Freestyle - Kristian Golomeev

Important Note to the Viewer

LESSONS: 52 VIDEOS

Freestyle with a Stick

Swimming freestyle with a stick helps you explore the similarities between sprint freestyle…and paddling a kayak. The basic idea is that your driving force should come from the recovering arm and not from the pulling arm. In reality, the driving force is through the core of the body, but you’ll grasp the concept a bit better by focusing on the recovering arm. To get started, you need a rigid stick. Kristian uses a thin stick found at the local garden store – the kind you’d use to support a tall plant. Kristian doesn’t use fins, but recommends then when you’re first learning the drill. As you start to swim, make sure the lead hand is close to the surface when you start to apply pressure to the leverage position – the catch position. If the hand gets too deep before pressure is applied, the swimmer will lose balance and the concept of the drill will escape them. The point of the drill is to connect the “catch” position of the lead arm to the initiation of the recovery with the trailing arm. The connection is through the core. When done correctly, the drill helps the swimmer understand how the rotation of the body, aided by the driving force of the recovering arm, puts pressure on leading arm. The catch is powered not so much by the pulling arm, but by the rotation of the core and the force of the recovering arm. This is a subtle difference in how power is applied. You don’t pull against the leverage point – the catch. You put pressure against the leverage point via the rotation of the body. This is a drill to be done slowly and with great focus. It’s about connecting the front and back of your stroke through the core.

Freestyle with Paddles and Stick

Swimming freestyle with paddles and a stick helps you explore the similarities between sprint freestyle…and paddling a kayak. The basic idea is that your driving force should come from the recovering arm and not from the pulling arm. In reality, the driving force is through the core of the body, but you’ll grasp the concept a bit better by focusing on the recovering arm. To get started, you need a rigid stick and a pair of paddles with multiple holes. You’ll also need a pair of fins during the learning stage. Kristian uses Strokemaker paddles and a stick found at the local garden store – the kind you’d use to support a tall plant. A thin stick can be used without paddles. A thicker stick works best with paddles. Use a twist-tie or zip-tie to attach the stick to the paddles, and make sure the paddles are adjustable on the stick. That way, several swimmers can use the same setup. Make sure the paddles aren’t too far apart on the stick, as this will work against the swimmer. The stroke should feel “natural” as opposed to “unnatural” when using the setup. As you start to swim, make sure the paddle is close to the surface when you start to apply pressure to the leverage position – the catch position. If the paddle gets too deep before pressure is applied, the swimmer will lose balance and the concept of the drill will escape them. The point of the drill is to connect the “catch” position of the lead arm to the initiation of the recovery with the trailing arm. The connection is through the core. When done correctly, the drill helps the swimmer understand how the rotation of the body, aided by the driving force of the recovering arm, puts pressure on leading arm. The catch is powered not so much by the pulling arm, but by the rotation of the core and the force of the recovering arm. This is a subtle difference in how power is applied. You don’t pull against the leverage point – the catch. You put pressure against the leverage point via the rotation of the body. This is a drill to be done slowly and with great focus. It’s about connecting the front and back of your stroke through the core.

Roller Balance

For Roller Balance you need a therapy-grade foam roller. While Kristian does not use a mat, it would be a good idea to use a mat – one that’s large enough to extend from head to toes underneath the roller. Position yourself on the roller so that it extends from the top of your spine to below your tailbone. Arms are in a “T” with pinky fingers touching the floor. Feet are shoulder-width apart with heels touching the floor. When you feel balanced with hands and feet lightly touching the floor, try lifting the hands and feet off the floor. This is hard to do, so keep trying, even if you can lift just one hand or one foot off the floor.

Physioball Balance

For Physioball Balance you need…a Physioball! Stand behind the ball with feet shoulder-width apart and with the ball touching your shins. Place both hands on the ball and slowly roll forward onto your hands until both knees are on the ball and your feet come off the floor. When you are balanced on the ball, slowly raise both arms into a “T” and then raise them – slowly – into streamline. It’s helpful to stare at one spot on the floor in front of you, until you establish your balance. Use the muscles of your core and inner thighs to maintain streamline balance. Make SMALL adjustments to maintain balance. Avoid large adjustments or any jerky movements. Again, try staring at one spot in front of you to stay balanced. Lower the arms to your sides and repeat.

