All Strokes - Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen

Important Note to the Viewer

LESSONS: 14 VIDEOS

The Six Principles

Aloha, and thanks for joining me. My name is Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen, and in this video I want to share with you the things I think about when I swim. These are focus points that I’ve learned through many years of teaching, training, and competing in pools and in open water. You may be surprised to find that I think about a few big things rather than a lot of small details. I try to use just six simple ideas to guide all of my swimming. These 6 things are: 1. Enter the hand slightly outside the shoulder. 2. Keep the head neutral. Keep the eyes down, and the hips high. 3. Use a high-elbow catch. 4. Know where and how to apply power. 5. Keep the kick small and quick. 6. Practice relaxed breathing. These are simple ideas that apply to every stroke. I use them to un-complicate my swimming, and I hope they’ll do the same for you. As you work through the video, remember to focus on just one thing at a time. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to do this. If you focus on one thing at a time, and focus on what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, you’ll become more self aware as a swimmer, and that’s the key to getting faster. When you work on these techniques, always be willing to experiment with your stroke, and to compare efficient technique with inefficient technique. When you swim with poor technique on purpose... ... and then swim with good technique, it’s easy to feel why good technique makes you swim faster and with less effort. Remember that changing old habits takes time, and sometimes your stroke will feel weird for a while until new habits and new patterns become second nature. When you go to the pool, don’t just go through the motions. As you try some of the things on this video, really think about what you’re doing. Become aware of how things feel. And if something works for you, make it your own. Mahalo -- thanks for joining me... and for sharing my love for the water. I hope this video will help simplify your swimming and make you more aware of what you do in the water. If it makes you faster...or more efficient...or makes you better at coaching yourself, that's what makes me happy. So if you’re ready to go fast, let’s go swim.

Butterfly - Applying The Six Principles

Start Each Stroke with Arms in a “V” Position When Karlyn swims butterfly, she thinks about landing her hands slightly wider than shoulder width -- and entering with her palms flat or with the pinky slightly in. If we slow it down, you can see that Karlyn’s arms form a “V” when the hands enter. The fingertips aim toward the corners of the lane. By entering wide, with the arms in a “V” position, Karlyn avoids any in-and-out motion of the hands, and gets directly into her catch. From this angle you can see that Karlyn’s hands enter just wide of the shoulders...that they pull directly back, without coming too close to her centerline...and that the hands exit out to the sides rather than pushing all the way back to her thighs. The pull is quick and direct; the hands never get “stuck” at any point. Use a High-Elbow Catch With the arms in a “V” position, and hands pointed to the corners of the lane, Karlyn is in great position to POP the elbows to initiate a high-elbow catch. With elbows high and fingertips now pointed down, Karlyn pulls directly back toward the hips, trying not to let her hands come near the middle -- or centerline -- of her body. Karlyn points the hands...pops the elbows...and presses back with the forearms. Know Where and How to Apply Power Karlyn puts the umph -- the power -- at the front part of the pull. Her secret for generating maximum power is the wrist. If we slow things down, you can see that Karlyn maintains a straight pulling surface from fingertips to elbow, and uses that surface to press water toward her feet. It’s the firm wrist that helps generate power. She puts the umph in the front part of the pull. Once the hands reach the hips, Karlyn releases the power and shoots her hands out to the sides. By releasing early and to the sides, Karlyn maintains a quick cadence with her arms, and this gives momentum to her arms as they recover over the water. Karlyn tries to keep her arms low and relaxed as they recover over the water. She applies energy and power at the front of her pull...and tries to conserve energy during the recovery part of the pull. Keep Head Neutral, Eyes Down, Hips High Like all great butterfliers, Karlyn has an undulating stroke. But notice that the undulation is small and quick. Her body flows through the water in a wave-like motion, but the amplitude of the wave is small. Karlyn’s focus is to keep everything moving forward, rather than having too much up-and-down movement with her body and hands. Notice that as Karlyn’s hands enter the water, she sends them forward rather than down, and that her chest also lands forward rather than down. Landing forward with the chest helps her maintain an ideal body position for butterfly -- with eyes looking down and hips up near the surface. When Karlyn breathes, she keeps her head just above the surface of the water. She avoids any extra up-and-down movement with the head and neck. Also notice that during the breath, her eyes are oriented slightly down, rather than looking forward. Finally, notice how Karlyn uses the timing of the breath to maintain good body position. As the hands catch and begin to pull, Karlyn goes immediately to air. She takes a quick breath...and her head is back in the water before the hands enter the water. By keeping the head in neutral, keeping the eyes down, and keeping the breath quick and low, Karlyn avoids up-and-down motion and sends her energy forward. Keep the Kick Small and Quick In butterfly, you want to maintain momentum at all times. Karlyn does this by keeping everything small and quick. This goes for her undulation, her pull...and especially her kick. From the side, you can see that Karlyn takes two kicks per armstroke. She kicks her hands in...and she kicks her hands out. You can also see that Karlyn keeps the kick small and quick. Rather than kicking from the knees, she kicks from the core and from the hips. As her chest goes in and forward, her hips go up, and this lets her get power out of her core. The feet simply follow along, with a small, quick, up-and-down motion. Practice Relaxed Breathing Butterfly can be an exhausting stroke. And swimmers make it more exhausting by holding their breath. On every lap...at every practice...Karlyn works on relaxed breathing. In this clip, focus just on the bubbles that come from Karlyn’s nose. As the head lands forward, you can already see the bubbles. They’re not pushed out with a lot of force. Instead, Karlyn hums out her air. Watch how the stream of bubbles continues through one stroke cycle, then another stroke cycle, until Karlyn goes to air. In this clip, watch for the steady stream of bubbles, but also notice how relaxed Karlyn’s face is. Her mouth is slightly open, which relaxes the jaw, which relaxes the entire body. This kind of relaxation takes great concentration...on a daily basis. Start by relaxing the jaw, and then try to achieve the steady stream of bubbles. Butterfly will become a lot easier if you don’t hold your breath!

