Improving Swimming Technique

[zizou]

pull buoys and floats are useful. Hand paddles are a bit more advanced but good once at a certain level. Tempo trainers have their advocates... the people i know who are/were most enthusiastic about their benefits were breast strokers though. So all these things pretty useful to varying degrees.

Swim fins on the other hand are IME counter productive for training for finless swimming (obviously good for scuba or body boarding and things like that!). I sometimes did sessions with them and never felt any benefit, i just felt so much slower after taking them off. On top of that the proper method of kicking with fins is different than without - if you use a similar method then you will be more prone to cramping.

 

[gambatte]

I've seen advocates of fins especially for those who've a history of running? I believe the theory was that due to running your ankles get stronger, less prone to twisting. The counter side of this being that because the ankle is strengthened, it's more difficult to point your toes in a flipper like position.
The use of fins can help to make/train the feet to behave in the right way? Also drills that require some propulsion in the water, but not supplied by the upper torso (balance drills) can be problematic if you've a weak kick and your legs keep sinking?

 

[jay clock]

having been doing triathlons for 5 years, I have finally forced myself to do alternate side breathing. If you are not a great swimmer, I would absolutely put this high on the agenda to start early, or one side only will become very heavily ingrained and give you an unbalanced stroke.

Secondly, get technique right well before worrying about speed or endurance.

Thirdly you may be a person like me who loves open water swimming and is much better in it. The buoyancy of a wetsuit is a massive benefit.

Lastly, don't worry too much about actual speed. Out of 10 people in my club doing Ironman this summer I was the fastest at 1:20 (8m25 per 400). Several of the others beat me overall, or more than made up the swim deficit on either the bike or the run. Particularly the run!

 

[Arsen Gere]

On the paddles thing, some public pools don't allow them or fins or snorkels. You can usually get away with soft webbed gloves.
However if it is improving strength by loading your arms you want ( ooh those shoulders) just wear some very bagy knee length shorts. It adds about 10 sec per 25m for me.

On floats, try using the leg off an old pair of tights and tie the ends together to make a loop. Put the float between your calves and put the doubled over loop over your ankles so you can't kick. It gives you a feel for having your body horizontal rather than dragging your legs, isolates your arms and helps you gauge shoulder rotation. If you rotate too far you end up on your back.

When you get this right, try moving the float up to your thighs, then remove the float all together. I can't do the last bit.

 

[fimm]

I've seen advocates of fins especially for those who've a history of running? I believe the theory was that due to running your ankles get stronger, less prone to twisting. The counter side of this being that because the ankle is strengthened, it's more difficult to point your toes in a flipper like position.
The use of fins can help to make/train the feet to behave in the right way? Also drills that require some propulsion in the water, but not supplied by the upper torso (balance drills) can be problematic if you've a weak kick and your legs keep sinking?

I agree with all of this - there are drills that it is much harder to really do if your kick is poor.
Unfortunately you're often not allowed to use fins in a public session in case you hit someone else with them. Another reason for joining a club of some kind! (Some may even have fins you can borrow.) Get a pull buoy first.

 

[fimm]

On floats, try using the leg off an old pair of tights ...

... or an old inner tube, with the valve removed and the ends knotted together at that point...

 

[zizou]

It wasn't a stretching problem, the fins would be used after an hour or so. Cramps would be the calf muscle but also the instep and there really isn't much to do about that.

Getting the technique right can be complicated with swimming so a potential shortcut that a bit of equipment might provide is tempting, i just dont think it is an effective use of time. Training with fins will still give cardio benefits etc but the biggest difference it will make to you swimming is make you better at swimming with fins. If someone needs more ankle flexibility for swimming then doing specific exercises for that (out of the pool) is more effective. Not difficult exercises either 5 minutes a day while watching the TV would do it...if only all training could be like that.

I should add when i was a kid i looked forward to the sessions with the fins because they were alot of fun and too often the fun side of training is overlooked!

 

[Arsen Gere]

Gambatte, if your legs sink try moving to a front quadrant stroke, I did this for a bit and it worked for me.
If you do a catchup so most of the weight of your arms is in front of your chest, the air in your lungs acts like a pivot and you can lift your legs. The float exercise above also helps you get a feel for where your legs could be.
I dropped this for competitions and moved back to swinging but still go back to it once a week to test my position.

