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Browse through our thousands of Lessons to gain a deeper understanding of swimming. Use our search bar located above or, if you're new to the site, use the Guided View to help narrow down the Lessons presented to you. If you use the Guided View, you’ll also be able to add your Expertise Level as an additional filter.

Mar. 12, 2024 - How to Coach Backstroke After Teaching the Basics

Mar. 12, 2024 - How to Coach Backstroke After Teaching the Basics

How to Coach Backstroke After Teaching the Basics After you’ve done the hard work of TEACHING backstroke from scratch…after they’ve mastered the basics of being horizontal on the back, having a productive flutter kick, and being comfortable with backstroke arm action…how do you take your swimmers to the next level? This week we explore the key focus points for backstroke. If you learn to look for these things in your swimmers, and work on teaching these key concepts, you can turn your swimmers into backstrokers. Monday Better Backstroke Concepts: 10 And 2 Hand Entry The most common technique flaw in backstroke is “over-reaching.” Swimmers often aren’t aware that they need to make a correction, so it’s up the coach to teach a “10 and 2” hand entry. Here’s how. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3044-10-and-2-hand-entry> :00 - great visual of how it’s supposed to look :06 - never forget the overall balanced line :17 - knowing how to film :31 - from under you may feel some resistance in this position :51 - hyperextended elbows :55 - make adjustments based on physiology Tuesday Better Backstroke Concepts: Thumb Out Pinky In Teach your swimmers not just the HOW of “thumb out, pinky in” but also the WHY. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3045-thumb-out-pinky-in> :05 - Pinky slices in :14 - why I’d change this straight arm initiation :16 - better pull :17 - old school teaching :20 - proper hand exit :17 - show the hand having to turn over :20 - show the hand finishing and having a direct path out :23 - pinky in puts the body into a good position to initiate the catch :24 - thumb out simplifies the process :35 - thumb out with rotation :37 - relaxed exit with the thumb leading :39 - such an easy teaching point - accentuate the thumb :52 - get the athlete to focus on a definitive turn of the hand halfway through the recovery :53 - HA! Even with the focus… :55 - pinky slice :57 - need to work on this side - over-reach as well :59 - fine on the right side 1:01 - face palm 1:03 - pinky in first 1:05 - pinky in first 1:07 - uh oh - sometimes when it’s too soft, the hesitation of rotation can cause issues Wednesday Better Backstroke Concepts: Where to Look Where a swimmer’s eyes are looking can have a huge impact on backstroke bodyline and power.  Ideal is to train the eyes on the ceiling directly above the feet. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3046-where-to-look>  :06 - very stable - slight head tilt :08 - loo for the orientation of the waterline and face - pretty flat :10 - great shoulder rotation :13 - very stable head - eyes looking up and slightly back :14 - timing the breath :17 - eyes looking back slightly over the body :21 - clear image of the head slightly back :21 - watch the nose for the next few seconds - protected :24.9 - timing the breath on the initiation of the recovery of the right shoulder :31 - less tilt but still a slight chin tuck :32 - precarious position - but think about water flow and velocity :33 - not as much rotation so more shoulder disruption :35 - breath timing at the beginning of the recovery :36 - by the time the water splashes over, the mouth is closed again :40 - water going into the mouth :43 - mouth open for a breath :43 - watch how he expels it :47 - can see the chin tuck angle :52 - eyes looking slightly back Thursday Better Backstroke Concepts: Stable Head (Cup on Forehead) Watch any elite backstroker and one of the first things you notice is that their head remains stable and rock solid. Here’s the classic – and fun – way to imprint this key skill. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3047-cup-on-forehead>  :04 - hand down by your side - gentle slow kick :09 - focus on stability :17 - how much water in the cup? :30 - initiate rotation of the shoulders :33 - I do consider it “cheating” a bit when the hand sculls for stabilization :40 - To challenge more, rotate only with the core, not the hands :46 - extend one of the arms :51 - start taking slow - stable strokes :56 - finding the right weight 1:01 - don’t push off too hard 1:02 - start swimming full stroke back 1:20 - how fast can you go - get a heavier cup Katie <https://youtu.be/16tGOwlwy7E?si=q4238PvQ3yMJohJY> Friday Better Backstroke Concepts: Bent-Arm Pull (Backstroke Scull) Beginning backstrokers tend to pull with a straight arm. Watch for this as a coach, and try to teach a bent-arm pull as soon as possible in the learning process. Here’s a great drill for helping swimmers get a feel for the backstroke bent-arm pull. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3049-backstroke-scull>  :04 - look at the arm in the catch position - EVF :06 - turn the face down :10 - rotated - head stable - arm in catch position :13.26 - THE position :30 - getting the arm into position :35 - only the bottom part of the arm moves :38 - the position we want Saturday Better Backstroke Concepts: Rotation (Connect Hip and Hand) In freestyle and backstroke, always fight the urge to swim flat – and with just with the arms. Here’s how to link the hands and hips for a more powerful and “coordinated” backstroke. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3054-connect-hips-and-hand>  :04 - hand down hip down :05 - hand down hip down :08 - directly into the catch :09 - straight line from one shoulder to the other :15 - when in power, a straight line from one shoulder to the other :19 - hand down hip down :22 - when the entry is too soft, or too slow… it’s flat then he rotates :26 - better to this side :38 - watch the hand entry and the entire body - shoulders - torso - hips rotate together :39 - stays on her side to initiate the recovery and the catch - line from shoulder to shoulder :41 - This is what we’re trying to avoid in most swimmers - elbow behind the shoulderline :46 - slow on left side :48 - better on right side :48 .7 - great on power phase :50 - with less rotation - arm is straighter Sunday Better Backstroke Concepts: Constant Kick (Flow the Kick) The backstroke kick should be constant and gentle, narrow and flowing. Aim for a 6-beat kick that helps the body rotate from one hip to the other. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3059-flow-the-kick>  :02 - constant kick with slow turnover :16 - focusing on a narrow, soft, constant kick :24 - keeping the toes pointed and legs long :31 - not a lot of bend in the knee :37 - look at the maximum bend :44 - kick through the rotation Bonus <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3053-freestyle-scull-for-backstroke> Haufler Backstroke: Backstroke Focus Points <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1300-backstroke-focus-points> For Bent-Arm Pull and Rotation: Better Backstroke Concepts: Single-Arm Backstroke <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3051-single-arm-backstroke>

