Priority One For Swimmers – Get Level

Priority One For Swimmers – Get Level:
Before you put one more ounce of effort into creating propulsion in your swim with hard kicking, a dramatic catch or a stronger pull, invest yourself entirely in reducing drag. You’ll get more speed with less effort.
The greatest technique challenge that new swimmers have to overcome is body drag. Body drag occurs when the top parts of the body (head, lead arm, shoulders) are positioned high in the water, and the hips and feet are progressively deeper. In this “swimming uphill” position, there is drag at the chest, stomach, hips, thighs, knees, shins and feet. Water is so thick that elite swimmers shave their entire bodies to reduce the drag generated by tiny hairs, so imagine the resistance created by the whole body plowing through the water.
To solve this critical issue, it helps to understand that the body functions in the water like a seesaw works on a playground: When one end goes down, the other end goes up. You have three tools to help you get level in the water.
• Head: When you look forward while swimming, your head rises above the surface of the water, causing the hips and legs to sink. If your head is lowered into the water, then the hips and feet rise towards the surface. Rather than having the water line at your eyebrows, forehead or hair line, drop your head so that the water line connects with the crown of the head.
• Lead arm: Once the arm enters the water and reaches forward to complete extension, the fingers should not be above, on, or even just below the water’s surface. They should be deep-perhaps three to five inches below the surface of the water.
• Pressure: Thanks to the lungs, the chest cavity holds a lot of air. When the upper part of the chest is pressed down into the water, the lower part rises. Maintain this pressure on the upper chest as you roll from side to side. Think about leaning first on your armpit and then across both collarbones and onto the other armpit.
Different body types require different adjustments. A body with more adipose tissue (fat) around the hips and thighs will naturally float level with greater ease than a very lean body with dense muscle and bone. Both body types (and everyone in between) can be level in the water, but some may ride deeper in the water than others. Depth does not matter-it’s being level that is critical to minimizing drag. Generally, the leaner and more muscular you are, the more you will need to rely on head depth, lead arm depth and pressure to get level. Regardless of your body type, as you become more comfortable in the water, you can slightly reduce your reliance on these factors as all three tools work together to keep you level.
Ian Murray is a USAT Level III coach and the co-producer, writer and host of the DVD series found at TriathlonTrainingSeries.com

Timing The Rear Of The Stroke

Feel For The Water! Advice & Tips to Improve Your Swimming.: Timing The Rear Of The Stroke

This should really be about rotation, looks like another good drill!

How Your Catch Should Feel To You

Feel For The Water! Advice & Tips to Improve Your Swimming.: How Your Catch Should Feel To You

Good article for where I am with my swimming now. I am getting better about keeping my elbows up, but I am probably trying to 'brute force' the pull too much. As always, more practice!

Darren

Scapular Wall Slide – Triathlete.com

Monday Minute: Scapular Wall Slide – Triathlete.com

This is one I really need to be doing. Eric Cressey rocks!

Darren

Stretching Research

Interesting article on stretching sent to us by Jenn

Stretching Research

The Ride of FrankenBike

We have several sets of aerobars lying around the garage, mostly from Donna trying to get the right set on her bike... that got me to thinking. I have already converted my road bike pretty close to tri geometry with Profile Design Carbon Stryke bars and a new seatpost to move the seat forward... why not try to install a set of real aerobars? So I gave it a shot. First I tried her original base bar with my Carbon Stryke bars... that seemed ok so I switched it all to this set of Vision bars. I even got to run the brake cables internally, even though there is a pretty tight bend coming out of the shifter.

From Darren's Fitness Quest

From Darren's Fitness Quest

No, road shifters were not intended to mount that way... but hey, I tried it out today and it DID work!

It was VERY windy here today. We have a 'Red Flag' warning even: * WIND...NORTH 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH. I rode my usual 'one hour' loop, and averaged just a little less than my 'normal' time, even with the wind. It seemed easier to reach higher speeds, and my lower speeds into full headwind were not as low as usual. I am calling this a success!

The shifter mounting was temporary to try it out, I will be ordering regular bar end shifters and brakes now, to clean up FrankenBike a little! :)

Darren

Freestyle - Heavy-Hand Side Kick - GoSwim!

Freestyle - Heavy-Hand Side Kick - GoSwim!

More good stuff from Go Swim!