~ The unlikely saga of a middle-aged mom of twin second-graders and an Athena triathlete ~
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Swimming videos
So what do you think? Comments, please! Ellie and I made a few swimming videos today. I'll post a couple more. We were picking apart our form already, naturally, but we'd love comments too! These are a little rusty-looking since we weren't warmed up or anything, but. . . .
Looks good to me too. Before I read your post, I watched the first video and thought it was going to be one of those "joke" videos where the person bangs into something or some shocking thing happens. I'm glad it wasn't. I bet you are too. ;-)
Pretty nice stroke! One suggestion my swim instructor made that made a huge difference to me is slow down and extend your arm further before the catch, Okay, that's really 2 :) The "roll" that everyone talks about actually comes from extending your arm after it enters the water. It really works!! In 3 short weeks I've cut the number of strokes across the pool by 4!!!
I noticed you're lifting your head which makes your legs drop and create more drag, try to look directly to the bottom of the pool and imagine that you are connected head to foot by one long pole...or you can also push your head and chest down towards the bottom which lifts your hips and legs.
Cool videos! Like flo said, I think spending some more time out in front and lengthening your stroke will help. Longer vessels travel faster in the water so keep that arm extended out a little more before you begin your catch.
My swimming coaches have mentioned that your hands should enter the water by your head and then extend down like into a sleeve-you and I have similar strokes where our arms hit the water flat sometimes. then extend out and catch. It feels pretty cool when I do it correctly.
you got a nice stroke... i think you are working the same problems as me (here's what my swim coach constantly tells me):
centerline -- think gorilla arms and stroke wider away from the midpoint... all the way through the stroke... don't carve an S over the midline as it just wastes energy
head position -- you are looking at the sky on breathing, when you should be looking at the side of the pool wall, one goggle in, only part of your mouth out of the water, looking at the sky over rotates your stroke and wastes energy
kick -- tighten your abs and have your kick start from your waist... hard to tell in the vid, but you look like you may be powering with your quads more than full leg
but, most importantly, you can swim gurl, you have all the mechanics of a good stroke!
yeah- what eveyone else said...I noticed that while you aren't corssing mid-line, you are pretty close to doing that. And enter the water closer to your head so that you have time to extend more. (Left arm especially)-Now, do as I say, not as I do! :-) My stroke isn't great, but I DO know a good one when I see it. Yours is good...as for the head thing, keep one eye in the water. Cool videos! (And cute kid pix too!) Now it's Ellie's turn for us to pick HER stroke apart!
going from competitive swimming to a tri-swimming my suggestion (total immersion based) is to really extend your reach with your arms so you are lenghtening as your body rolls. Think how nemo's body is narrow in the water...okay...dory is a better example. If you are on your side a little more you are more fishlike. The rolling side to side movement makes all the difference in swimming in the ocean. My natural stroke isn't the rolling total immersion style but in the open water I sure get less tired and feel I can go on forever.
You're definitely into the "refining stage" of stroke mechanics as everyone has already noted. One way to keep your head down (not lift up away from the water which makes your hips sink) is to keep your ear into your shoulder girdle when you rotate to breathe. If you fully extend your arm just after it enters the water and keep it there until the other arm almost catches up the whole thing comes together much more easily.
On an unrelated note, when are you arriving in MI for Steelhead?
1) Congrats on having the 'nads' to post the video (I'd never be able to open myself up to public comment like that)
2) Think 10 and 2 (hour hands on the clock) - supposedly that's where you want to put your hands into the water (you look more like 11:30 and 12:30)
3) Glide a little longer. Cut down the arm turn cadence. This will help save a bit of energy, and should help with rolling the body instead of turning your head.
Comments expressed above are not from a fish, but a midpack (30:00 Olympic swimmer 1500m). Good luck (blondie!)
16 comments:
looks fantastic to me but i'm pretty dense when it comes to swimming!
