cycle. Single-arm drills and a genuine focus on hip-driven rotation, rather than shoulder-only movement, target this directly. This is also where video analysis pays off most — most swimmers can’t feel how flat or rotated their own stroke actually is without seeing it.

Bilateral Breathing

If race-day open water conditions force you to breathe away from chop or sun on one side, a stroke that only works breathing to a single side is a real liability. Off-season, low-pressure sessions are the time to build comfort breathing both sides — not a race morning with a headwind on your preferred breathing side.

Kick Efficiency, Not Kick Power

Most triathletes don’t need a stronger kick — they need one that doesn’t waste energy needed for the bike and run. A kick that comes from the hips with relatively loose ankles is efficient; a kick driven from bent knees burns energy without adding much propulsion. Short kick sets with fins, focused on ankle flexibility and a compact kick, do more for race performance than long unfinned kick sets built purely for leg fitness.

Structuring a Technique Block

• Dedicate at least one session a week purely to drills and technique, separate from your main fitness-focused swim sessions.
• Get filmed at least once this off-season — a coach or even a phone propped at the end of the lane reveals faults you can’t feel yourself.
• Pick one technique focus at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once; layer changes in gradually so they hold up once volume and pace return.