I try to encourage stroke counting as a matter of course, but add things like 100’s but reduce strokes each length. Just to try and encourage engagement in what they are doing whilst building swim specific fitness. Too many just ‘swim’ without thought. That is real “feel for the water” knowing the stroke rate/count and then knowing where drag is occuring so you can adapt in real time. It takes time but by really engaging every stroke you can speed up the process.
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I went swimming tonight and it reminded me I should clarify what I meant by “don’t bother with much drill if only doing a few sessions a week”.
This is absolutely true.
I “only” do three sessions a week so, whilst I don’t do any pure drill, I still always choose a different part of my stroke to concentrate on whenever I am swimming.
For example, on 200s Free :
- 50 catch up stroke count
- 50 concentrating on fully breathing out underwater ( a much underestimated skill) and a down sweep after the catch
- 50 swim with a pause before the catch and strict stroke count (the 3rd quarter is always the most difficult, physically and psychologically).
- 50 loose (another much underestimated skill) and fast.
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Sadly one has to be assertive or one will not get anywhere. But, so long as one if one is swimming in the “Fast” lane, I really would not feel guilty about it as surely in the Fast lane slower swimmers should be giving way to faster swimmers anyway.
An alternative is to do drill if one really cannot swim at any speed.
That’s par for the course really, and good lane discipline anyway. But, once it gets really full, that just doesn’t work so it’s assertiveness that must rule the day.
As an aside the pool I swim in has swapped from 6 narrow lanes to 3 wide lanes. I was unconvinced by this at first, but it can work better as overtaking is much easier, unless someone else is also overtaking ! In which case one can be over taking a swimmer who is veering over to the right as they are overtaking another swimmer !
I have mentioned before that, for me, “Head Up Breaststrokers” are rarely a problem as most of them have good (certainly easy) observation and (at least in the fast lane) make some attempt to keep out of the way. No, the worst are full stroke breast strokers who think they’re quick and insist on cutting into the middle to turn, plus freestylers who think they’re quicker than they are.
I wont mention him 
but a very well timed post from a coach with a dubious past who sometimes talks sense, and I the 3 secrets to swimming success, I couldnt put it better.
"The 3 secrets for improvement in age group swimming:
- Get to the pool
- Get in the water
- Enjoy your swimming
If you’re not from a swimming background and find the very thought of swim training daunting then the first swim correction that needs to be made isn’t in the pool, but in the head. The most important obstacle non-swimmers need to overcome is to figure out how to enjoy going to the pool.
If using a pull-buoy and paddles makes your swimming a little easier and allows you to enjoy your time in the water, then it’s the best thing you can do.
If you don’t like to swim and hate every lap you’ll never do the amount of training required to be swim fit enough to enjoy your triathlon experience. Not even the BEST swimmers in the world with outstanding swim skills could swim 3.8km without exhaustion if they only trained twice a week doing a 2.5km or 3km. So I don’t know how I can convince the average age-group swimmer that the ability to regularly put in the miles and enjoy swim training is the biggest ‘technique’ one must acquire"
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Waving arms around In the air?
Or,
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RMAP, before every session 
What if you like swimming but you’re just a bit shit?
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Amen brother.
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Is there any benefit to pulling but without the pull buoy? I feel it’s good to try and work on my position in the water and work my core.
I’ve watched some videos of my swimming (recent and years ago) and I can see my stroke is quite uneven. I breath to the right and my right arm takes longer to complete compared to my left. Based on what people have said above, I’m thinking I could fix by sorting out my breathing 
Club race on Tuesday, getting focused on a decent 100m time!
Bands, but id say youd need to be a pretty decent swimmer to make the most of it or it can be a bit disheartening. Useful to get you engaging parts of the posterior chain and trunk and upping stroke rate. I have a speedo leg tie but can use inner tube of just cross legs. Easier with Pull though similar benefits
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Any benefit to band over making sure I keep my ankles together? I’ve tried crossing legs but it feels awkward! Pull buoy just seems to make it too easier and a false sense of security with lifting legs up.
Band just means you can forget about it, and still point toes/keep legs in natural swimming position.
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as opposed to an unnatural one?
I guess you mean an efficient or effective position…
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Without crossed legs.
why would that be unnatural?
Are you a member of the ministry of silly swims? 
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very much so with my swimming…
but you are missing the point…
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At my age, 59, I have to do at least 5 minutes stretching before I get in so as to reduce my chances of pulling a muscle. It’s VERY important. If I pull a muscle that’s the session out of the window and possibly the next few as well.
Incidentally, the best piece of advice I ever got from the only physio I ever used who knew what he was on about, is if your joint is sore (not really sore) is do weights to build up the joint. I have more or less stopped doing weights now, because it can make you stiff in the water, but if my shoulder starts being sore I always do a few weeks weights
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An additional piece of advice from that knowledgable physio, hanging stretches preferably off a bar are good for your shoulder flexibility and helping to prevent stiffness and soreness. I try to do remember to do them for 10 secs or so after each set of weight repetitions