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SPEED INTO THE WALL
Do you accelerate into the turn? Do you know your stroke counts? FL’ers and BR’ers remember:
You can use the flags to judge your turns (they are not just backstroke flags); it should be 3 strokes of FL or BR from the flags to the wall.
SPEED ON THE WALL
“Open” turns = FL&BR:
Get your head down and hips up into FL-BR walls
Touch and absorb the wall, roll onto your side, tuck your knees up, plant your feet with your toes pointed to the side of the pool, then fall back into the space your legs just vacated when you tucked your knees up into your chest.
Stay small and stay low.
Rotation speed: time from hands touch until feet leave wall (<1sec. is very good)
“Flip” turns = FR&BK:
Look at bottom of T on FR-BK turns (keep neck straighter…no “looking up” or breathing into wall)
tuck and roll – pull head through to knees – don’t throw legs over – fall onto side
SPEED OFF WALL
PUSH-OFFS:
Centre of buoyancy is in chest – centre of gravity is in hips – get shoulders below hips on push-offs
(Submarine Principle)
FL/BR/FR – push off on side with shoulders level with, or just below, hips
BK – push off with shoulders lower than hips
Push-off velocity = 2.5m/sec
Max KI velocity = 2.2m/sec wait until deceleration point before kicking!
BREAK-OUTS
Biggest AND easiest area for improvement.
Streamline – keep kicking (have a kick count) – don’t breathe – stretch
•SET-UP
Should you do the track or two-foot start? The track start has faster reaction time, while the
two-foot start generates more power and velocity at entry. Whatever you feel works best for you is the start to do.
You need the proper amount of knee-bend on your set-up (no “toilet” or “broken leg” set-ups!), and you must find your “sticking point”, that point on the block where you are as far out over the front edge of the block as possible without losing your balance.
Keep your head down and your hips as close to the front edge of the block as possible, tipped forward, NOT leaning back, with your hands grabbing the block.
•REACTION TIME
You want to overcome inertia – you must REACT, not try to anticipate.
Be focused on the starter’s voice and rhythm (behind the blocks, 2 or 3 heats before your race, listen to the starter, and react to the starter’s command and the start signal, tuning out unnecessary noise. Push up and out with your legs while firing your hands forward and bringing your head up.
Remember to do a powerful exhalation as you leave the block.
•ENTRY
“Snap the cord” in the air, keep your body tight from fingers to toes, then let everything follow through one clean small hole: hands→arms→head→shoulders→torso→legs→feet.
After entry pull your body flat to maximize transfer of gravitational power forward into speed, changing direction from down to out.
•BREAK-OUT
Do your dolphin kicks (high frequency, low amplitude) on FL-BK-FR and time your break-out stroke to happen at deceleration “moment”. Your break-out stroke should be without a breath (FL-FR) and should throw you up through the surface, NOT bring you TO the surface. Remember to keep kicking through the break-out. For BR, count 3 before double arm pull, pull both arms right down to your sides, then count 2 before kicking up to the surface, recovering your arms as close under your body as possible, and take advantage of the dolphin kick down as you pull your arms down to your sides underwater.
Freestyle is the fastest swimming stroke for humans for 2 reasons:
1) “constant propulsion” – when swum properly FR is the only stroke which has a constant kicking and pulling phase
2) “low resistance” – when swum properly FR produces the least amount of frontal and form drag.
To master the above 2 principles you need to work on:
1) “side to side” – FR is swum on the side, merely passing across the front.
2) timing – where is your “timing point”? Optimal timing is when one hand is over the shoulder and the other is under the shoulder. This allows maximum power production and transfer of momentum.
3) catch+pull – the catch should happen before the recovery. The shoulder should be internally rotated at the top – this is easy IF you are on your side, but difficult if you are flat.
4) push+roll – good core strength and kick are critical to the maintenance of this phase at the end of the race.
“Vault” past your hand after the catch, tightening your core as you rotate through to the other side.
F.A.S.T. Tip #5 - Breaststroke
1) Use your hips – to “find the groove” you need to first find your hips; drive them forward on the insweep of the pull and let them ride up on the glide
2) Torpedo – stay long and streamlined like a torpedo to carry your gliding speed faster + farther. Think fingertips to toes on every glide, and slip your body line “downhill” through the smallest possible hole as you extend forward, with your head low between your arms.
3) Press to a Y – never pull your arms back; instead, sweep them out to a Y position then imagine grabbing the rung of a ladder with your hands while lifting your elbows to the surface. Your elbows should stay at the eye-line, and they should be a hinge for the insweep of the hands and forearms.
4) No “stalling” – when your head reaches its highest point you should be looking down and getting ready to re-enter the water at a shallow angle with your kick, channeling your momentum forward, without letting your hands stop under your chin.
The important thing about butterfly is body position.
The back of your head needs to be in line with your spine as much as possible. Your eyes should always be looking down, and the air you breathe should be the air 1 inch above the surface of the water.
Every time your hands go in your hips should go up, and as the hips go up the chest should press forward. Your little fingers exit the water first and they should also lead the arm recovery, which should be low and flat with straight arms.
