Larry Stoegbauer, the strength coach for swimmers at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, has put together a drill that allows the coach and the swimmer to measure the progress and improvement in building strength and power for swimming.
The swimmer places a belt around his or her waist connected to a strap approximately the length of the pool with a bar bell weight of between 10 to 95 lbs. attached. The weight is placed in the deep end of the pool and the strap is curled around a backstroke start handle and out to the swimmer. The swimmer then sprints to the other end of the pool towing the weight across the pool bottom to the starting block. As the swimmer gains strength, the weight is increased.