Butterfly - Contrast Drills

Fins Are Recommended! Pull Too Wide/Pull Too Narrow/Pull at Shoulder Width To find the optimum width for your hand entry, try a 3-way contrast drill. Start by entering the hands way too wide. Really exaggerate this, and notice how it interrupts your rhythm and gives you a choppy stroke. Then exaggerate in the other direction, by entering the hands right at your centerline. Notice how this causes your hands to scull out...in...and out again...before they get into the catch and before they create any umph or propulsion. Finally, try entering the hands on a line just slightly wide of the shoulders. And try entering with the palms flat on the water -- rather than entering thumb first. Think about pointing your fingers to the corners of the lane. What you should notice is that the hands go directly into the catch, and that it’s easy to pull directly back with a high-elbow catch. Try all three ways. You’ll probably find that entering the hands slightly wider than shoulder width feels the most powerful. Another way to find your power zone is to do some pop-outs. In the deep end of the pool, place your hands on the deck and push yourself up so that you’re resting on your palms. Notice how far apart you placed your hands. Now try a pop-out with your hands close together... And one with your hands far apart. Where did you feel the most power? If it was with the hands just outside your shoulders, THAT’S your power zone, and that’s how wide your hands should enter when you swim butterfly. Extended Release/Early Release It feels productive to push all the way back, but if the hands get “stuck” at the thighs, it’s actually harder to maintain rhythm and momentum. When the hands get stuck, it’s hard work to get the arms out and over the water. Try swimming with this kind of stroke -- where you push all the way back... ...and then try swimming with this kind of stroke, where the hands release early and out to the sides. Notice how much easier it is to recover the arms...and how much easier it is to maintain your rhythm. Try both ways: extended release... ...And short release, maintaining a quick cadence and forward momentum. Pause/Don’t Pause at the Top Many swimmers like to rest for a bit by letting their hands pause at the top of the stroke. The extra rest feels good, but if you get stuck here, it actually takes more work to get started again and to maintain your momentum. Try exaggerating the pause -- getting stuck at the top... And see how it compares to a short pause at the top. You may need fins to achieve the short pause, but once you feel what it’s like to maintain your rhythm and momentum... ...it’s easier to get the same feeling when you take off the fins. Remember: You don’t want to get stuck at any part of the stroke in butterfly. Big Kick/Little Kick Many swimmers believe they need a big, whale-type kick to power their butterfly. They kick from the knees, they let the feet come way out of the water, and they usually make a big thunking sound when they swim. The key to fast butterfly is to keep everything small and quick -- including the kick. Try swimming butterfly with a big, splashy kick. Then try swimming with a minimal kick. Keep your feet IN the water so your kick is nice and quiet. Try not to bend your knees too much. And try, instead, to kick from your hips and your core. See which kind of kick makes your butterfly feel easier and faster. Too Much Up and Down/Swim “Flat” Undulation is a good thing in butterfly, but too much up-and-down will slow you down and cause you to swim extra distance on every length. Try a few lengths where you exaggerate your undulation by driving the hands toward the bottom and letting the head come up too high on the breath. Then try a few lengths where you swim “flat” -- with no up-and-down movement of the hands or of your body. Neither style will feel very good. But if you take the “flat” style of swimming and add just a bit of undulation with your hips and torso, you may find that your butterfly feels easier and and faster. Remember: The key to butterfly is to keep your momentum going, to not get stuck at any point in the stroke, and to send your energy forward rather than up and down.

