Another Swim Lesson

Another swim lesson from Mark at the Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club (TRFC) today; very helpful. Told Mark I needed help with 3 items:

1. Breast stroke whip kick
2. Freestyle head position
3. Lap turn

My hip joints seem to always bother me and I can't spread my legs very far without pain so I wasn't sure I was spreading my legs far enough in preparing for the whip kick; Mark indicates the power comes from the ankle spread/position and closure of my ankles together. He says my legs are spreading enough; I just need to focus on spreading my ankles before extending and closing my legs. My Mother had bad hips (she broke one in her 80s and died in the hospital of pneumonia) and she had osteoporosis. My osteoporosis may contribute to my hip problems but recently it seems to be getting worse; evidently, one of the side effects of the daily Forteo injections I take is joint pain so that may be contributing to the pain. Anyway, with Mark's help, my whip kick is improved; I now know what to focus on and don't have to worry about spreading my legs further.

I've been having problems getting a full breadth when swimming freestyle; taking in water instead of air. Mark suggested I roll my body more when taking a breadth. He indicates my stroke looks good so I think it is just a matter of practice to condition my body; I still get tired after a couple of laps. Keeping my head level is key; sometimes I raise my head but that forces the mouth down and creates more turbulence, thus increasing the opportunity for water to enter the mouth.

Mark also gave me a refresher on lap turning; I turn above water rather than using the flip turn. Mark showed me how to touch both hands on the pool side, then move one arm towards the opposite end of the pool, then submerge my head/body deep, and then kick off with a gentle angle towards the surface. I wasn't submerging deep enough before kicking off.

Mark also taught me the back stroke today; I could do this stroke before but didn't really know what I was doing so my technique stunk. Mark told me how the thumbs come up out of the water first with the palm facing inward (pointing up) and then with a twist of the arm (so palms face outward), the pinky finger enters the water first. Another tip is to keep my head position relaxed and neutral - don't look at my feet. I really enjoy this stroke as it is nice to have a another stroke to practice to break up the monotony of lap swimming.

Mark is great; he is so patient and has this knack for providing simple yet effective tips that focus my training. Key to coaching me, he doesn't overwhelm my simple brain with a lot of theory or instruction.