Jan. 16, 2024 - Lightning Round

Jan. 16, 2024 - Lightning Round

This week we feature GoSwim videos that are 42 seconds or less in length.  As we challenge Glenn to give a quick analysis and takeaway on each video, see how much you can absorb by watching small details with great intensity! Monday Kelsi (Worrell) Dahlia: Preview What’s the first technique point that comes to your mind as you watch Olympian Kelsi Dahlia?  For us, it’s how she undulates just above and below the water line. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2298-preview-kelsi-worrell-butterfly> fitness training swimming  Tuesday Connor Oslin:  PREVIEW – Backstroke Pull What catches our eye in this clip of Connor Oslin is the integrity of the line along his forearm, wrist, and palm as he executes a bent-arm pull. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2304-backstroke-pull> fitness training swimming  Wednesday Roque Santos: Head-on video When we watch this clip of Olympian Roque Santos, two words come to mind:  Hand Speed. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/519-breaststroke-head-on-video> fitness training swimming  Thursday Brendan Hansen:  Breaststroke Turn Brendan Hansen’s turning technique is on full display here, but we also notice the thinking, planning, and adjusting that’s going on each time he sees the wall during the breath. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/925-breaststroke-turn> fitness training swimming  Friday Brendan Hansen:  Breaststroke Timing In two stroke cycles, Brendan Hansen delivers a master class in breaststroke timing.  Look for ONE thing and take the image to the pool with you. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/916-breaststroke-timing> fitness training swimming  Saturday Jason Lezak: Slow Motion Sprinting Here’s slow-motion of Jason Lezak’s sprint freestyle.  We notice the commitment to extension even at race pace. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/977-slow-motion-sprinting> fitness training swimming  Sunday Kaitlin Sandeno:   Underwater Dolphin Kick – Back Full-body flow is what comes to mind as we watch Kaitlin Sandeno’s underwater kick. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/555-underwater-dolphin-back> fitness training swimming  Bonus Ash Delaney: Stable Head Slow Motion This clip is longer than 42 seconds, but we like it because it zeroes in on one aspect of Ash Delaney’s backstroke. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1613-backstroke-stable-head>