Backstroke - Applying the Six Principles

Enter the Hand Slightly Outside the Shoulder Over-reaching is one of the most common mistakes in backstroke. When the hand enters above the head, the first thing that hand can do is push water to the side of the pool. Pushing to the side does nothing to send you forward. All it does is make you wiggle down the pool. To learn where the hands should enter the water, raise both arms and pretend they are arms on a clock. Hold them at 10 and 2, so that your arms form a “V.” This will feel very wide, but this is where you’ll get the best catch and the most power from your pull. As you swim, try to achieve this same spacing -- with the hands entering the water just wider than the shoulder -- at 10 and 2 on the clock face. Notice that Karlyn has a very clean and precise hand entry, with the pinky entering first, and slicing into the water. As the hand enters, the hip dips down to help her initiate the catch. Keep Head Neutral, Eyes Up, Hips High Karlyn’s backstroke is fluid, efficient, and effortless. It’s also very fast. One of her secrets is good body position, including how she holds her head, eyes, and hips. From the surface, you can see that her head is steady, and that her chin is in neutral -- not too far back and not tucked in too much. Her eyes are focused not on her feet but on the sky directly above her feet. From below the surface, you can see that Karlyn’s body position is nearly horizontal. Her hips are near the surface, and her toes are breaking the surface with a light, almost “fluffy” kick. this is great body position for backstroke. Use a High-Elbow Catch From under water you can see that Karlyn’s hand enters pinky first, and that she SLICES her hand into the water. Also notice that the hands enter just wide of the shoulders and not directly above the head. Karlyn initiates the pull by driving the hand down a bit, then bending the elbow to initiate the catch. Just as it’s less effective to swim freestyle with a straight-arm pull, or by dropping the elbow, the same is true for backstroke. Notice how Karlyn’s initial movement is to POINT the hand to the corner of the lane, then she BENDS the elbow and begins to PUSH water toward her feet. Know Where and How to Apply Power In backstroke, the “umph” -- or power -- occurs just after you bend the elbow. If we pause it right here...you can see that the power is created by the palm, wrist, and forearm acting as one unit. Notice the straight line that’s formed from the palm through the wrist. It’s this straight surface that is the pressure point for power. The power phase comes right after the elbow bends. As the hand reaches the hip, Karlyn lets go of the pressure and tries not to push all the way through to the thigh. She doesn’t want the hand to get “stuck” at the thigh. Notice that Karlyn orients her thumb near the surface as she presses her hand and wrist toward the hip. This does two things: It sets up her hand for a thumb-first exit, which keeps the exit quick and clean. And it allows the hand to continue to push water toward the feet. Many swimmers flip the hand over at this point, as if they were flipping a pancake. This pushes water toward the bottom of the pool rather than toward the feet. Keep the Kick Small and Quick Karlyn’s kick is small and quick. She sometimes describes it as light or fluffy -- and she tries to make the water boil with her toes. From under water you can see that Karlyn’s toes tap each other, which keeps the kick small and compact. She thinks about keeping her legs long and her ankles loose. And, finally, notice that Karlyn rotates more from her hips than from her shoulders. By rotating around her core, she keeps her energy moving forward, with very little side-to-side movement. Practice Relaxed Breathing Most swimmers never think about breathing when they swim backstroke. What they don’t realize is that they’re missing a huge opportunity to add rhythm and relaxation to their stroke. The most important thing is to not hold your breath. Try to swim with the mouth slightly open and the jaw relaxed, and try to establish a steady rhythm for inhaling and exhaling. Match the inhale and exhale to your armstroke, experimenting with breathing every stroke or every other stroke until you find a pattern that’s comfortable for you. This will take daily practice and awareness, but it will pay dividends by giving you extra oxygen and energy to go fast.