On the stretching, I read paper that demonstrated stretching post exercise improved performance overall. Also swimming tends to tighten the calves. I had a series of calf injuries when running which I cured simply by stretching. Touching my toes helped the most.

One thing that makes you more injury prone is to switch stretching routines around a race. I see loads of people before a race stretching and I am tempted to try it, but I never do it. If you stretch before exercising, continue to do it. If you don't, don't start on race day.

 

[zizou]

I dropped this for competitions and moved back to swinging but still go back to it once a week to test my position.

On the stretching, I read paper that demonstrated stretching post exercise improved performance overall. Also swimming tends to tighten the calves. I had a series of calf injuries when running which I cured simply by stretching. Touching my toes helped the most.

I definitely feel a difference if i dont stretch after exercise. I wasn't doing my full routine for a while last year and after a few weeks was finding i couldn't get on my bike from the right side because i couldnt raise my leg high enough

 

[gambatte]

Can't use paddles or floats near me, pullbuoys and floats only.
With the 'swim fit' initiative I believe more pools may be coming round to the idea of sessions where Joe public can use them.
I know our local pool (run by DCLeisure) is currently looking to run a swim fit session where half the pool will be adult lane swimming, the other half 'swim fit', allowing the use of paddles and flippers. I heard this was a company wide move.

 

[xxmimixx]

Well whilst browsing around my local Sweatshop I noticed a leaflet about Triathlon training in the local David Lloyd. Today was the first session and went along for a free taster. We did a lot of drills with floaties, first kicking, then moving one arm only, then the other etc.
The instructor already picked up on the fact that I was not drawing the arm back enough and I also noticed that when I swim (front crawl) I extend my arm forward, in the water and then drag under me. Instead today by drawing my arm all the way back (like if you are doing archery) I automatically found that my arm does not go underneath me but very close to the surface, which as a result seemed to me to make me glide better.
Am I making sense?

Anyway the DL is doing this Triathlon training every Saturday from 2 to 5.30. (2 to 3 bike, 3.15-4.15 bike, 4.30-5.30 swim) I might join them on the bike if but am mainly going for the swimming coaching. I think I benefited from it and will continue.

 

[007fair]

Well whilst browsing around my local Sweatshop I noticed a leaflet about Triathlon training in the local David Lloyd. Today was the first session and went along for a free taster. We did a lot of drills with floaties, first kicking, then moving one arm only, then the other etc.
The instructor already picked up on the fact that I was not drawing the arm back enough and I also noticed that when I swim (front crawl) I extend my arm forward, in the water and then drag under me. Instead today by drawing my arm all the way back (like if you are doing archery) I automatically found that my arm does not go underneath me but very close to the surface, which as a result seemed to me to make me glide better.
Am I making sense?

Anyway the DL is doing this Triathlon training every Saturday from 2 to 5.30. (2 to 3 bike, 3.15-4.15 bike, 4.30-5.30 swim) I might join them on the bike if but am mainly going for the swimming coaching. I think I benefited from it and will continue.

Makes sense to me Something else I need to try out now

 

[Flying_Monkey]

There are endless arguments about stroke among swimming coaches. I have friends who've been trained by triathlon coaches who do this 'archery style' stroke. My swimming coach just laughed when I pointed this out. She favours the long stretch - but not in the water, above the water, that much most people agree on. And okay, different strokes can work for different purposes and it depends very much on the distance you are swimming. And on your physique and style (although both of these will change with training and practice anyway).

 

[xxmimixx]

Well I went swimming today and tried to practice on this new 'archery' style. I must say I find it much easier on one side but was really struggling to do it on my left, sometime I must have looked really odd and felt as I was learning to swim again. However, looking at my stats, as my previous swims averaged a constant 7 strokes per lap and an efficiency of about 50% , today I achieved 6 strokes and efficiency of 65%, I believe this is due in the change of technique, however again if I want to keep at this style I need to perfection my left side!

 

[loops]

Loops, I would not worry how long it takes you to recover. Recovery takes care of itself as you get fitter and adapt to swimming. If I were you I'd concentrate on developing efficency As you repeat your efforts, the number of reps increase. Then by dropping the intensity a bit you can join up 50's to 100's and then 400's. Before you know it you'l be doing 1500m and a mile.
It does not matter how good a runner or cyclist you are swimming is different and requires its own adaptation based around good technique. So keep at it!

hey! thanks for encouragement..everso slightly improving in terms of less recovery needed going to increase pool attendance this week and see if can make those 50s a 75 or a 100