Aug 1, 2023 - What We Taught at Summer Camp: Backstroke

Aug 1, 2023 - What We Taught at Summer Camp: Backstroke

080123 - Summer camp - Backstroke - Don’t overreach What We Taught at Summer Swim Camp: Backstroke – Don’t Over Reach This week we offer some ideas and solutions for correcting the most common technique flaw in backstroke: over reaching. Monday Ash Delaney: Backstroke Recover and Catch Australian Olympian Ash Delaney shows where we’re headed for a technically solid backstroke hand entry. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1707-backstroke-recover-and-catch> :14 - Thumb first exit :15 - Great shoulder rotation :17 - Pinky entry and opposite shoulder is about to be exposed :18 - Look how early in the process the shoulder is rotating :20 - Slowly watch the kayak timing of the recovery and pulling arms :21 - Again, immediate rotation :27 - Focus on head stability :36 - Arm directly in front of shoulder :40 - Arm directly in front of shoulder Tuesday Backstroke Drill: Overreach Fix with Video Step 1 in correcting backstroke over reach is convincing the swimmer that they’re over reaching. Grab your camera! <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2380-overreach-fix-with-video>  :02 - overreach :12 - Arm collapse on breakout :13 - Straight recovery :13 - Arm entry across the head :14 - Overkick :15 - Overreach leaves body flatter on entry :30 - Fix with verbal cues :40 - Film from straight down or straight ahead :46 - Fix with visual cues :51 - Fix with physical cues 1:01 - End process (we hope) Wednesday Haufler Toys: Mirrors for Backstroke Steve Haufler uses mirrors to convince his swimmers that they might have a backstroke over-reach problem. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/702-mirrors-for-backstroke>  :17 - Immediate feedback :45 - Immediate fix (if possible) :51 - Steve’s Oscar bid 1:01 - Mirrors should be a staple  Thursday Backstroke Drill: Double-Arm Backstroke Double-arm backstroke is the go-to drill for teaching proper hand entry for backstroke. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1021-backstroke-double-arm>  :26 - Double arm inhibits the ability to cross over :30 - Each drill may have positive and negative - straight arms :45 - Straight arm recovery :45 - In front of shoulder entry 1:13 - 11-recovery 1:34 - balance & kick 1:52 - Thumb first exit 2:01 - Get into elbow bend as quickly as physically possible Friday Backstroke Drill: Hand-Entry Width Contrast drills are another great way to make swimmers aware of over reaching – and to correct the problem. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/973-backstroke-hand-entry-width>  :12 - exaggerated catch :15 - exaggerated entry :20 - watch no sway in the hips :28 - Start with overreach - on purpose - contrast :38 - Extreme wide entry :52 - Extreme width start and slowly bring the hands in :59 - Sprint with wide hands 1:19 - The swimmers idea of a wide entry 1:22 - we encouraged video review Saturday Backstroke Drill: Learning Partner Push This one’s fun…and let’s swimmers FEEL where their hands are entering. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1428-learning-partner-pusher>  :10 - Stable line up front - Wide hand entry  :23 - Great team building and stability exercise :39 - Must get balanced first :55 - problem solving 1:05 - figuring it out 1:18 - stable bodyline 1:26 - fine tuning adjustments 1:33 - now watch the backstroke 1:52 - Look who mastered the body line 2:28 - Look who mastered the entry and backstroke Sunday Jeff Rouse: Kayak Recovery We agree with Jeff Rouse. To make a technique change in backstroke, you need to over-exaggerate. There’s something about being on your back and going backwards…. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/635-kayak-recovery>  :17 - Straight recovery :25 - Pinky first :30 - Kayak 1:26 - Pinky First - Blade of the paddle 1:28 - Blade slightly facing out 1:53 - Fast clean exit 2:40 - Hyper extended - double jointed 2:43 - full rotation 3:02 - staying narrow 3:08 - Straight entry 4:16 - Hands in front of shoulders Bonus EP Drills & Ideas: Continuous Single Arm Position 11 <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1733-continuous-single-arm-position-11-back> :11 - Back to position 11 each time