Looks good to me too. Before I read your post, I watched the first video and thought it was going to be one of those "joke" videos where the person bangs into something or some shocking thing happens. I'm glad it wasn't. I bet you are too. ;-)
Pretty nice stroke! One suggestion my swim instructor made that made a huge difference to me is slow down and extend your arm further before the catch, Okay, that's really 2 :) The "roll" that everyone talks about actually comes from extending your arm after it enters the water. It really works!! In 3 short weeks I've cut the number of strokes across the pool by 4!!!
I noticed you're lifting your head which makes your legs drop and create more drag, try to look directly to the bottom of the pool and imagine that you are connected head to foot by one long pole...or you can also push your head and chest down towards the bottom which lifts your hips and legs.
Cool videos! Like flo said, I think spending some more time out in front and lengthening your stroke will help. Longer vessels travel faster in the water so keep that arm extended out a little more before you begin your catch.
My swimming coaches have mentioned that your hands should enter the water by your head and then extend down like into a sleeve-you and I have similar strokes where our arms hit the water flat sometimes. then extend out and catch. It feels pretty cool when I do it correctly.
What, no flip turns???
Nancy,
As Shelley said, i notice your head kinda tilt back then up to take a breathe. I have that problem as well.
In the last video, it seems your hands entering the water is close to crossing the the centre line or very close to it.
Thanks everybody, I definitely agree with all the comments so far! It's just DOING IT and doing it consistently that's the problem!!
you got a nice stroke... i think you are working the same problems as me (here's what my swim coach constantly tells me):
centerline -- think gorilla arms and stroke wider away from the midpoint... all the way through the stroke... don't carve an S over the midline as it just wastes energy
head position -- you are looking at the sky on breathing, when you should be looking at the side of the pool wall, one goggle in, only part of your mouth out of the water, looking at the sky over rotates your stroke and wastes energy
kick -- tighten your abs and have your kick start from your waist... hard to tell in the vid, but you look like you may be powering with your quads more than full leg
but, most importantly, you can swim gurl, you have all the mechanics of a good stroke!
yeah- what eveyone else said...I noticed that while you aren't corssing mid-line, you are pretty close to doing that. And enter the water closer to your head so that you have time to extend more. (Left arm especially)-Now, do as I say, not as I do! :-) My stroke isn't great, but I DO know a good one when I see it. Yours is good...as for the head thing, keep one eye in the water.
Cool videos! (And cute kid pix too!)
Now it's Ellie's turn for us to pick HER stroke apart!
going from competitive swimming to a tri-swimming my suggestion (total immersion based) is to really extend your reach with your arms so you are lenghtening as your body rolls. Think how nemo's body is narrow in the water...okay...dory is a better example. If you are on your side a little more you are more fishlike. The rolling side to side movement makes all the difference in swimming in the ocean. My natural stroke isn't the rolling total immersion style but in the open water I sure get less tired and feel I can go on forever.
You're definitely into the "refining stage" of stroke mechanics as everyone has already noted. One way to keep your head down (not lift up away from the water which makes your hips sink) is to keep your ear into your shoulder girdle when you rotate to breathe. If you fully extend your arm just after it enters the water and keep it there until the other arm almost catches up the whole thing comes together much more easily.
On an unrelated note, when are you arriving in MI for Steelhead?
I loved watching the videos and reading all the advice. It's so much easier for me to "see" than read about stroke mechanics.
I think I may be rotating too much when I breathe too.
Chipping in 6 days after the fact...
1) Congrats on having the 'nads' to post the video (I'd never be able to open myself up to public comment like that)
2) Think 10 and 2 (hour hands on the clock) - supposedly that's where you want to put your hands into the water (you look more like 11:30 and 12:30)
3) Glide a little longer. Cut down the arm turn cadence. This will help save a bit of energy, and should help with rolling the body instead of turning your head.
Comments expressed above are not from a fish, but a midpack (30:00 Olympic swimmer 1500m). Good luck (blondie!)
doh, just realised its Ellie and not you in the pics above... scrap the "blondie" comment... although... you should consider it.
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