Backstroke - Contrast Drills

Backstroke Float & Double-Arm Backstroke Karlyn begins her clinics by having swimmers float on their back. Extend your arms over your head so that they form a “V,” and push off at the surface. Kick just enough so that your legs don’t drop. There should be a 4- to 5-inch gap between your ear and your shoulder. This “V” position may feel really wide, but if you start every stroke of backstroke with the hand in this position, you’ll avoid one of the most common stroke errors, which is over-reaching. Start by floating on your back with arms in a “V” position. Now, gradually move your hands to the center -- to “high noon” on the clock face -- and notice how much extra tension this creates in your shoulders. Also notice what it does to your body position. Then bring your hands back to a “V” and hold it. The “V” position should feel good, and this is where you want to start each stroke. A wider hand entry on backstroke is a more natural position for your shoulders. It allows for a greater range of motion, and lays the foundation for a solid catch and pull. Double-Arm Backstroke Once you’ve established your “V” position, swim a few lengths of double-arm backstroke with either a flutter or breaststroke kick. As you recover the arms, keep your chest open by bringing the arms up and around in an ARC -- as if you were drawing a rainbow -- and not directly up and over your head -- as if you just scored a touchdown. This may feel too wide, but it’s probably right were you need to be for a 10 and 2 hand entry. The hands enter the water pinky first. Slice them down... and tuck your elbows into your rib cage. Cup the hands and shove water toward the opposite wall. By tucking the elbows in, you establish a bent-arm pull and avoid the common mistake of pulling with a straight-arm. As your hands enter the water, make it a quick entry and maintain that hand speed as you drive the hand down into the catch...then tuck the elbows in and use a bent arm to push water toward the opposite end of the pool. As you pull, keep your wrist firm and straight. Imagine there’s a metal plate that runs from the middle of your palm along your wrist, keeping it nice and firm. And when you go to cup the hand, cup with your wrist and not with your fingers. Think of using your entire arm -- fingertips to elbows -- as one unit. And as you push water toward the opposite wall, think about getting your thumb pointed toward the sky for a clean hand exit. Notice how Karlyn never lets her hands “get stuck” at her thighs. She avoids this common mistake by thinking about having slippery thighs. She sweeps the hand quickly up and into the recovery. Start with three or four strokes of double-arm backstroke, focusing on a wide hand entry and entering pinky first, then bend the elbow as you cup the hands and shove water toward your feet. Then switch to regular backstroke, holding on to your wide hand entry, bent-arm pull, straight wrist, and clean, quick exit. Head Back/Head Down A good contrast drill is to swim one length of backstroke with your head tilted back and your eyes looking for the other end of the pool. Try it and see what happens to your body, and how much water you get up your nose. Now exaggerate your head position in the other direction. Swim a length with your chin tucked to your chest and your eyes looking at your feet. Notice what happens to your hips and your kick. Now try a length with your head in neutral, with eyes looking straight up -- or looking up at a point just above your feet. Neutral usually feels better and faster -- because your body is more horizontal and your kick is more productive. Big Kick/Little Kick Another good contrast drill is to swim one length of backstroke with a big, bent-knee kick... ...and one length with a small, quick kick, pointing your toes and allowing your toes to tap each other. Which feels more efficient? Which feels like it puts your body in a more horizontal position? Usually, the smaller your kick, the faster you’ll go with the least expenditure of energy. And the smaller your kick, the easier it is to rotate your hips and maintain a quick rhythm with your arms. Don’t be afraid to experiment with some bad swimming -- exaggerating a common mistake... ...and then correcting it with a drill or with your new style of swimming. Remember: With any change in your technique, it takes take time for “weird” to start feeling like “normal.” Contrast drills will help make you aware of WHY the new technique is better.

