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Freestyle - Single-Arm Variations

Posted by Glenn Mills on Apr 28, 2009 11:00AM (10,755 views)

While we've focused on single-arm freestyle before, we gave only one side of the story.  Since freestyle is the mainstay of swim training, here are three single-arm variations to help keep things interesting.

Why Do It:
Each single-arm variation will help you focus on a different part of your stroke.  Being able to maintain balance, rotation, and a direct line forward will ultimately help your stroke.

How to Do It:
1,
  Swim a few laps of very smooth freestyle, concentrating on swimming with your best, most stable stroke.
2.  Start your single-arm drilling with the non-stroking arm held out front.  This will help you focus on extension and being able to hold the lead arm as steady as possible through the rotation.  Breathe to the opposite side of the extended arm.
3.  Now try a single-arm variation where you drop the lead arm down to your side.  As you start this, breathe to the side of the trailing arm.
4.  Try not to stay "flat" like this swimmer is doing, but rotate your trailing shoulder out of the water each time.
5.  The next single-arm variation is to breathe to the opposite side, or the stroking-arm side.
6.  The trick here is to maintain rhythm.

How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
On each of these freestyle single-arm variations, focus on your catch and how you're drawing yourself forward.  Also try to make sure you're not bouncing up and down, but rather staying very stable.




Responses

Responded Apr 28, 2009 09:58PM

Good, essential drills.

Responded Apr 29, 2009 06:20AM

haven't tried the third variation before. I bet it feels a bit unnatural on the first try...

Responded May 02, 2009 09:36PM

Stay focus on shoulder rotation not hips :)

Responded May 03, 2009 02:00PM

Comparto la opinion de ALX hay que concentrarse mucho en los hombros, si que se olvide la posicion de la cabeza.

Responded May 10, 2009 10:28PM

Juan is saying "I share the opinion of Alx, it's necessary to concentrate a lot on the shoulders and you will absolutely forget the position of the head."

(Hmm. Ought to look at this drill and see if the point is to forget about your head.) (Hmm. Doesn't seem to be about forgetting about the head. OK. Perhaps I should stop trying to improve my Spanish this way.) (Glenn, all you have to do is tell me to stop.)

Maybe Juan means the head position will come naturally if you rotate your shoulders correctly. :)

Responded May 12, 2009 07:14PM

I thought that hips should rotate with shoulder, right?

Responded May 12, 2009 09:46PM

No worries isobel... keep it up. :) Leaf... ideally the hips and shoulders will rotate somewhat together, but don't lock everything up so tightly as to keep them perfectly aligned. There will be some torquing involved in all swimming, if that's what you're asking. Hope I got that right.


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