13 - DC Talks - Hands and Fingers

13 - DC Talks - Hands and Fingers

Okay, we're back with David. And today we're going to talk about hands and fingers. So hand and finger awareness, and really talking about the softness of hands, especially when you're swimming slowly. So one of the things we're going to do is we'll, we'll pull up the video here, and we're just gonna go ahead and let that start playing. And we'll get through that a few times. But, David, when you're swimming slowly, there's such a softness to your hands, there's such a feel, how does that translate to swimming really fast. So when I've got soft hands when I'm swimming slow, my main focus in that moment is just efficiency catch, lack of splashing, lack of resistance, kind of slipping and sliding through the water. Obviously, when I'm at top speed, that's a little bit more difficult to do. But when I'm in practice, my main goal is to swim as fast and as efficiently as possible. And the soft hands kind of translates to that. back way back when I was a kid using I was actually using go swim with my private swim instructor and what we what what I struggled with was swimming efficiently. And a lot of it was specially splashy, I kind of just muscled my way through the water. And by doing that, I kind of limited my potential a because I wasn't swimming efficiently, I was hitting a lot of unnecessary resistance in my hand, shoulders head. And what a big focus for me in that moment was to try and swim more smoothly, as you said more softly. And that was at low speeds, added high speeds, by swimming kind of as efficient as possible with what you said, the soft hands, that directly translates to, to my top speed. Because, yeah, maybe a little bit more splashy, because I am at a higher speed. But that efficiency, that kind of soft hand, feel the purpose with each stroke to be as efficient, and swim with the least amount of resistance possible, kind of moves over to that top speed. As well in by swimming like this, not necessarily like this at all speeds. But with the main focus of catching as much water being as much of as efficient as possible. Just benefits me in like every facet of my stroke, whether it be fast or slow. So when you are at top speed, do you think about your hands, or the entire arm, or at that point, all the training has been done, and basically you're reacting to, to the situation at hand. And I'm not thinking about these things. But more along the lines of just the training has been done. Let's let's now let everything come out. For any race above 200, I'm thinking a little bit more. I don't really ever race anything above 200. And any real officiated meet, maybe in practice, like once or twice a year, but anything that is a little bit longer. Yeah, I'm going to be thinking a little bit more about efficiency, about what's going on how I can be able to sustain to that race, but 1500 dishes go. I preach this to every swimmer that I've ever taught and never worked with, like, if you're thinking about stuff, when you're racing, you're thinking about things that you might want to change for your race and you're at the meet or on the block or in the water, it's too late at that point. And it's just not worth your time putting all that mental energy in thinking, Hmm, maybe I should do this. Or maybe I should change that. Because at the end of the day, you've trained for what, four to six months for this event, like you've done everything that you possibly could working in practice. At that point, like I'm not necessarily thinking about kind of what's going on with my arms. It's just kind of a moment of like disconnecting go letting my body do what I've trained to do. I do think you sell yourself short, when you say four to six months, I see this as a building process that you've been putting together for many, many years. And so each four to six months that you talk about is a honing and increased honing of your skill and always the thought process of moving forward and getting better. So it's years of what you've been working on. So give yourself more credit than that because it's it all it all stacks it all stacks. You know how much how much time do you dedicate to honing the field for the water? Or how did you develop it as a young swimmer? I mean, you did just talk about your, your first coach, how much time did you