Breaststroke - Applying The Six Principles

Hand, Head, Eye, and Hip Position Whether your breaststroke is flat, wave-style, or somewhere in between (like Karlyn), the goal is to minimize drag and maintain momentum. The best way to do this is to get into an almost streamlined body position on every stroke. If we stop it here, you can see Karlyn’s breaststroke streamline -- arms extended, head between arms, eyes down, hips high, legs long, and toes pointed. Here it is again...streamline. It’s a simple thing, but getting into “breaststroke streamline” on every stroke is the easiest way to go faster. Use a High-Elbow Catch From her streamlined position, Karlyn points her hands to the corners of the lane. She tries to slide the hands out with almost no effort, as if she were parting the water. With the arms in a “V,” and hands pointed to the corners, Karlyn pops the elbows and points her fingertips down to initiate the catch. Here it is in slow motion. She parts the water...points to the corners...POPS the elbows, and points her fingertips down to start the catch. Here’s another angle where you can see how she moves from streamline arms, to arms in a “V,” to lifting the elbows and aiming the fingertips toward the bottom. Know Where and How to Apply Power Karlyn’s pull is small, quick, and compact. Her hands describe a “U” shape during the insweep, and she puts the umph -- the power -- at the bottom of the “U.” If we slow it down, you can see that Karlyn creates an unbroken surface from fingertips to elbows, and maintains a firm wrist all the way through the press. Karlyn begins the press when her hands are about half way down the “U.” But the real press -- the UMPH -- comes as the hands press through the bottom of the “U.” Karlyn’s pull is small, quick, and compact. She pulls the hands just under the chin and not to her chest. And she never lets the hands get stuck under her chin. As she takes a quick breath, the hands keep moving as they come together and shoot forward into streamline. Keep the Kick Small and Quick In the next few clips, focus just on Karlyn’s kick. To minimize drag, and because she’s more of a puller than a kicker, Karlyn uses a small, narrow kick, and tries to push water back with her feet. Instead of slamming the feet together, Karlyn thinks about staying narrow with her knees... and kicking back with her feet. From the side, you can see another important way that Karlyn minimizes drag. When she sets up for the kick, Karlyn draws her heels up toward her butt...rather than drawing her knees up to her chest. As Karlyn sets up for the kick, she keeps her feet and legs hidden behind her body, and this minimizes drag. Practice Relaxed Breathing In all four strokes, Karlyn uses breathing as part of her technique. If you watch the bubbles near Karlyn’s face, you can see that she exhales almost continuously from the moment her face enters the water...to the moment she rises to air. She tries not to push her air out -- or force it out. Instead, she hums her air out. She hums to the surface, releasing most but not ALL of her air... takes a “soft” inhale... and starts humming again as her face enters the water. A relaxed breathing pattern helps her stay in rhythm and stay focused on bringing each stroke back to streamline.

Breaststroke - Contrast Drills

No Streamline/Streamline Compare the amount of resistance in this style of breaststroke -- where Karlyn has no glide and doesn’t reach streamline on every stroke... ...with the amount of resistance in this style -- where Karlyn takes time to get into a streamline glide on every stroke. Taking lots of strokes like this may feel productive... But you’re actually more productive if you take time to get into streamline on every stroke. Streamline allows you to travel forward without much effort. It also sets you up for a a more productive pull. Try a length where you start with rapid strokes and no glide... ...And transition into a longer stroke, achieving streamline on every stroke. Getting Stuck Under the Chin/Fast Hands A common mistake in breaststroke is letting the hands get “stuck” under the chin. It feels good to get that long breath of air, but if you pause too long with your hands under your chin, you create a dead spot in your stroke, and it’s actually harder to keep your momentum going. Compare this stroke -- with hands under the chin... ...to this type of stroke, where Karlyn is focusing on fast hands. Her pull is small and quick...and she shoots her hands back into streamline. Try swimming both ways...big pull and a long pause for air with hands under the chin... ...and small pull, working on fast hands, quick breath, and getting back into streamline as quickly as possible. Elbows Down/Elbows Up A common mistake in breaststroke is letting the elbows DROP during the pull. Here it looks like Karlyn is using her hands to polish the water, rather than using them to pull herself forward. Here... Karlyn is keeping her elbows UP during the pull. Her hands sweep out...the elbows POP...the fingertips point down...and she keeps her elbows high for a quick pull that happens out in front of her body. Notice that with elbows up and fingertips down, Karlyn creates a long straight pulling surface. Her palm, wrist, and forearm work as one unit to pull her forward. Try both ways: Swim with your elbows down and your fingertips pointed up or forward... ... then swim with elbows up and fingertips down. Maintain a straight pulling surface from fingertips to elbow. Wide Kick/Narrow Kick Swimmers love to feel like they’re working hard, and there’s nothing that takes more work than a big, wide breaststroke kick. The wider your kick, the more resistance you create, and the harder you have to work to overcome that resistance. A wide kick can feel productive. But what you’re feeling is the huge surge that happens when you go from here -- almost a full stop -- to getting moving again. With a narrow kick you won’t feel those huge surges of power. But you’ll create less resistance, which makes it easier to keep moving forward. By keeping her knees close together, bringing the heels up toward the butt, and kicking back with the feet, Karlyn creates minimum drag and maximum power. When you contrast this for yourself, notice how a wide kick creates a slower stroke... ...and how a narrow kick creates a quick rhythm that helps you maintain momentum and power.

