4 Reasons to Remove the ‘Pullout’ from Military Swim Fitness Tests

When taking military swimming tests that require the breaststroke or the side stroke (also known as the combat side stroke, or CSS), you can do an underwater pullout off the wall called the "breaststroke pullout." Over the years, I have coached recruits on the Navy Physical Screening Test (PST) by using this addition but have recently started teaching taking it out, especially with non-swimming athletes.

The kick off the wall and glide is a free distance of the swim that does not require any swimming, just a solid kick and glide position. By being streamlined and powerful off the wall, you can turn a 500-yard swim into a 300-yard swim by gliding 10 yards off the wall after each turn, so the kickoff matters; what you do next does not matter as much, depending on your abilities.

Here is a video link showing the difference in skipping the pullout.

See below some of the benefits of skipping the pullout for this 500-yard swim test:

1. You Gain an Extra Breath Per Length

In a 25-yard pool, you can kick off the wall 20 times in a 500-yard swim test. You gain an additional 20 breaths by taking out the underwater stroke of the pullout. This can be the difference between maintaining your pace during the swim or getting too winded to reach your pacing goal for the test.

2. Most People Are Faster Without it

If you are new to swimming, an awkward pause occurs when transitioning out of the pullout and into the swim stroke (breaststroke or CSS). Going dead in the water in the middle of the pool loses momentum and speed gained from kicking off the wall in the first place. Recreating the momentum in the middle of the pool adds time to your swim. Though this may be a few seconds, multiplied by 20, you are up to a minute slower sometimes. Many have dropped 40-45 seconds off their swim by taking out the pullout.

3. It Requires Another Level of Conditioning

You can shorten your swim training time by several weeks, if needed, by taking out the pullout. To handle the pullout off every wall in a 500-yard swim, many non-swimming athletes have not built up to that level of conditioning. Although they start with the pullout, they find the additional underwater breath hold of the withdrawal to be too much and start taking it out naturally.

The only problem is that they were forced to do it with a high heart rate and breathing rate, and now they have another 200-300 yards to finish the swim, which makes them more tired than they need to be. There is nothing wrong with taking the pullout out altogether, as it requires more time in the pool than many recruits may have as they prepare for other events (pool skills, running, rucking, weightlifting and calisthenics).

4. You Can Improve on the Remaining Events of the Test

If adding the pullout makes you go anaerobic early during the swim, you may burn the blood sugar and glycogen needed to perform well in other events after the swim, such as push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and a 1.5-mile timed run. The rest of the test can be much worse if you are exhausted after the swim. Adding extra breaths and decreasing your swimming time can help you score better on the five-event PST.

Look out for these red flags as you consider whether to use the pullout:

• Your swim time is not meeting the standard for earning a contract.
• You stop moving in the middle of the pool after the pullout as you transition into the stroke.
• You get winded and naturally skip the pullout a few hundred yards into the swim test.
• You need to glide off the wall longer before starting the stroke. You may need to work on your streamlined body position and kick power instead of adding a pullout.

If you are having trouble with the breaststroke pullout off the wall, you have a choice. Take it out and do not worry about it. Focus on a hard kick off the wall, a long glide, your first arm pull and a turn-and-breathe cycle of the CSS. Or you can practice the pullout more, get in shape to manage it every time you kick off the wall and maintain your pace for the entire 500-yard swim. Watch more breaststroke pullout videos.

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