guys spend on just learning how to be you know, one with the water as they say, we were going about two to three times a week just working on nothing but drills efficiency, just trying to become a better swimmer was never strength or like speed focus. It was all just about being a better swimmer. Like I just said I would do that like just all the time with and in Pennsylvania, she's fantastic helped me really get to where I'm at now and kind of get the mindset of like, yes, you can improve physically. But then there's also that aspect of being able to swim more efficiently and effectively, that's also going to contribute to that strength that you've built. But here at NC State, like we're doing it like, almost every day, like we're working on catch almost every day, it's important to Braden being able to find the catch. And since it's such an important part of my stroke racing or not, he tries to focus on that and push importance on it more than some other people may be as that is kind of a very important part of my swimming, whether it be mesh paddles, or socks on the hands, just being able to push myself to find that catch quicker, faster, more efficiently. It's just it's a process that we work on almost on a daily basis. So when you talk about mash paddles and socks on the hands, I equate that to that's a lot of power building as well. Do you do any sculling in order to maintain this feel? Yes, actually, we do a lot of sculling, whether it's just in between different aspects of our of our practice, like if it's just in between, say, two different drills, something like that, like I could say confidently, we do sculling in some capacity almost on a daily basis. As again, it's important to get that fuel the water, and it's important to memorize that fuel the water so that when you do get to the race, you're not thinking, Am I catching water? It's just starting muscle memory, it's already ingrained into your brain, you can just let go and do what you've trained to do. But, you know, with you and Braden, I mean, aren't you concerned that you're not getting enough yardage in when you do the sculling, you can't you can't rack up the yards when you get the sculling going, Hey, I'm definitely a promoter of quality over quantity. See, I'd rather do a 2000 yard practice of just fantastic drills, fantastic racing, just efficient, perfect swimming than 6000 yards of just math. I think Braden and black group kind of also follow that ideology a little bit. Sometimes we have a little bit heavier practices. But at the end of the day, our main focus is trying to swim the best that we can, every time we have every time we're in the water. And if that means swimming shorter days, or shorter times in that day, just to get that done, then that's what we're gonna do. There was one other swimmer you may have heard of, in, in in the platform, who did talk about limiting his practices to 4000 yards or meters a day, in order to make sure that he was completely focused. His name was Jason Lee Zack moving Yeah, exactly. So your your focus on specificity and making sure that everything's done right, has some great history to it. Finally, on this point, how would you encourage younger swimmers to develop the feel for the water you have in your hands? You don't necessarily. I mean, sometimes people are like, you need equipment to work on this type of stuff. But for me, I'm lucky it came naturally that I just was able to feel the water and just be more efficient with my stroke. But one great way to learn and kind of feel the water and get that feel for a larger surface area and start building that with without equipment is paddles, whether it be big paddles, mesh paddles is a fantastic way to do it, because it forces you to catch water, it makes you It forces you to catch water to progress throughout that lab. We use mesh panels a lot with socks. Just things that kind of impede your natural ability to take a stroke. Eliminate yourself. And still try to use those equipment and push through that to find your catch. Whether that be even just regular socks in your hands, just limit yourself and then take that equipment off. And then try to get that feel faster without the equipment on just play around with equipment and stuff like that and just try your best with them. Excellent. All right, thank you. We'll be back with more