Freestyle - Applying the Six Principles

Enter the Hand Slightly Outside the Shoulder Karlyn’s freestyle is fluid, efficient, and effortless. It’s also very fast -- helping her achieve world records at every distance from 50 meters to 5K. Her signature is a wide hand entry, with the hand entering slightly wider than the shoulder. From the front you can see that Karlyn’s hand entry is clean -- no bubbles -- and that the hand enters flat and fingertips first. Notice the spacing...that the hand enters slightly outside the shoulder. The hand extends briefly, pauses, then catches and pulls directly back, with no in-and-out movement. The hands stay away from the centerline of her body. Use a High-Elbow Catch Karlyn’s hand enters, extends, and pauses briefly. She then lifts or POPS the elbow to initiate the catch. As the elbow lifts, the fingertips point down, creating a single pulling surface from fingertips to elbow. If we slow it down, you can see how she begins the catch by passively lifting or “popping” the elbow up near the surface while at the same time pointing the fingertips toward the bottom of the pool. The hand, wrist and forearm work as one unit to achieve this high-elbow catch, sometimes called Early Vertical Forearm or E-V-F. And if we slow it WAY down, you can see the straight line that’s formed from Karlyn’s fingertips... all the way to her elbow. She doesn’t allow the wrist to collapse...or her elbow to collapse during the pull. This is one of the most important moves in swimming, so let’s watch from another angle as Karlyn enters, extends, pauses, then pops the elbow and points the fingertips down to start her pull. Know Where and How to Apply Power Karlyn puts the umph at the front. She applies power at the beginning of the pull, right after she’s established a nice straight pulling surface. The power phase is short. Once the hand reaches the hip, Karlyn eases up and rounds off the pull. Even if the hand continues to move back, there’s not much power behind it. She releases the energy -- the press -- and allows the hand and arm to flow into the recovery rather than get stuck at the back, which would cause her to lose tempo and momentum. From the side, we can see the secret to Karlyn’s power phase. She makes the hand, wrist, and forearm work as one unit. She imagines she has a 3-inch titanium plate embedded in her wrist, and that the plate will not bend. She maintains a long straight pulling surface that works as one unit to push water toward her feet. Keep Head Neutral, Eyes Up, Hips High One of the key ingredients to Karlyn’s speed is that she has great balance. What that means is that she holds her body in a balanced, horizontal position. Karlyn looks down with her eyes, which keeps her neck relaxed and her head in a neutral position. When the head is in neutral, the hips come up, the legs come up, and your kick becomes more propulsive because you’re not fighting drag. Karlyn is balanced front to back, but also from side to side, and she does this by keeping her rotation small and quick. Notice that Karlyn rotates not with her shoulders, but from her hips and core. By keeping the shoulders somewhat flat, it’s easier to keep the shoulders stable, and easier to lift the elbow to initiate the catch. Keep the Kick Small and Quick Karlyn’s rotation occurs in the lower torso, hips, and legs. The action is quick and small, and this helps her maintain rhythm and forward motion. Karlyn focuses on keeping her flutter kick small and “fluffy,” rather than big and deep. She turns her feet inward a bit and tries to tap her big toes together, keeping the rhythm small and consistent. Practice Relaxed Breathing No matter how fast Karlyn is swimming, she makes a conscious effort to stay relaxed. She does this by relaxing her breathing. In this clip, notice that Karlyn swims with her mouth open all the time. She’s trying to relax her jaw, which relaxes her entire body. Karlyn never holds her breath. As her head returns to the water, Karlyn starts exhaling almost immediately, and she exhales mostly through the nose. She doesn’t force her air out. She hums her air out. She continues a steady, relaxed exhale, making sure not to fully exhale, but to leave a small amount of air in reserve. She then takes a quick breath and starts to hum out her air as soon as her face goes back in. Relaxed breathing is something that Karlyn works on every day...on every length. It’s a subtle thing, and takes great awareness and control, but it’s one of the secrets of fast swimming.