Finally, breathing every 2 strokes is important because it helps maintain correct body position…head down, hips up.
An important concept in backstroke is to think about getting off your back. As strange as it may sound, the idea is NOT to swim flat on your back, but rather to rotate around the core of your body, with the shoulders and hips rolling.
This will help in 3 ways:
1) it will get the arms into a deeper catch position
2) it will get the body on its side where there is less resistance created
3) it will help get the back and shoulder muscles into the stroke, so you’re using your whole body, not just your arms, when you pull.
First of all, you must breathe properly, from your belly more than from your chest. To practice proper breathing technique place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your stomach; breathe in slowly on a count of 4; you should feel your stomach rising more than your chest if you are breathing properly.
This is called diaphragmatic breathing, and it is the best way to ensure maximal oxygen uptake. You must also exhale fully as much as possible before the next inhale. The feeling of breathlessness we sometimes get when in hard work is NOT due to lack of oxygen, but rather due to the build-up of carbon dioxide, one of the by-products of energy production.
Full, controlled inhales using the diaphragm and full, controlled exhales (into the water except in backstroke) to exhaust carbon dioxide from your system will ensure better performance. Finally, always concentrate on harmonizing your breathing with the rhythm of your stroke, breathing without pausing.
F.A.S.T. Tip #1 – STREAMLINING
It is widely accepted now that underwater dolphin kick is the 5th competitive swimming stroke, and if done properly it is the 2nd fastest stroke behind freestyle. Always focus on your streamlining and your underwater dolphin kick on every start and every push-off.
Streamlining requires no additional physical effort, it simply requires additional mental focus. Some things to focus on:
1) hands together
2) goggles down, chin tucked in
3) cover your ears with your biceps
4) small, fast, powerful fly kicks
On kick sets, when you are given the option of “choice” kick, do more fly kick!!
Butterfly kick is used in every stroke, including breaststroke with the new pull-out, so you might as well get good at it if you want to have better underwater work and go faster!!
Please read the attached Editorial by Terrence Moore.
Character Is Destiny by: Terrence Moore
I owe almost everything to football, which I spent the greater part of my life in, and I have never lost my respect, my admiration nor my love for what I consider a great game. Each Sunday after the battle, one group savors victory, another group wallows in the bitterness of defeat. The many hurts seem a small price to pay for having won and there is no reason at all which is adequate for having lost.
For the winner there is 100% elation, 100% laughter, 100% fun. For the loser the only thing left is a 100% resolution and 100% determination. The game, I think, is a great deal like life. Every person makes their own personal commitment toward excellence and toward victory. Although you know ultimate victory can never be completely won, it must be pursued with all one’s might and each week there is a new encounter, each year a new challenge.
All of the rings and all of the money and all of the color and all of the display, they linger only in a memory. But the spirit, the will to win, the will to excel, these are the things that endure and these are the qualities, of course, that are so much more important than any of the events that occur.
I’d like to say that the quality of any person’s life is a full measure of that person’s personal commitment to excellence and to victory, regardless of what field they may be in.
Vince Lombardi
NFL coaching great
Attached are the hilites of our guest speaker's presentation last Tuesday, Nov.13 at CGAC: Shane Esau from the Human Performance Lab at the University of Calgary.
DETERMINATION
Determination makes winners. The refusal to quit or accept defeat; the persistence to try and try again; the willingness to practice long and hard. Determined athletes are relentless in their efforts to improve and win.
AGGRESSIVENESS
Winners make things happen instead of waiting for them to happen. They take charge, force action, and produce results. They assert themselves strongly and make their presence felt. They thrive on competition.
RESPONSIBILITY
Winners accept total responsibility for their actions. They recognize their own mistakes and the need for change and improvement. They admit errors and will not blame others or make excuses.
EMOTIONAL CONTROL
Successful athletes can handle the pressure of competition. They stay cool, adjust quickly and are not upset by bad breaks or bad calls. They deliver top performances regardless of the circumstances.
10 COMMANDMENTS FOR AN ENTHUSIASTIC TEAM
1. Help each other be right – not wrong.
2. Look for ways to make new ideas work - not for reasons why they won’t work.
3. If in doubt, check it out! Don’t make negative assumptions about each other.
4. Help each other win and take pride in each other’s victories.
5. Speak positively about each other and about your team at every opportunity.
6. Act with initiative and courage as if it all depends on you.
7. Do everything with enthusiasm – it’s contagious.
8. Whatever you want, give it away.
9. Don’t lose faith – never give up.
10. Smile – have fun!!
There is a tree that grows in Japan that is truly unique.
It is called the Asunaro tree.
This tree is planted as a seedling under the ground and must be carefully watered every day without fail otherwise it will die.
However, it remains under the ground, out of sight, for 5 full years. After this time it bursts forth from the soil and grows up to 120 feet and with a huge girth to reach its potential within the 6th year of its planting.
The gardener must patiently attend its watering every day for 5 years before the results of tremendous devotion, commitment and trust can be seen.
Translated, asunaro means:
Tomorrow I will be something.
What skills are you carefully nurturing each day so that they will burst forth when it really matters?
Click here to print a copy of The Asunaro Tree.
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