Ohes Noes!!!! He's doing a title post... What does this mean?
Nothing really.
Today I want to talk about the "X" factor in age group swimming. As I start teaching lessons again this year I find my inner age group swimmer wanting to emerge and take over.
The FUN factor is so crucial to developing a healthy love and relationship with swimming as a sport. If you don't want to swim, and I don't mean you're just having a day where it's not your top priority, but rather it's an up-hill battle to find the motivation to get in the water because it just doesn't make you happy, it may be time to find drier accommodations. Or it could just be you forgot why you got into the sport in the first place. Just doing it for health or looking great in a swim suit can be a great starting point, but there's a reason you chose to do an activity that's not natural for our species.
For me, it was just the sheer enjoyment of doing something different and being abnormal.
If you're really at a loss for recapturing your lost love of the sport, just take a day out of your normal workout routine and play around in the water. You can still get a great workout doing dolphin dives, sculling and body awareness play under water, or just goofing around a little while swimming. I don't suggest sacraficing good technique, but safe fun is always awesome.
As for the age-group swimmers in your life, if you have them, the greatest bit of advice I received from a senior group swimmer while in middle school was, "The minute it stops being fun, just walk away from it. Don't waste your life doing something that's unenjoyable." My mom promptly looked at me and told me that if I ever stopped liking swimming I was more than able to stop. She and my father would never be disappointed in me for making a decision like that. I just couldn't quit swimming to play video games though.
That's the big point for the day.
Parents, please do not force your children to swim if they don't want to. If they aren't enjoying it, they will make sure no one else does as well.
What I'd like each of you to do this weekend. Head to the pool near you (that is appropriate for the season) and rediscover the fun that first got you into swimming. After you've done this, I'd like to her about your experiences, so please comment on the post to let me know.
Fast Swims!
Flash
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Critique of the Week: Terri Duncan, Freestyle
It’s time again for another rousing Critique of the Week.
The great thing about swimming is there’s always something to improve. Whether you’re a new comer to the sport or if you’re a veteran of many swim meets, you can always work on taking a facet of your stroke to the next level.
Today’s Critique is going to be of Terri Duncan’s Freestyle, a local swimmer at the pool where I work. She’s been coming in the mornings and putting some yardage in staying in shape and being active.
Well to break it down her stroke is fair, given she has no “professional” or intense instruction. The big points of the stroke that need to be addressed are her breathing (which we will discuss this next Technique Tuesday), her body rotation, and her arms in general.
The Breathing: I don’t want to give too much away and leave next Tuesday as a lame repeat post, but Terri has the habit of picking her head up out of the water as she breathes. Then, while face is still out of the water, looks forward and places her face in the water again. This breaks the body line, as we discussed in last week’s T.T. in regards to head position. The goal should be to turn your head to the side you wish to breath from, and then turn your face back into the water without changing your body alignment.
Body Rotation: While head position is by far the most important aspect to focus on, and yes your body does follow the general direction your head dictates, the Core zone is responsible for this part. Weak Core Body strength will keep you from efficiently rotating in the water. This is “all in the hips” as we discussed this T.T. If Terri is able to achieve a stable and efficient rotation with her body, it will allow her to grow her vessel (body) in the water and reach further, “eliminating” distance she has to power or swim through. It will also aide in simplifying and improving her ability to breathe correctly while swimming. Currently she swims flat along the surface of the water, teasing those watching by almost entering a rotation, but not quite.
Arms (Recovery and Timing): This portion will be explored in more detail in a future T.T., but in order for Terri to benefit from this post I have to give away some trade secrets now. Currently her stroke is a little short on the reach and the finish through. As addressed in the body rotation assessment, if she is able to rotate on to her side, her reach will extend about 2-3 inches on the conservative side. Depending on fatigue it may extend further than the respective length of not rotating.
Her follow through on her stroke ends just past her hips. While she has a very powerful front end to her stroke, the fact she sells the strokes short by not fully completing the pull, costs her about ¼ of a yard on each arm pull. A simple solution would be sure to tap her thigh on the completion of each pull, as far down her thigh as possible.
As for timing, this is perhaps THE most difficult part of the arms. When learning how to swim, whether it be self taught or by an instructor, most individuals will wind-mill their arms through water to go as fast as possible. Clearly the faster one powers their arms through the water and takes that next stroke the faster they’ll go…? Not necessarily true. It depends on where your arms are in the stroke. Terri’s timing is off just enough that she almost windmills like a little kid during a swim lesson. It’s not a bad thing, just something that can be tweaked with enough focus to improve the speed and efficiency of her Freestyle. She should instead drill a catch up stroke, by only starting her next pull with the out-stretched arm when her recovery hand is entering the water at the outstretched arm’s wrist.
