Ask Stew: How to Gain Pool Skills for Dive School or Rescue Swimmer Prep

When training for any military rescue swimmer course or diving school, you will need to add pool skills to your swim workouts. In fact, use your warmup and cooldown every time you go to the pool to address any weaknesses you may have in the water. Here is a question from a future Navy diver or rescue swimmer who is considering his options and working on becoming better in the water for either of these jobs in the Navy:

Stew, what do you think is the best way to work on treading water and underwater crossovers? I am on the fence between Navy diver and air rescue swimmer. Thanks, Max.

Max, both Navy jobs will require long hours in the pool several days a week during training. While there will also be calisthenics and running, you will see that much of the challenge of these schools is more about water confidence and swimming conditioning. Here is how we prepare for all the challenges of upcoming aquatic training in any military swimming or diving course:

Warmup: Always spend 10 minutes warming up with one of your weaknesses. This could be the 500 meter swim, swimming with fins, treading with no hands or various events of the drownproofing test. After doing this daily for a few weeks, you will be able to say, “This is just my warmup” to whatever weaknesses you were focusing on during your warmup. This way, you don’t just practice until you get it right, but you practice until you can’t get it wrong. That is when you know your old weakness is now part of your toolbox full of skills.

Workout: You need to focus on two things during the workout: swimming conditioning and technique. One way we recommend doing this is with a progressive workout we call the 50-50. Here, swim 50 meters hard freestyle, then work on the technique of the side stroke, combat side stroke (CSS), or breaststroke as you recover for the next set. It looks like this:

Repeat 10-15 times

• Swim 50m freestyle hard
• Swim 50m CSS, Side or Breaststroke (or underwater 25 meters then 25 meters of easy CSS).

Warning: If you need to add in underwater swims, never do these alone! Start off each set with a 25-meter underwater swim and focus on getting across the pool in as few strokes as possible.

If you need to work on leg strength and endurance for swimming with fins, do a distance swim of 1,000-2,000 meters wearing the fins you will be issued (if possible) in these schools. The military dive fins of choice are typically the Rocket Fins (US Diver) or Jet Fins (ScubaPro), and they require a few months to get used to (ankles, hips). Make sure you add swimming with fins to your leg workout days each week, twice per week.

Cooldown: Here is another 10- to 15-minute opportunity to swim a few laps, focusing on technique or working on any of the other pool skills (treading, bottom bouncing, knot tying, etc.).

Swim workouts should be more than just swimming laps. If you are preparing for a military swim or dive course, you need to practice specific events as much as you can. Once again, never swim alone. See the Military.com Fitness Section for dozens more articles, swimming technique videos and workouts that will make you faster. 

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