Ok, not too bad, I've seen worse.

Your hands are going in kind of bent at the wrist, and you still have quite a ways that you could extend your arms out before you begin your pull. For my perception, you over rotate a little bit when you breathe, which causes you to almost delay on your side, which I think is possibly causing, definitely contributing to the scissor kick to maintain your balance in the water.

One of the most glaring things that I see, however, is that even at best, your feet are only about halfway to the extension that you need, and about 1/2 the time they are pointing straight down at the bottom of the pool. I would make fixing that your #1 priority, because you lose any concept of propulsion, you're actually introducing unneeded drag, and it makes your kick ineffective (Which contributes to all the balance/breathing problems you have. An effective kick drives breathing and rotation). Fins and stretching exercises, lots of both. At all times when swimming, your feet should be pointed behind you, not down.

John

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Top notch coaching: Francois and Accelerate3 | Follow on Twitter: LifetimeAthlete |

I'll second the comment about your feet -- lots of resistance there with your toes pointing straight down, point your feet flat like a flipper and if that is difficult to do, some ankle stretches nightly.

what devlin said.

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I noticed the feet as well and was focusing on that and the scissor kick at my last practice. As far as extension, I should be stretching out a bit more, but not rotating more. Does that sound right?

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"Sweep the leg...Do you have a problem with that?" - John Kreese

Hard to tell above water, but it looked to me like you were sliding your right arm back through the water instead of pulling. Engage your hand more and don't let your elbow drop so much.

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To some extent, yes. You've got more that you can get out of your shoulders without rotating more.

John

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Top notch coaching: Francois and Accelerate3 | Follow on Twitter: LifetimeAthlete |

BTW, that's not a two beat kick,

https://search.yahoo.com/...beat%20kick&type=

It may not look like it, but I'm kicking once per arm pull. That's a two beat kick.

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"Sweep the leg...Do you have a problem with that?" - John Kreese

If it doesn't look like it, then its not. (shaking head ... and it looks like it) sheesh

The second half of your stroke, is basically without power.
This should be the strongest part of your stroke, from about halfway through, when your hand is about even with the bottom of your ribs through the end of your stroke at the top of your thighs. You should be holding the water and accelerating here, without letting the water slip by. But you are letting your hand slip easily through the water without holding onto it.
Change this and a LOT of other things will take care of themselves.

Can you explain this a bit more? How can I tell if I'm holding the water or slipping?

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"Sweep the leg...Do you have a problem with that?" - John Kreese

I am not sure how to explain it anymore than I have. I just feel it when I look at a swimmer.

As an exercise to try to feel the water, do this:
1. Swim with fists closed
2. Next swim with hands open as normal.
3. Optional: Swim with small hand paddles if you have them (large ones can hurt your weak shoulder muscles if you are not used to them).

Now this in and of itself won't make you grab it like you should, but you'll be able to at least start to feel a difference - in other words, you will slip when you are doing it with the fist, and it will feel like slipping, and you will grab somewhat with your hands, and you will really grab with the paddles. So you can start to feel the water.

Also, if you start to grab the water like you should, don't be surprised if you wake up a few muscles, and they get tired, and then you start to slip again. It takes a while.

In the water, you can't tell until you develop a feel for it. Out of the water, you want your hand to exit where it enters, or ahead of that.

Priorities.
1) Kick is terrible. You at least want it to not be in the way. You aren't quite doing a 2 beat, but it's not a 6 beat either. It's like a 2 beat with a twitch, or something? Doesn't matter, it's bad, and pointing your feet the way they are is the worst offense.

2) Rotation. You do that triathlete carefully placing your hand in the water thing. More gusto! Snap your body roll. That doesn't mean sprint, but you want to develop a quick, but relaxed, recovery phase.

3) your doing a catch up stroke. Ie, your right arm is out of the water before your left arm starts the catch. That's a glide, and that's bad if you want to be efficient. Especially with your kick.

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Thanks for the help. I really focused on pointing my toes in practice today more than anything.

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"Sweep the leg...Do you have a problem with that?" - John Kreese

Cue kicking from the knees in 3...2....1...

Honestly, you need better flexibility. If you don't have that, as soon as you stop concentrating on it *cough*race*cough* your feet will revert back. Also, if you have to think about pointing them, then you are using your calf muscles to do it which does not bode well for late bike/early run. I'm not suggesting don't concentrate on it, but dry land stretching and fins/zoomers will help more than anything else.

John

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Top notch coaching: Francois and Accelerate3 | Follow on Twitter: LifetimeAthlete |