All in all, Terri’s stroke is not bad. It just has some adjustments to be made for efficiency and ease of execution. The good thing for Terri is I see her on at least a weekly basis so I can give immediate feedback on the execution of her technique and offer one-on-one technical changes.
For those of you who read and want some feedback in writing like this, please remember I only offer a Critique of the Week to those who follow the blog. I do offer private lessons, so if you’re in the area and want more extensive feedback feel free to shoot me an e-mail. Anything that is gone over in a private lesson will only be used in a Critique of the Week if you want it in writing or give consent.
-Fast Swims!
Flash
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Weekly Workout
The Weekly Workout works like this, I post a work out. You guys give it a shot. As the weeks progress so do the workouts. If at anytime it starts to get too hard, feel free to go back to a previous week. Or if you don't feel like doing the same workout every day for a week, feel free to recycle in some workouts from previous weeks.
This week's workout is a request. I touched on my Progessive Low-Impact Water Aerobics program in the title post of that section, and it seemed to spark an interest in a few of the followers, so I'll start posting those workouts in The Weekly Workout section. Please remember this is a progressive program. It may start off difficult, begin to feel easy and possibly too easy, but remember to execute the exercises precisely and if you feel you're not having a high enough caloric burn, increase your speed while maintaining proper execution.
Phase: 1 Day:1 - AEROBIC BASE
200 yds Flutter Kick w/ Kick Board
100 yds Jog (arms in water, loose fists)
50 yds Grapevine
100 yds Heels Up to Your Butt
100 yds Knees Up High
100 yds Cross-Country Ski
100 yds Reverse Jog - Just Jog backwards
That's it for your first day of the program. Depending on requests, next week may be another water aerobics workout or it might be a swim workout. It all depends on you readers...
Have fun and Fast Swims
Flash
This week's workout is a request. I touched on my Progessive Low-Impact Water Aerobics program in the title post of that section, and it seemed to spark an interest in a few of the followers, so I'll start posting those workouts in The Weekly Workout section. Please remember this is a progressive program. It may start off difficult, begin to feel easy and possibly too easy, but remember to execute the exercises precisely and if you feel you're not having a high enough caloric burn, increase your speed while maintaining proper execution.
Phase: 1 Day:1 - AEROBIC BASE
200 yds Flutter Kick w/ Kick Board
100 yds Jog (arms in water, loose fists)
50 yds Grapevine
100 yds Heels Up to Your Butt
(keep your arms pinned at your side and handson your butt, palms out to kick your palms. do NOT lift your knees up, keep them pointing down all the time.)50 yds Grapevine
100 yds Knees Up High
(keep your upper arms pinned at your side and place your hands out in front of your body, palms facing down. make sure to keep your hands at no lower than waist height and parallel to the ground. raise your knee up to your palms and touch them before returning your foot to the ground.)50 yds Grapevine
100 yds Cross-Country Ski
(You will look like you're using a Nordic Track as you move down the pool.)50 yds Grapevine
100 yds Reverse Jog - Just Jog backwards
That's it for your first day of the program. Depending on requests, next week may be another water aerobics workout or it might be a swim workout. It all depends on you readers...
Have fun and Fast Swims
Flash
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Technique Tuesday: All in the Hips
Speed skating sensation Apollo Ohno went on "Dancing With the Stars" after his Olmpic debut years back and did wonderfully. In fact he started working an entire muscle set and aerobic base that he had not before. And instead of stopping this new exercise, he embraced it as a new and intense form of cross training. As a result he shed heavy muscle, leaned his image, and became vastly more athletic than before.
I do not recommend every one out there should go and begin competitive dancing in order to become a better swimmer. In fact, the reference to this form of training is more for the phrase, "It's all in the hips". This is both a true statement and falsehood when it comes to swimming. It's not "all" in any given location. More accurately it's everywhere.
When breaking down your stroke there are _____ major zones. You have the area from your shoulders up (Head Zone), the area between your belly button and your shoulders (Stomach Zone or Upper Torso), The area between your belly button and knees (Core, yes this includes your hips) and of course from the knees down to the tips of your toes (Leg Zone or Feet/Toes depending on what needs to be tweaked).
