http://www.youtube.com/v/HxgXL6YHo0c
http://www.youtube.com/v/KS6KEmIq13g
Any suggestions dealing with my faults, namely:
kicking from knees, toes down.
legs scissoring
hand entry crossing central bodyline
elbow and hand entering at the same time
etc. etc…
Thanks in advance for any tips.
I would say that you are not catching and holding the water very well. You are pulling water down towards the bottom of the pool (wasted energy) and then pulling it back ( but even then your elbow is low). Catch drills like fist swimming or doug stern’s scooter drill (do a search for it) might help.
Here’s a really cool training tool. I just got one and it is awesome. Very helpful for getting muscle memory dialed with regard to correct hand, wrist and forearm angle. I just looked at your video again and I think this would help you a lot. No I don’t work for them or have any affiliation.
http://www.finisinc.com/products-tr-forearmfulcrum.shtml
I got mine from swimyourbest.com for like $15 with coupon code “openwater”
I would say that you are not catching and holding the water very well. You are pulling water down towards the bottom of the pool (wasted energy) and then pulling it back ( but even then your elbow is low). Catch drills like fist swimming or doug stern’s scooter drill (do a search for it) might help.
I noticed that too. I tried to think, on land, how I actually get my elbow higher and got a better hold on the water. It seems that I need to lift my shoulder to do that, is that right? I’ll look in to that forearm paddle, looks interesting. Thanks.
I don’t know how to explain that with it making sense. Try looking at some good video or maybe Flajill can chime in. If she doesn’t chime in you may want to PM her to look at your video—she’s (my $.02) one of the most knowlegeable here about swimming.
The good news is that you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you need to work on.
Kick- Try doing some kick sets with big fins. They’ll help nudge you into the correct position. Kicking on your back (hands above head in streamline position) also helps get you thinking about the right things because you simply can’t get away with bicycle kicking on your back like you can when you’re on your belly or side
Hand crossover- simple enough correction is to make it feel like your hands are entering at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock (head is at 12) it will feel awkwardly wide at first, but remember that your body roll pushed them inward after entry. Try doing some backstroke while thinking 10 and 2 as well- it’s a little easier to get the feel for it on your back because your breathing apttern isn’t messing with it.
You’ve got an ugly tendency to let your elbow drop a little below your hand on the early part of the catch. Trying to think of a way to describe this here… After the hand entry, think of trying to keep the elbow a little closer to the surface, and moderately pivoting at the elbow.
Once you get the crossover problem addressed, try working on getting just a little more extension out in front of you. Right now, I suspect the crossover is impairing your ability to get that arm well extended because you’re feeling that if it did, it would make you wiggle even more than you do now. You’ve got a decent level of body roll going on, and that roll should be driving your arm further out to start the catch than it is in reality.
Your toes appear to be pointing down toward the pool bottom which adds lots of drag and effects you entire stroke. Start by make sure you point your toes straight back and keep your kick width within the cone of your body. Once you make this change follow the advise from the other posters and work on your stroke flaws…
I bet you’ll be 3 to 5 sec faster per 100 with this change alone.
Good luck
Paul
Thanks for the info on points 1 and 2, I’ll practice those. Re 3, I have on occasion thought about the over-the-barrel principle and really tried to keep my elbow high, is that what I should be doing? Re 4, sometimes I do concentrate on the extension, and I can do a few laps as long as I think about it. The moment I stop thinking about it, I stop doing it. I find it hard to do automatically. Will practice more though. Thanks again.
Your toes appear to be pointing down toward the pool bottom which adds lots of drag and effects you entire stroke. Start by make sure you point your toes straight back and keep your kick width within the cone of your body. Once you make this change follow the advise from the other posters and work on your stroke flaws…
I watched the swimsmooth dvd some time ago and I remember the bit about toes being down. When I saw myself do that on video, I couldn’t believe it. That’s definitely something I’ll concentrate on. Thanks.
Yeah, the over the barrel principle. Letting the elbows drop in the early part of the stroke means you’re going to be moving less water with your forearm.
Regarding #3: When you’re not dropping your elbows, you still seem to be slipping a lot of water rather than catching. Try to think about not moving your arm from the shoulder to the elbow when you start the pull. Focus on bending from the elbow and feeling the forearm catch the water. One drill I really like for this “feel” is closed fist. If you do it right, you still get a catch. If you do it wrong, you go nowhere.
One drill I really like for this “feel” is closed fist. If you do it right, you still get a catch. If you do it wrong, you go nowhere.
