What are some tips or tricks to confirm that you are engaging your core while swimming?
“Pull your belly button into your spine” but don’t suck in if that makes sense – will fire the transverse abdominis and should get some errector spinae contraction as well helping those legs get into better position
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Are you talking about drills?
Pull buoy between the ankles does wonders for me.
A properly timed kick is what engages your torso.
“Pull your belly button into your spine”
Thanks, I’ll give this a try
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I asked her father…
get down on one knee, hold out a ring and ask.
that’s how you engage your core.
I asked her father…
And bring two chickens a duck and a milk bearing cow ;0)
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Aahh a country boy… quaint… sick… but each to their own… 
oh hang on you meant to the betrothal request, not the honeymoon… gottit…
One I’ve hear is think tall, lengthen out…in addition to the belly button to the back. I’ve been swimming for so long, I don’t even think about it.
Here’s a drill to engage your core. I just started doing this the other day. Take a pull buoy and use it as a kick board. Face down, eyes down, with arms outstretched place both hands on the buoy push down on it. Start kicking with face in the water.
Now this is the important part: Make sure to keep the buoy below the surface and below the chin level. It should be at least 8 inches below the surface.
With arms outstretched and buoy below the chin line, it should feel as if your butt is up higher than your head and feet. You will feel your core after a while of kicking like this.
I use a snorkel to keep my eyes and face down longer. In this position, with my core engaged, there is a feeling of swimming downhill. And swimming downhill is what we want to ultimately feel.
What are some tips or tricks to confirm that you are engaging your core while swimming?
If you’re pulling hard and all the way through to your thigh, then you should feel your lats, arms, and your abs “engaging” in the pull. Most people who’ve swum for many years don’t even think about their “core” but swimming definitely works it.
Hidden in this thread is the correct answer. It had nine words. Can you find it?
Hidden in this thread is the correct answer. It had nine words. Can you find it?
A properly timed kick is what engages your torso.
did i find it?
this would also explain why i don’t engage my core… i don’t kick.
Tim
ta da!
Balancing correctly in the water always requires my core muscles. I like to work on my body position during sculling drills (no pull buoy, no kick). You should work on keeping your whole body level at the surface.
My club coach had us do floating drills occasionally. Those are really good for body awareness and control if you can find some extra space outside of the lap lanes and don’t mind looking a little weird.
Pulling with paddles always really works my core, too. Takes a lot of stability to forcefully move all the extra water you’re grabbing with the paddles. After a good catch your lats and core will need to be engaged and working together.
I bet I’m the only one who does this:
Not sure this relates to “core” or not, but to keep my legs from sinking, and to keep my body in what seems to be a better position overall, I simply stick my ass up in the air. I try to get it out of the water. Feels a bit odd at first but if I stay that way, all swimming is more smooth. My ass constantly drifts downward though and periodically I have to stick it up again. I hope no one can tell I’m doing this if they are observing me. Not that anyone is bothering to observe me, I imagine.
Can’t kick worth a shit so if that is key, I’m screwed. I just let my legs do the Paralyzed Flop.
Hidden in this thread is the correct answer. It had nine words. Can you find it?
I’ll repeat it “A properly timed kick is what engages your torso.”
Not sure why folks dont read the past threads. Swimming efficiency is all about the kick - period.
A properly timed kick is what engages your torso.
Any tips for making sure my kick is properly timed?
Hidden in this thread is the correct answer. It had nine words. Can you find it?
I’ll repeat it “A properly timed kick is what engages your torso.”
Not sure why folks don’t read the past threads. Swimming efficiency is all about the kick - period.
Hey Sho - Now you and I agree on many things and remember I’m the guy who did that long set of calculations on improvement in times over the past 24 years, so don’t discount what I’m about to say right away. Sure, the kick is important but, as has been discussed ad nauseum in several threads, the actual contribution of the kick to propulsion and “efficiency” in freestyle depends largely on the flexibility of one’s ankles, knees, hips, etc. This flexibility can be developed to SOME extent but generally kids (and adults) either have it or they don’t. Some guys like myself just never have been able to kick flutter kick worth a sh*t despite many 1000s of yards/meters of 25, 50, and 100 repeats. I can swim freestyle quite well just from turning my arms over as fast as possible, with the kick as just a balancing effect. I’m not the only one either as several other long time swimmers have said on this forum that they can’t kick 100 SCY much faster than 1:45, which would be about my time also. In fact, one guy who swam 1:52.00 in the 200 free at the 96 Trials was one of these guys.
Don’t get me wrong, I still kick 400 to 2000 SCM in every workout, usually doing these in IM order such that I kick 100 to 500 SCM of each stroke. I’m sure the kicking helps some in my freestyle but really breaststroke is the real kick-dominated stroke. If you can’t kick breaststroke, you’re just screwed period and can’t swim it or the IM events. Luckily, I did inherit the breast kick gene and can kick it with all day, basically. I guess I should feel fortunate in this regard but I’ve always wanted to be able to kick freestyle faster. I guess you just can’t have everything…