GennadyKarasev wrote:
Everyone! I think it's wrong to watch other people swimming wrong, but i need some advice;)
Hi, Andrew!
I've got your ebook just now and will try to change my understanding of body position in the water.
I understand that only the drills can lead to better technique and the way i swim (faster as a result) but some of them wouldn't be as beneficial as the others. I will appreciate it if you could watch my latest video and give me 2 or 3 drills i should be doing most of the time.
-
I'm 31, 181cm (arms 186), 65kg.
Boxing and Đ³ltra-running background, no swimming until 2020. Can't lay on the water: legs are sinking. I don't know what to do in the water. All my actions in the water are wrong and inefficient.
It was hard to reach forward and not exhale at the same time. A bit better now. I'm used to strong exhale when doing some power-action (i.e.: crossfit, boxing).
Pool swimming since Nov2020 45min 2-3 times/week, since Dec2021 1h 4-5 times/week.
Gear: Finis agility paddles, zoomers gold, snorkel, pull buoy, hydro hip belt, speedo power paddle (old version), rectangular flat paddles (homemade) for finger drills+forearm.
-
So i don't know how to swim and use the water. But i do some drills and can compare my underwater shots to someone else.
Training paces: 1h endurance @2:09, 15*50@52sec/15sec, 400m at the end of 1h @2:00
-
After watching the latest video and doing some analysis, i did 2 sessions and the first 1km time-trial: a bit under 19:00. If i was alone on the lane + wearing swim jammers (Nero R10), i think i can make it ~18:30.
-
In January i set a goal to swim 1h@1:45. That was a goal from my running background. As of now, i have a goal to swim 1k@1:45 till August.
-
Here is what i saw in my latest video :
-there is too much wrist curve during the catch so i'm losing a lot of water hold;
-can't understand what's happening with my hand on the last part of the pull; i feel that my fingers and pointing down and i'm pressing backward, but there is a lot of slipping action for some reason + short exit;
-the reach is ok and i'm locking the elbow but as soon as i start the catch, the elbow is dropping a bit.
-too much skrew-like movement after the hand entry;
-fingers are higher than the forearm&elbow, no straight line; esp. during the breath;
-head should turn directly to the side, not through looking 45 degrees angle;
-a bit lazy legs (i'm trying to concentrate on the upper body);
-can't go without taking a breath at my first stroke after turn; can't breathe to both sides and pull strong. There might be some problem with me under the load: since 2020 i can run fast but as soon as there is an incline/stairs i immediately feel as i'm losing power and the legs are weak and i need a lot of oxygen + can't do the running workouts i did before;
-too much up and down bouncing;
-if i breathe to the right it feels very weird but ~5sec faster and looks better. I think i'm just not exiting too short this way. It was always harder for me to breathe to the right. The middle part is to the left, last part is to the right.
-i don't feel exhausted. I don't drink coffee in daily life, after 1h swim i feel as i've had a cup of coffee. The way i swim right now leads to no air deficiency.
-
I'm trying to mimic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jXkeWYtjRk & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uncOBURz-6o
Please let me know if there is any good example suitable for my body type.
Hi Gennady,
Nice to hear from you. Thanks for providing all of the details and the video it makes it much easier to help.
Here is what I see-
1. Considering the amount of time you've been swimming, you've done a REALLY good job. To me, you look very comfortable in the water, you have all the basics down well, and your overall rhythm is good. NICE work!
2. While you're observations are generally correct about the errors you need to address, they are all little details that aren't the main issue. While they add up, I believe there is a more pressing issue. Address this issue FIRST, and then you can go back to these details. Really, you have most of the details down reasonably well.
3. The reason you are not getting tired is because you are swimming SLOW. You are taking way too long in the front of your stroke, and the length of time it takes you to move through a stroke cycle is almost twice what it should be! That's why there is no air deficiency. To use a loose analogy, all of the swimming you're doing right now is the equivalent of 'walking' and you need to start running!
4. To swim faster, you need to change your timing. While Sun Yang is a great swimmer (obviously!), you've taken your emulation of him to the extreme. You are waiting on in front for MUCH longer than he does and you are rotating MUCH more than he does. That's why your stroke rate is so low and your swimming is not very fast.
Solutions-
1. Use the exercise linked below, and NEVER let your hands pause in the front. You have to get the hands moving back IMMEDIATELY once they reach full extension in the front of the stroke. You have to force this and it will be very uncomfortable at first.
https://drive.google.com/...lXm/view?usp=sharing
2. Start counting your strokes in addition to keeping track of your times. Your goal is to take MORE strokes. This is the opposite of what is typically recommended. The reason is that you are gliding WAY too much. You need to get rid of the glide and taking more strokes will force you do this. At first, this will be VERY uncomfortable. Stick with it. You also need to pay attention to your times. Whenever you take more strokes, you should be swimming faster. At first, you may have to practice over short distances. It's probably going to be more challenging physically, and you're going to want to go back to the long, slow stroke rate. Stick with it.
3. If you are significantly faster breathing to your least preferred side, figure out what's different and copy that on the other side.
4. Once you change the timing and get rid of the excessive gliding, you can start to work on the details of your arm pull, which is relatively speaking, pretty decent.
Give this a shot and let me know how it goes. Let me know if you have follow up questions.
You've done a good job of making some changes, you've just taken it too far with the length out front.
Hope it helps!
Andrew
*Note to anyone else reading this- these strategies apply to Gennady and do NOT necessarily apply to you. Depending on your problems, this advice may make you WORSE if you are already taking a lot of strokes and swimming with a average or high stroke rate.*
*Note to anyone else reading this #2- stroke counts can be very useful for working on skill and for training. However, if taken to the extreme and you end up gliding forever with a low stroke count, it is no doubt SLOWER. Stroke length and stroke rate BOTH matter. While stroke rate comes more naturally to most than stroke length (which is why counting strokes can be helpful), it is the relationship between the two that matter.
Happy to expand on any of this if there is an interest. There are some solid ways to tell where to work if you know what you're looking for.
http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today
Last edited by:
MasteringFlow: Apr 24, 22 14:38