From the Walnut Creek Intensive Training Camp notebook. If you have questions about these notes, please chat with Coach Doug when you come to practice.

Freestyle

Aquatic posture

  • Hips should roll less than the shoulders
  • The head should be down, eyes looking directly at the pool bottom
  • The head depth should be such that some water travels over the swimmer’s cap
  • The top of the swimmer’s buttocks should be at the same height as the top of the swimmer’s head
  • The postural line between a swimmer’s head and buttocks should be firm along the horizontal axis

 

Kicking is Necessary

  • Begin the kick from the hips, and let the motion pass through the knee joint into the ankle
  • Kick small, fast and consistently (a challenge for many Loveland Masters swimmers)
  • Flexible ankles and feet create greater foot force
  • The shorter the distance, the faster the kick tempo
  • The kick should occur behind the torso profile

 

Breathing

  • Exhale through the nose
  • The head turn is independent of the shoulder turn
  • Breathe out explosively through the nostrils as the head starts to turn to the side on the horizontal axis
  • Inhale immediately and return the eyes towards the bottom of the pool very quickly (before the recovery arm enters the water)
  • The postural line through head, shoulders, and hips should be firm along the horizontal axis

 

Path, Pitch and Pressure

  • The path of the hands stays on or slightly outside vertical shoulder plane
  • The pitch of the palms should be backwards to create forward propulsion
  • The pressure increases (accelerates) throughout the arm motion

 

The Red Zone

  • Tip the hand on entry for a more efficient catch
  • Hyper-extend the wrist before the exit to increased propulsion
  • Internal and external wrist angles should be similar

 

Big Take-Aways

  • , The swimming hand anchors and remains still against a virtual wall of water as the body rapidly moves past that point (much like in stand-up paddleboarding)
  • Seek perfection in pursuit of maximum movement efficiency
  • Catch is important, but not to the exclusion of the hold and finish
  • Arm motion is 50 percent pull and 50 percent push

 

Fun Facts

  • Water is 800 times more dense than air
  • A beginning swimmer loses 90 percent of their energy through overcoming drag
  • The main difference between elite swimmers and the rest of us: skill, not strength