Swim Faster
With 3 Basic Steps
Keep It Simple!
I have 3 processes for you to use and employ right now to improve on your swimming technique. Stop trying to work harder all of the time, and work smarter instead!!
Step 1: Body Position - When in the water the aim is to have a horizontal body that is streamlined and smooth. Don't let your hips drop, try not to bury your head, and keep the kick nice and smooth!
Step 2: Mobility - Being restriced and "tight" can mean less of a range to exert force on the water. More mobile muscles can promote a better technique and body position.
Step 3: Technique & Execution - Many people press the water to the bottom of the pool and kick aimlessly. Remember, to move forwards basic physics means we must press the water backwards.
1. Body Position
A great body position in the water allows an individual to maximize their potential with minimal drag or resistance. The aim is to be as horizontal as possible with minimal vertical or lateral movements. As you can see in the image (poor body position), the legs are dropped. In this instance, for example, there is a greater surface area of the body in contact with the water. A greater force is required to overcome this. The swimmer will be moving slower and less efficiently through the water. This applies to all speeds!
2. Mobility
Having restriction in the way that you move minimizes the range that you have to pull the water. With mobile limbs, you allow yourself an opportunity to have a sound body position, as well as the ability to pull the water over a further distance, for example. One movement called "combined elevation", is the ability to lift the arms overhead. To test your ability to move through this range, compare yourself to the 3 images where the individual is streamlined on the ground. To keep it simple, the images correspond to a poor, good and great range through this movement (great = arms higher). To stretch this movement, follow the image utilizing the chair (always be safe!). Combined elevation is important for all strokes where a greater range promotes a heightened ability to pull the water further, with greater technique, and more powerfully.
3. Technique & Execution
To swim faster, having great technique is critical!!! You can be as fit as you like, as flexible as you like, or as committed as a Paralympian, but with poor technique there is a limit to your ability. Sometimes it can be a challenge to know which of your skills require improvement. This is because what you "feel" is often different to what the stroke actually looks like! Keep in mind that poor technique can be embedded into movement pathways if not corrected - so get onto these sooner rather than later! Pull yourself FORWARD. Kick with RELAXED legs. Keep a great BODY POSITION!