April 18, 2023 - Fingers Open or Closed Freestyle Zoom

April 18, 2023 - Fingers Open or Closed Freestyle Zoom

041823 - Fingers Open or Closed Freestyle Zoom Fingers Open or Closed on Freestyle? It’s an age-old debate and we look forward to a lively discussion on Zoom. We’ll share clips from multiple Olympic freestylers to help us focus. Monday Kaitlin Sandeno: Slow-Motion Freestyle Kaitlin Sandeno’s hands on entry and extension are super relaxed. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/582-slow-mo-freestyle-kaitlin-sandeno> :21 - relaxed fingers :46 - relaxed on entry :57 - completely relaxed 1:15 - relaxed 1:32 - relaxed <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3638706/> - in Section 5, conclusion To increase drag force contribution throughout the underwater stroke, the shape of the hand should be altered in separate phases. Tuesday James Guy: Freestyle Full Body Olympian James Guy shows us open, relaxed hands on extension, but loosely closed fingers on the pull. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2579-freestyle-full-body>  :10 - relaxed in extension :11 - hand tighter in pull phase :28 - completely relaxed… almost searching :30 - watch the thumb close on catch :51 - A softness of the hand prior to catch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel/media/File:Creación_de_Adám.jpg 2:05 - faster - hands still relaxed 2:40 - hand tighter on finish <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00348-021-03333-1> We find that cupping the hand does not help and that thumb abduction has a slight but significant positive effect on drag. <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00348-021-03333-1/figures/5> Wednesday Kara Lynn Joyce: General Smooth Freestyle We love how Kara Lynn Joyce’s hands are open and relaxed, but how they hold their shape. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1172-general-smooth-freestyle>  :09 - Thumb out on right hand :09 - Thumb in on left hand :27 - Thumb out on right hand through the pull :30 - fingers slightly apart on extension :31 - Tighter on push :33 - light through fingers :34 - very little gap :35 - thumb closing :35 - hand opening on finish Thursday Bruno Fratus: Hands Bruno Fratus’s hands are always searching for a horizontal line and for clean, solid water. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2376-freestyle-hands>  :16 - Relaxed on entry :22 - right fingers together :34 - fingers apart on extension :39 - right hand tighter :51 - relaxed on finish A soft searching when swimming smoothly <https://personal.fgb.vu.nl/~jsmeets/2017/Effective_propulsion-JAB17.pdf> - Page 98 in Conclusions The challenge for training and coaches is to determine the optimal technique for an individual swimmer. Friday Ricky Berens: Hand Extension There are very few examples better than Ricky Berens when trying to illustrate a relaxed hand into extension. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1858-ricky-berens-hand-extension>  :05 - fingers very spread :24 - very relaxed 1:02 - Thumb very wide 1:07 - left fingers almost lead <https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1082&context=dhp> - Conclusions - Page 23 From the percent increase in area analysis, it is apparent that employing this practice with a 0.30cm separation between the fingers may allow for less than a 3% increase in surface area for both male and female swimmers. Another factor to consider when determining the usefulness of this technique for a competitive swimmer is the ease of holding the fingers at this specific separation while swimming. Saturday Jason Lezak: Connect the Catch to the Core Jason Lezak is known for his signature “open” fingers, but he feels the finger width is incidental. It’s all about connecting the core to the catch. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/353-connect-the-catch-to-the-core>  :30 - relaxed in extension Thumb out in catch :34 - initiates catch with fingers apart :34 - fingers come together during push 1:28 - relaxed in extension Fairly relaxed through the whole phase - play at x.2 2:58 - play at x.2 - open and then tighter <https://watercitizennews.com/researchers-point-to-fingers-as-key-to-speed-in-the-water/> Swimming with fingers apart can result in a whopping 53 percent increase in total force. “A faster swimmer is one who looks like a bigger wave above the water, and you get bigger above the water by having the force to lift yourself above the water, which you do by having greater downward force,” from your hands, he said. Sunday Glenn Mills: Open or Closed Fingers Glenn explores the open/closed debate in his backyard Endless Pool. <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2922-open-or-closed-fingers>  1:56 - Experiment to determine the best way BONUS Kim Vandenberg: Freestyle – Head-On Underwater <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1642-freestyle-head-on-underwater> Robert Margalis: Free – Hands – AW – Side – Slow Mo <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/101-freestyle-hands-above-water> Chat Discussion: 09:59:55 From Robert McNally to Everyone: Hi Glenn! 