Freestyle - Contrast Drills

Look at the Bottom/Look Forward Swim a length of freestyle with your eyes looking straight forward. Notice what happens to your hips. And notice the amount of effort it takes. Now swim with your eyes looking straight down. Focus on the tiles...and notice what happens to your hips. Swim half a length looking forward... ...and half a length looking at the bottom, with the neck relaxed and head in neutral. Compare your speed...and the ease with which you swim. Crossing the Centerline/Wide Entry Swim a length where you deliberately let your hands cross the centerline. Did you wiggle? Did you notice a loss of power...or that crossing over took more effort? Now swim a length where you enter the hands wide -- outside the shoulders. What do you notice? If you have trouble entering wide, swim half a length of “water polo” freestyle, with your head out of the water. You can see exactly where your hands are entering, and can keep the entry outside the shoulders. After half a length with your head out, put your head in and keep swimming, but with the hands entering just outside the shoulders. Notice how the wide entry sets you up for a high-elbow catch, and helps you put the umph at the front part of your stroke. Over-Rotation/Flat Shoulders Swim one length with exaggerated shoulder rotation. Really plunge each shoulder into the water. Let your body roll and wiggle as you send the shoulders deep. Then swim a length with your shoulders “flat” or “quiet.” Instead of focusing on rotation, focus on keeping the shoulders level and stable. With less shoulder rotation, you should feel that it’s easier to set up a high-elbow catch, and that it’s easier to maintain a quick, steady rhythm with your pull. Try half a length with more rotation...then half length with quiet shoulders and less rotation. Compare how much power you feel. Broken Wrist/Straight Wrist To emphasize the importance of a firm, straight wrist, swim a length where you initiate the catch by bending the wrist rather than the elbow. Then imagine that you have a steel plate embedded in your wrist, and swim a length where you initiate the catch by bending the elbow and keeping the wrist absolutely straight. Which way gives you more power: broken wrist... ...or straight wrist? Which way lets you use the hand, wrist, and forearm as one unit -- as a single, straight pulling surface to press on the water? Umph at the Back/Umph at the Front Many swimmers have a hard time learning how to apply power at the front part of the stroke. This contrast drill will help you feel how to do it. Start by swimming freestyle and placing the umph at the back of the pull. Push all the way back with your hand and finish each pull with exaggerated force. Now place the umph in the front, by applying exaggerated force right after you initiate the catch. Your pull might feel a bit shallow when you do this. As the hand reaches the hip, let go of the energy and simply let your hand exit and recover into the next stroke. To put the umph at the front, make sure you “pop” the elbow to initiate the catch, and that you maintain an unbroken pulling surface from fingertips to elbow. Use this surface to press BACK and not down. When the hand reaches the hip, let go of the press and let the hand flow quickly into the recovery.

Putting It All Together

In this final section of the video, Karlyn will just swim...and you can watch how all the parts come together. In every stroke, see if you can identify how Karlyn applies her six principles. Do her hands enter slightly outside the shoulder? Is her head in neutral, with eyes down and hips high? Does she use a high-elbow catch? Can you pick out where and how she’s applying power? Is her kick small and quick? And does her breathing looked relaxed? As you add Karlyn’s focus points to your own swimming, remember to work on just one thing at a time. Give yourself permission to experiment, and try to be aware of how you feel when using a new technique. Remember, swimming is not a one-size-fits-all sport. It takes self awareness and the willingness to change to find what works for you.