Freestyle - Stroke Timing - Kristian

As Kristian swims across the split screen at three different speeds, notice the changes in his armstroke. At slow speed, he holds his extension and has more of a “front-quadrant” stroke. As he picks up the pace, Kristian lets go of the extension just a bit sooner. And at his fastest pace (shown here in slow motion), Kristian still reaches extension out front, but goes immediately into his catch and pull.

Freestyle from Below – Connections

There’s lots to notice in this footage of Kristian’s freestyle, shot from below. What catches our eye is his overall bodyline and how he connects his extended hand with his lower hip. He patiently sets up the hip and the hand and then CONNECTS them by rotating his core. The connection creates power and rotational force. By using a 6-beat kick, Kristian adds a third point of connection. By coordinating the kick with the existing connection between the hand and hip, Kristian gets maximum power from his pull and kick.

Jump Flip

When Kristian wants to work on the speed and tightness of his flip turns, he does Jump Flips. Start in water that is six to eight feet deep, and use a double-wide lane for safety. Sink down until you are crouched on the bottom with arms extended above your head. Spring up with the legs and, as you approach the top of the jump, push down with the arms to launch your body out of the water and into a tight somersault. Kristian grabs his shins with his hands to get into the tightest tuck possible. Notice that Kristian carries enough momentum to get almost his entire body out of the water. As the body sinks, hold the tuck until the head and torso are vertical…then let go and let the feet return to the bottom. The fine points? To get maximum speed, get into the tightest tuck you can manage and hold on for the full rotation. Look for your knees.

Streamlined Flutter Kick to Swim

Every length of freestyle contains an important transition – when you go from flutter kick in streamline to actual SWIMMING. Kristian practices this transition at slow speeds, paying close attention to every detail. He maintains a stable, horizontal body position and leads with the top of his head. He drives straight ahead with the fingers of his right hand as he hooks in and makes a solid connection with the palm, wrist, and forearm of his pulling arm. Notice that as he completes the pull, Kristian’s right hand is still driving straight ahead. As Kristian picks up the pace, all the details are still in place. Stable body. Driving forward with the fingertips of the right hand. Hooking in with a high elbow and straight wrist for the pull. Finishing the pull before letting go with the lead arm. Kristian knows that if he works slowly and patiently on the details, everything will be available for him when he swims at race-pace and full intensity.

Flip Turn Step #1

Kristian uses a 6-step progression to practice his flip turns. Step 1 is a simple pushoff, head first, with arms at your sides and palms facing down. Now the fine points. Push off gently. Maintain a stable bodyline and point your toes. Head and neck are in neutral position, with eyes looking down. Stay on the surface! Notice that every part of Kristian’s body is under water, but JUST under the surface. This takes great control.

Flip Turn Step #2

Kristian uses a 6-step progression to practice his flip turns. Step 2 is a continuation of Step 1, which was a simple pushoff, head first, with arms at your sides and palms facing down. For Step 2, tuck the chin or lower the head and experience how the water pushes the front of the body down to help initiate the flip. Pay attention to the fine points. The body should be horizontal and right at the surface before your start to tuck the head. When you tuck the head, don’t do ANYTHING ELSE! Resist the urge to use your hands or your abs, or to tuck your knees. Simply tuck the head and feel what happens.

Flip Turn Step #3

Kristian uses a 6-step progression to practice his flip turns. Step 1 is just this part: a simple pushoff, head first, with arms at your sides and palms facing down. Step 2 adds the head tuck, lowering the head into still water to get the body flowing into the flip. Step 3 is a continuation of Step 2, tucking the legs into the body and allowing the hips to flow over the head and torso. To work the fine points, DON’T WORK! Don’t try to see how tight you can tuck or how fast you can flip. The point is to explore how two simple moves -- tucking the head and tucking the knees -- can initiate enough momentum for a complete somersault.

Flip Turn Step #4

Kristian uses a 6-step progression to practice his flip turns. Step 1 is a simple pushoff, head first, with arms at your sides and palms facing down. Step 2 adds the head tuck, lowering the head into still water to get the body flowing into the flip. Step 3, tuck the knees into the torso. And Step 4, push down with the palms. Hold the tuck, and let the feet flow over the top and back into the water. The fine point is timing. If you push down with the palms just as you tuck up with the knees, you will gain speed and momentum as your feet flow over the top. To really feel the connection, perform this step with control rather than speed.