10:00:06 From Nora Stoycheva to Everyone: Hi guys <3 10:09:08 From lynn morrison to Everyone: I got it 10:09:41 From Holly Frost to Everyone: 😄 10:10:30 From Yuting Zou to Everyone: Can I have a link to download the file? I’m a mathematician 10:10:48 From Yuting Zou to Everyone: The article 10:11:11 From Glenn Mills to Everyone: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3638706/ 10:11:15 From Yuting Zou to Everyone: thanks 10:13:32 From Monty Krieger to Everyone: his wrist is turned with the palm facing the other side - is that good? 10:14:46 From Dan Jimar to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): Romanchuk 10:16:32 From Glenn Mills to Dan Jimar(Direct Message): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00348-021-03333-1 10:17:20 From Dan Jimar to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): https://youtu.be/H7pGPQrv4J8?t=408 10:17:22 From Glenn Mills to Everyone: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00348-021-03333-1/figures/5 10:17:27 From Dan Jimar to Everyone: https://youtu.be/H7pGPQrv4J8?t=408 10:18:09 From Dan Jimar to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): yellowe 10:25:18 From Glenn Mills to Everyone: https://personal.fgb.vu.nl/~jsmeets/2017/Effective_propulsion-JAB17.pdf 10:27:35 From Dan Jimar to Everyone: Does it has to do with which side the breath on? 10:27:52 From Lana Burl to Everyone: Wondering the hand differences are related to a person being left- or right-handed 10:27:57 From Dan Jimar to Everyone: yes 10:27:57 From lynn morrison to Everyone: that's what I was thinking too 10:31:32 From Dan Jimar to Everyone: think it says 0.30cm 10:31:46 From Dan Jimar to Everyone: ~ 0.12 inches 10:31:56 From Lana Burl to Everyone: 1/8 inch 10:33:21 From Robin McQuinn to Everyone: Does finger separation depend on hand speed (or lack of) 10:33:53 From Lana Burl to Everyone: Strength would also matter then with velocity 10:34:04 From Robin McQuinn to Everyone: Yeah! 10:34:05 From Katie Kenny to Everyone: 1/8 of an inch is about 1/4 of the width of one of my fingers (I have narrow fingers) 10:34:06 From Lana Burl to Everyone: And of course the surface area and dimensions of the hand 10:34:30 From Robin McQuinn to Everyone: More palm pressure = more finger separation? 10:39:51 From Monty Krieger to Everyone: for those who had there wrists turned on extension, were the hands flat to the water when they entered? 10:40:06 From Monty Krieger to Everyone: Their wrists, not there! 10:40:57 From Robin McQuinn to Everyone: Is a swimmer’s forward comparable to a ‘bulbous bow’ of a ship? 10:40:58 From Lana Burl to Everyone: Did any of the studies evaluate forces with paddles - from a mesh to a solid paddle ? Just curious. 10:41:21 From Monty Krieger to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): Private: you may want to read the Black Swan, regarding how too much information might be a problem. 10:41:30 From Dan Jimar to Everyone: 408 seconds 10:42:43 From Dan Jimar to Everyone: use . for frame movement 10:44:09 From Lana Burl to Everyone: I like forward sculling work 10:44:19 From Lana Burl to Everyone: And play with fingers “play" 10:44:35 From Dan Jimar to Everyone: In YouTube . moves 1 frame forward and , moves 1 frame backwards 10:45:01 From Corinne Machoud Nivon to Everyone: I say play piano in the front with your fingers Barbara 10:45:36 From Dan Jimar to Everyone: relaxed forearm 10:45:57 From Barbara Hummel to Everyone: that’s a good image, Corinne. Thanks! 10:46:19 From Kathy Eaton to Everyone: I like using the Finis Freestyler paddle. I find it gives me real awareness the hand and fingers. 10:47:12 From Wallis Lahtinen-Hicks to Everyone: On the recovery, have the swimmer give the hand a little shake....just to remind them to loosen up the hand 10:48:35 From Barbara Hummel to Everyone: I like to use the phrase, “That’s not helpful.” 10:55:37 From Lana Burl to Everyone: Great stuff. Thanks for the research links. You almost have a Review Article written with this! 10:57:30 From Monty Krieger to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): I have got to hand it to you, this was a good session! 10:58:40 From Ruth Cheung to Everyone: It was a great discussion today! Would love to have a future discussion on kicks (2 beat, 4 beat, 6 kick etc) 🙂 10:58:58 From Barbara Hummel to Everyone: Thanks Ruth. We’ll put that in the hopper 10:59:13 From Ruth Cheung to Everyone: Reacted to "Thanks Ruth. We’ll ..." with 👍 10:59:23 From Ruth Cheung to Everyone: Sounds like a great topic next wk 11:00:03 From Anne-Marie Corroon to Everyone: thanks very much 11:00:11 From Monty Krieger to Everyone: Loved the breath timing video with Curtis - lots to think about 11:00:41 From Lana Burl to Everyone: I’d like to see another webinar around breath timing 11:01:10 From Barbara Hummel to Everyone: Thanks, Lana. We’ll work on it. 11:01:21 From Dan Jimar to Glenn Mills(Direct Message): Nathan Adrian in his 50 free? %age? 11:02:01 From Ruth Cheung to Everyone: Always look forward to these meetings, thx! 11:02:01 From Wallis Lahtinen-Hicks to Everyone: thank you! 11:02:02 From Diana Ringer to Everyone: Thanks! 11:02:07 From Corinne Machoud Nivon to Everyone: Thank you! 11:02:08 From Katie Kenny to Everyone: Thank you 11:02:09 From Nora Stoycheva to Everyone: Thanks Glenn! bye 11:02:10 From Alay Shah to Everyone: Thanks 11:02:12 From Linda Daniel to Everyone: Thank you!