Funnily enough, at my last swim session we were set 2x(200 fist, 200 pull), and I thought I was doing pretty will with the fist. It’s the first time I’ve done that drill and I had no problem keeping up with the others. I did find it a bit hard to breathe as it wasn’t that easy to get my mouth out of the water. I wonder if that indicates something.
also try a higher shoulder recovery. you can try to drag your fingertips along the top of the water for a couple times. higher elbow recovery helps many that have problem with catching the water after the hand enters the water.
Others have already mentioned that you have a very bad habit of crossing over with your hands when entering the water. 10 and 2 o’clock drill is a good idea, but I like to lift my head up every couple of strokes so that I get visual feedback of where my hands are entering the water. That could help you as well. When you eliminate the crossing over of your hands as they first enter the water you will reduce some of the lateral movement you currently have at the hips.
You’re “catching the water phase” is pretty much absent. Try to catch the water by not only reducing the angle at the elbow, but also bring your shoulder up some and forward a bit at that point. It’s difficult to explain in text but try to maximize the recruitment of your latissimi muscles.
And tilt you head down some, that should help you bring your lower back up some to closer to the water surface.
If I were you I’d also get a set of Fulcrum Paddles (from Zoomers). Probably the White, large size for you. They also make XL, and XXL, don’t think that the Large ones would be too big for you at all. Only use one strap per paddles, one that secures your fingers to the paddle. Skip the one at the hand. That will encourage you to have a high elbow recovery.
What are your swim times like? Say typical 100y, fastest 100y, and what are your race splits?
From my very MOP-swimmer (as a triathlete, which means poor) perspective, the first 1/3 of your stroke is a sinking of your relatively straight arm. As others have said, you are really just pushing down, and only later in the pull getting any grip on the water and pushing backward/pulling forward.
Do you feel that you swim the same way when not in a current/endless pool?
Do your shoulders hurt? When I started and had a pull like yours, mine certainly hurt!
also try a higher shoulder recovery. you can try to drag your fingertips along the top of the water for a couple times…
Others have already mentioned that you have a very bad habit of crossing over with your hands when entering the water…
You’re “catching the water phase” is pretty much absent…
I do do the finger tip drill every so often. On the videos I do see a reasonably high elbow in the recovery some of the time, but it’s not consistent.
Yes, my crossover is terrible, especially after I breathe. Good tip about lifting my head to look as I was thinking how I could monitor whether I’m still doing it or not.
Thanks for the other advice. Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me, but at least I know where to go now.
What are your swim times like? Say typical 100y, fastest 100y, and what are your race splits?
Do you feel that you swim the same way when not in a current/endless pool?
Do your shoulders hurt? When I started and had a pull like yours, mine certainly hurt!
My pool PB for 100m is 1:32, 400m 6:37 (1:39/100), 1500m 26:43 (1:46/100), 4000m 1:14:42 (1:52/100), 5000m 1:34:40 (1:53/100). I did an IM wetsuit swim in 1:06 (1:44/100). I don’t have any other race times that are very meaningful as they all include T1, but typically they’re in line with my pool times.
In the endless pool I did struggle a bit to stay in the flow and I found it a bit unnatural. Also it was very hard to keep my legs up which I don’t find a problem in a normal pool at all.
My shoulders don’t hurt. They have done in the past though.
Great feedback, thanks.
What are your swim times like? Say typical 100y, fastest 100y, and what are your race splits?
Do you feel that you swim the same way when not in a current/endless pool?
Do your shoulders hurt? When I started and had a pull like yours, mine certainly hurt!
My pool PB for 100m is 1:32, 400m 6:37 (1:39/100), 1500m 26:43 (1:46/100), 4000m 1:14:42 (1:52/100), 5000m 1:34:40 (1:53/100). I did an IM wetsuit swim in 1:06 (1:44/100). I don’t have any other race times that are very meaningful as they all include T1, but typically they’re in line with my pool times.
In the endless pool I did struggle a bit to stay in the flow and I found it a bit unnatural. Also it was very hard to keep my legs up which I don’t find a problem in a normal pool at all.
My shoulders don’t hurt. They have done in the past though.
Great feedback, thanks.
OMG I’ve been following this thread because I have a similar stroke to yours, sans the crossover problem. BUT my swim times are much, much slower.
You are pulling water down towards the bottom of the pool
this might be the most useful thing i have ever read on slowtwitch. it seems so blindingly obvious now that you word it that way. i have never, ever seen the mechanics of swimming explained this way. thanks!
wow
thanks
.
BUT my swim times are much, much slower.
What are your swim times and how much training do you do typically? My average has been 5500m per week, but I have had 20 one-to-one coaching sessions over the last year since I started to learn crawl.