I looked forward to today’s swim lesson; 3 weeks since my last. Prior to today’s lesson, I felt plateaued and no longer improving so was so looking forward to this lesson. My instructor (Geoff) pointed out that the catch-up drills I’d been practicing had worked well but that now I needed to back off (so to speak) on catch up. He said that full catch up is more often used in longer distances (e.g., 1500 yards+) and less catch up is used in sprints (e.g., 50 or 100 yards); makes sense. He also pointed out that (not sure how to say this) the less full catch up I use, the less kick I’ll need; guess this also makes sense because at full catch up, I have both hands/arms extended out in front of me and kick is a big part of keeping me afloat. This also helps explain why I feel like I’m lower in the water than I should be and hence having trouble getting enough air when I turn my head to breathe.
Geoff also told me that I was crossing over my arms, especially my left to right; this will eventually hurt my shoulders he said so it is important to correct this incorrect form. My arms should be straight ahead and not cross an imaginary plain extending from the middle of my head straight out to the opposite end of the pool.
So today, we worked on several things including timing of my arm stroke. I learned a new drill to back off my catch up - touching my head with the thumb of my raised arm after it comes out of the water and as I’m bringing it overhead to re-enter again. As my thumb touches my head, it is a signal that my other arm should start the “catch” in the downward stroke. With full catch-up, I would keep the extended arm in the outreached stretch position until the other hand reenters the water.
He also reminded me that as my arm goes through the end of the stroke, my other arm should be actively stretched out in front - not inactively lying out in front of me. I need to stretch it to get the most out of the glide.
Lastly, I learned how to properly turn at the end of the pool; no, I’m not doing flip turns (maybe someday:). When I finish a length, I touch both hands to the top edge of the pool (above the water line), turn to my left keeping my right hand on the edge lip of the pool and using it to push me down below the water. My left hand/arm is extended away from the edge of the pool and as I use both feet to kick off from the pool wall, I bring my right hand forward to join the left in a tight clasp with the left hand below the right and the right thumb below the left hand. I immediately begin kicking (flip - not dolphin due to my back problems) and when I reach the surface, I begin stroking with my left arm (that is why I begin with my left hand clasped below the right) followed by a right arm stroke and my first breath. This was the standard technique; however, Geoff said he recently saw Missy Franklin start her first stroke on the breath side so that I could do it either way. I was starting my first stroke on my breath side but will try the left side first stroke and see how it goes; as I get tired, I suspect it will be hard to go this long before my first breath after a turn.
Before next week's lesson (2 left) I need to do 25 75s (about 1 mile). For reference, Geoff told me he is swimming 5000-6000 yards a day - that's over 3 miles!
There is so much to swimming; never realized what a technically challenging sport it is. I have a new appreciation for swimmers, especially good ones:)
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