Coaches routinely fuss at swimmers to work their hips or use their core muscles. This zone is crucial for effective competitive swimming. A weak core will hinder proper rotation on your long-axis strokes and impede quality undulation with your short-axis strokes.
The question here is what does such a generic zone have to do with technique and how am I going to talk about it in a way to tweak your technique. Well here it is:
Just like last week's go out and play with head position I want you to try this out as well. Your hips dictate your direction in and out of the water. Stand flat footed, both feet pointing forward, just shy of shoulder width apart. Now set your head in neutral position while standing up as straight as you can. Next, while keeping your arms relaxed by your side I want you to turn right by leading with your shoulders, keeping your hips facing forward.
You're able to face right!!!! ...but only from the Upper Torso zone up.... If you were in the water think of how your body would be twisting here. Almost serpentine like. When swimming you want to eliminate any extraneous movement or direction, so you want your entire body to rotate to the right.
Now reset your position. This time, turn to the right while leading with your left hip, but try to remain facing forward. It's almost impossible on land and if you can do it, it's far from comfortable. Keep playing with this on land to get a feel for Core-Body connection. From here move to the water and try this out.
This connection is pivotal for next week's Technique Tuesday where we take a closer look at rotary breathing. Make sure to continue playing with your head position in the water and locating that neutral position. Remember when your head reaches that sweet spot for neutral position you should feel your body accelerate in the water.
Fast Swims!
Flash
I do not recommend every one out there should go and begin competitive dancing in order to become a better swimmer. In fact, the reference to this form of training is more for the phrase, "It's all in the hips". This is both a true statement and falsehood when it comes to swimming. It's not "all" in any given location. More accurately it's everywhere.
When breaking down your stroke there are _____ major zones. You have the area from your shoulders up (Head Zone), the area between your belly button and your shoulders (Stomach Zone or Upper Torso), The area between your belly button and knees (Core, yes this includes your hips) and of course from the knees down to the tips of your toes (Leg Zone or Feet/Toes depending on what needs to be tweaked).
Coaches routinely fuss at swimmers to work their hips or use their core muscles. This zone is crucial for effective competitive swimming. A weak core will hinder proper rotation on your long-axis strokes and impede quality undulation with your short-axis strokes.
The question here is what does such a generic zone have to do with technique and how am I going to talk about it in a way to tweak your technique. Well here it is:
Just like last week's go out and play with head position I want you to try this out as well. Your hips dictate your direction in and out of the water. Stand flat footed, both feet pointing forward, just shy of shoulder width apart. Now set your head in neutral position while standing up as straight as you can. Next, while keeping your arms relaxed by your side I want you to turn right by leading with your shoulders, keeping your hips facing forward.
You're able to face right!!!! ...but only from the Upper Torso zone up.... If you were in the water think of how your body would be twisting here. Almost serpentine like. When swimming you want to eliminate any extraneous movement or direction, so you want your entire body to rotate to the right.
Now reset your position. This time, turn to the right while leading with your left hip, but try to remain facing forward. It's almost impossible on land and if you can do it, it's far from comfortable. Keep playing with this on land to get a feel for Core-Body connection. From here move to the water and try this out.
This connection is pivotal for next week's Technique Tuesday where we take a closer look at rotary breathing. Make sure to continue playing with your head position in the water and locating that neutral position. Remember when your head reaches that sweet spot for neutral position you should feel your body accelerate in the water.
Fast Swims!
Flash
Monday, March 1, 2010
MILK! Does your body.... blah
Those of you who know me, know that I am anti-dairy. It's not that I hate it, I just can't have it. Having an allergy to something like dairy is a blessing. Biggest reason, weight loss. When I had to cut dairy out of my diet back in middle school, 1996-1999, I dropped 10-15 pounds in the course of 2 weeks. Furthermore, my skin cleared up significantly and my energy level increased.
I don't want to copy and paste just random excerpts off other sites and take statements "out of context", so I will do what Ed Begley Jr does. GO OUT AND RESEARCH IT FOR YOURSELF!
Look into what I've said and read it for yourself. And then go find the counter arguments and read them. Then make an INFORMED decision on the topic. This is how you make one. Research both sides and see where you stand.
I will point out this, do you see grown cows suckling on the udders of female cows? Do you hear of any other animal out there that continues to ingest dairy of any sort after infancy or toddler age? There has to be a reason for this. The body is not designed to process this stuff into your adult life.
