Gimmick or an essential drill to promote good technique?
Looked really weird to me at first. Kind of surreal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83d8hu0UTgo&list=UUEuF4iCHKf6k1k-_MQlKzqw&feature=c4-overview
I’ll be first…gimmick…how is that going to make you any faster?
The pull is the most important thing in a stroke anyway.
My take: it is like swimming backstroke, but belly-down.
Probably good for your rhomboids and trapezius muscles.
ANything that helps you improve feel for the water = good
I agree with TC, at the very least it’s going to help with feeling the water. Might look a bit weird at lane swim, but WTH if we can’t have a bit of fun what are we doing this for?
It’d be fun to run it backwards then post it up here as another ‘critique my stroke’ thread.
His shoulder flexibility is awesome.
His reverse freestyle is better than most people I see at the pool going forward 
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His reverse freestyle is better than most people I see at the pool going forward
I was just thinking the same thing…he could beat half the field of AG’ers with that stroke.
Split the lane or circle swim when going backwards?
My take: it is like swimming backstroke, but belly-down.
Probably good for your rhomboids and trapezius muscles.
ANything that helps you improve feel for the water = good
He needs to work on his breathing though, as he’s almost coming to a stop each time he takes a breath. He’ll never qualify for the Trials with such poor technique:)
I’ve seen people do a reverse underwater dolphin, thought it was pretty funny.
Someone does it in the Olympic “Call me maybe” video
jaretj
Looks good, but I’d be careful about setting a trend as running backwards close to the finish line of a triathlon will get you punched / slapped across the head.
What, no flip turn?
Don’t know if it’s beneficial or not, but man it looks cool!
i dunno if it would help anything, but that guys got great body position . . . he’s done some work with an ankle band! LOL
Also looked like the core was getting a good workout as well.
Maybe he was shooting to be on Instagram for a bikini bridge?
I’ve had the same question about many of the drills our coach comes up with.
They all do a couple of things.
- Make you focus on what you’re actually doing
- Improve your feel for the water
Our weirdest drill is on your back, hands by your hips, sculling with your hands, to propel yourself feet first through the water. If you don’t get water up your nose the first time you do it, you’ve done it wrong.
They are not *essential, *but they are helpful
You should see Dan kick with his kick board, goes backwards without even trying!!! Just boggles me how so much effort can go into something with just about opposite results. I think a lot of triathletes suffer this affliction when it comes to kicking…
entirely essential to the part of the race where you must swim backwards freestyle
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