Aug 9, 2022 - No Bounce Backstroke Zoom

Aug 9, 2022 - No Bounce Backstroke Zoom

How to Stop Bouncing on Backstroke The cure for backstroke bouncing calls for two things you’ve probably heard from your coach: keep your head rock steady and use a bent-arm pull. This week we explore both skills. Monday - <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/630-rock-steady-head> :09 - steady head :21 - fast back… steady head :35 - fast back… steady head :57 - fast back… steady head 1:09 - talking about how the steady head allows for rotation, hand entry, 1:31 - from under 2:01 - big rotation with eyes looking up 2:08 - slight chin tuck 2:19 - looking slightly toward the feet 2:42 - looking up and slightly toward the feet 3:09 - water nearly touching the sides of the goggles 3:19 - head comes up a bit more, but eyes slightly back 3:41 - head slightly up, but very steady Tuesday - <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3050-double-arm-backstroke> From beginning - with both arms moving, hard to move the head :09 - helps to cure overreaching - which can cause bouncing :17 - Arm pull is initiated with shallow arms :20 - elbows bend for the finish of the stroke :28 - this drill inhibits the arms from pushing down at the beginning :29 - and the arms are generally in a better finish position Wednesday - <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3056-advanced-wave-drill> :07 - recovery first :10 - recovery arm further into the movement than the catch :13 - over to the other side and repeat :15 - don’t go too far into the recovery… it’s the initiation of the recovery :24 - even with all the focus, the pulling hand actually starts first :31 - slight movement of the pulling hand first :41 - right at the angle limit for this drill :43 - better timing :51 - exaggerated timing :58 - this timing makes it harder for the top arm to push down with enough force to cause the bounce Thursday - <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3051-single-arm-backstroke> From the beginning - focus on rotating the non-pulling shoulder up :15 - focus on the stable head position :19 - you can use fins to teach the athlete to drive from a constant kick, which adds stabilization :31 - focus completely on rotating the trailing shoulder out :35 - the better the rotation, the more stability in the body :40 - beautiful rotation and catch :45 - rotation and catch 1:06 - rotation and catch Friday - <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3052-reverse-fingertip-drag> From beginning - avoiding too much press :05 - fingers on the surface but traveling at about the same speed as the swimmer :13 - encourages a BIG elbow bend :15 - elbow bend :18 - step it through :31 - pushing the water back :47 - constant kick 1:03 - soft and slow and don’t break through Saturday - <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1292-mistake-5-pulling-mistakes> :08 - pulling with a straight arm :14 - improper pitch of the hand :27 - vertical jumps with pulling :30 - kids will more naturally do this with bent arms :37 - to correct pitch, the swimmer needs to learn to aim the palm back :46 - fist swimming :54 - needs to use the arm, not the hand 1:07 - both hands in fists for regular backstroke 1:09 - single arm fist 1:17 - one hand in fist, one hand open… gradually moving to full stroke 1:24 - full stroke with connected hands Sunday - <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2048-backstroke-dynamo-catch> :06 - pulling on the lane line :07 - throwing the ball :12 - pulling on the lane line :15 - throwing the ball at the feet :32 - it’s about a direct path of the hand :35 - the lane line hand is directed in a straight path :42 - similar to fist drill… so less connection with the ball hand :51 - good clip of throw the ball at the feet 1:07 - pulling on the lane line keeps the hand close to the body and a direct path Bonus: ’Topher Drill <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1791-backstroke-topher-drill> Bindy Hocking Backstroke Head Position (She swims with kind of a straight arm, but head position is amazing.) <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1836-bindy-hocking-backstroke-head-position> Ash Delaney (Uses more of a bent-arm pull. Head position is amazing.) <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1715-backstroke-ash-delaney> Connor Oslin Backstroke Pull <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2304-backstroke-pull> Karlyn Pipes (from about 1:10 to 1:40 is a nice demo of steady head and bent-arm pull) <https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/372-backstroke-applying-the-six-principles>

Relaxed Recovery - Scott

Relaxed Recovery - Scott

In this clip, Scott is swimming race-pace freestyle. What you notice right away is that he has a straight-arm recovery…rather than a bent-arm or high-elbow recovery. After hundreds of hours of experimentation, Scott has found that this is the style that works best for him. Will a straight-arm recovery work for you? Maybe…maybe not. This is something only you and your coach can decide. The important thing is to keep an open mind…and to experiment. Scott has a unique recovery. But rather than look at how it’s different, let’s look at the things Scott does, that every swimmer can do. Watch Scott’s hands…and notice how relaxed they are as he recovers them over the water. Here’s Scott at a nice easy pace. The hands come up and over the top with no tension and no strain. The arm is relaxed from fingertips to shoulder. Here’s another angle at easy pace. By keeping the hand and arm relaxed, Scott gets a brief rest on every stroke. And by almost “throwing” the hand up and over, he uses the weight of the arm to create forward momentum. As Scott begins to pick up the pace, his stroke rate increases and he lets go of the “catch-up” or “front-quadrant” aspect of his stroke. But keep an eye on his hands. They’re still relaxed, even as he increases his cadence. As Scott increases to race pace, he almost whips his arms around. He’s swimming aggressively, and has lost much of his front-quadrant timing, but the hands and arms are still relaxed. Here’s that same, race-pace clip, slowed down so you can focus on the hands. Let’s watch Scott one more time at slow pace. Notice the relaxed quality. And one more time at race pace – still relaxed. Everything Scott practices at slow speed is there when he swims fast. No matter which style of recovery is best for you – bent arm or straight arm – the key is to keep it relaxed. Develop this quality at slow speeds… Then pick up the pace.

Freestyle - Contrast Drills

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.