An excerpt for a teaser: "Dairy products—including cheese, ice cream, milk, butter, and yogurt—contribute significant amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat to the diet.12 Diets high in fat and saturated fat can increase the risk of heart disease, among other serious health problems. A low-fat vegetarian diet that eliminates dairy products, in combination with exercise, smoking cessation, and stress management, can not only prevent heart disease, but may also reverse it.13,14 Non-fat dairy products are available; however, they pose other health risks as noted below."
Some resources for your consideration:
1.) http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/dairy.html
2.) http://www.notmilk.com/deb/100498.html
3.) http://www.strongbones.org/
There are more out there, you just need to look for them. Again, read and research both sides of this argument. Getting informed is always a great thing!
Fast Swims!
Flash
I don't want to copy and paste just random excerpts off other sites and take statements "out of context", so I will do what Ed Begley Jr does. GO OUT AND RESEARCH IT FOR YOURSELF!
Look into what I've said and read it for yourself. And then go find the counter arguments and read them. Then make an INFORMED decision on the topic. This is how you make one. Research both sides and see where you stand.
I will point out this, do you see grown cows suckling on the udders of female cows? Do you hear of any other animal out there that continues to ingest dairy of any sort after infancy or toddler age? There has to be a reason for this. The body is not designed to process this stuff into your adult life.
An excerpt for a teaser: "Dairy products—including cheese, ice cream, milk, butter, and yogurt—contribute significant amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat to the diet.12 Diets high in fat and saturated fat can increase the risk of heart disease, among other serious health problems. A low-fat vegetarian diet that eliminates dairy products, in combination with exercise, smoking cessation, and stress management, can not only prevent heart disease, but may also reverse it.13,14 Non-fat dairy products are available; however, they pose other health risks as noted below."
Some resources for your consideration:
1.) http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/dairy.html
2.) http://www.notmilk.com/deb/100498.html
3.) http://www.strongbones.org/
There are more out there, you just need to look for them. Again, read and research both sides of this argument. Getting informed is always a great thing!
Fast Swims!
Flash
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Water's Great! The Water's Fine! ... etc.
When tinkering around with this blog, I knew I wanted to talk about Age Group swimming and how big a role it can play in the development of quality athletes and athleticism as a whole in our youth. I just wasn't sure how or what exactly I was going to write about.
The "issue" is when you start to talk about children you either come across as too enthusiastic or too critical. How do you find that balance? And where do you put your emphasis? Especially with such a technical sport. This section is going to be more of an editorial on the sport compared to the other 4 days.
When looking at the importance of swimming and water safety in general, acclimation to the environment is paramount. "More than one in four fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger.¹ For every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries." (www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars) Most Age Group swimmers are considered 12 y/o's and younger. It goes without saying that teaching proper water safety, both open and pool, as well as enforcing strong stroke mechanics to help them when they do end up in over their head.
If you're unsure of where you need to go for quality swim lessons, you can always check out your local Red Cross chapter or what I might recommend is inquire with a local club swim team, and see if they have a stroke school program. Your children can always attend swim lessons for the water safety aspect, but club team stroke schools have a tendency to establish better habits technically speaking.
Fast Swims!!!
Flash
The "issue" is when you start to talk about children you either come across as too enthusiastic or too critical. How do you find that balance? And where do you put your emphasis? Especially with such a technical sport. This section is going to be more of an editorial on the sport compared to the other 4 days.
When looking at the importance of swimming and water safety in general, acclimation to the environment is paramount. "More than one in four fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger.¹ For every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries." (www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars) Most Age Group swimmers are considered 12 y/o's and younger. It goes without saying that teaching proper water safety, both open and pool, as well as enforcing strong stroke mechanics to help them when they do end up in over their head.
If you're unsure of where you need to go for quality swim lessons, you can always check out your local Red Cross chapter or what I might recommend is inquire with a local club swim team, and see if they have a stroke school program. Your children can always attend swim lessons for the water safety aspect, but club team stroke schools have a tendency to establish better habits technically speaking.
Fast Swims!!!
Flash
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Critique of the Week: 25 February 2010
I have not received any requests for critiques. In fact I have only 3 followers and of those 3 only 1 swims. Sadly though, he's not allowed anywhere near the pool at his school. That being said, Ponson if you want me to critique your stroke let me know what you want me to analyze and if you can get me any video to look over I'll be sure to review it and post my comments.
Fast Swims!
Flash
Fast Swims!
Flash
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