Effortless Swimming Technique

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Did you hear about Phelps?

Michael Phelps has awesome technique. He is the best swimmer in the world because he can travel through the water with speed, but stay relaxed and controlled at the same time (this is key guys’). There is more to Phelps than his technique though. Check it out in the great article by ESPN.

Michael Phelps article

The only other swimmer I think has rivaled Phelps in technique is former world champion Alex Popov.

Popov held the 50m freestyle world record before the Fastskin suits were introduced. If your a sprinter or a long distance swimmer, Popov is the ideal person to model in your swimming. The video above gives a great explaination of the freestyle stroke.

If you want improve your freestyle technique then I highly recommend securing a copy of Mastering Freestyle Technique here. It’s a fast and easy way to become a good swimmer. I use the exact program with the swimmer’s I coach.

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How To Pick The Right Wetsuit

It’s not easy picking a wetsuit. There are dozens of brands out there, each claiming to have the latest breakthrough in wetsuit technology. When it comes to picking a wetsuit only a few things really matter. I use the 2XU Elite model for the following reasons. Flexibility A good wetsuit will have highly flexible material in the shoulders and upper torso. Cheap wetsuits can be stiff around these areas which restricts your movement. Wearing a cheap, stiff wetsuit is like a bird with arthritis trying to fly. Shoulder to hip buoyancy The best wetsuit companies a putting emphaisis on the shoulder to hip buoyancy of their wetsuits. It’s no good having a wetsuit that only pushes your upper torso up, and it’s not good having a wetsuit that pushes your legs to high. The right balance will sit you high in the water with your hips slightly below shoulders. 2XU is one company that has got this balance right. Neoprene coating The outer layer of your wetsuit should be a low friction neoprene for extra speed. Less friction means you move faster through the water. The old wetsuit materials are significantly slower than the new neoprene. It’s like racing a bus against an F1 car.I use the 2XU Elite Wetsuit because it ticks the box in these three areas and has proved itself for many years. It’s been an investment into swimming faster.

[effortlessswimming-blog]

The Three Types Of Freestyle Technique

When we run workshops for swimmers, one of the things we cover is the different types of freestyle.

You know that not everyone has swims with the same style or rhythm in freestyle. This video provides a great breakdown of the different freestyle techniques. There’s more than one way to swim, and any coach that tries to tell you that there is only one is incorrect.

We’ll be covering which technique is right for you in updates from our Mastering Freestyle program.

These are the three types:

1. Hip-driven technique: Hip-driven freestyle is used by Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett, Larsen Jensen and  Libby Trickett and is a slower-stroke-rate freestyle. It is typically swam at 60 to 70 strokes a minute.The hand holds the water in front after the entry before beginning the propulsive motion backward. The slower time of the arm pull cycle allows the swimmer to get a bigger hip turn and generate a larger counter force to pull against. This increases the distance from each stroke. It’s better swum in distances over 200 meters and a strong six beat is needed to swim it fast.

2. Shoulder-driven technique: Shoulder-driven freestyle is used by Peter Van den Hoogenband, Janet Evans and Alexander Popov and is a higher-stroke-rate technique. It’s swam at 80-110 strokes per minute.The entry hander catches quicker and the release is done sooner which results in a faster stroke rate but less hip rotation. Not as much power is generated from the pull but because there is more strokes it makes up for the power difference. The shoulders typically rotate more than the hips in this technique. Two beat and six beat kick are both acceptable, though only a six beat kick should be used when sprinting

3. Hybrid technique: In recent years a number of swimmers are drawing on elements of both techniques. It is becoming increasingly popular for middle distance swimmers (100, 200 and 400 meters) who draw on the advantages of both techniques and opt for a hybrid freestyle.They use one arm with shoulder-driven technique and the other arm uses a hip- driven technique. It has become popularised by Michael Phelps. It requires a very strong kick and breathing to one side and can be used in open water swims if you have a strong kick.

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The Little Things That Make A Big Difference

Have you ever been to an expensive restaurant and made to feel like a celebrity? It’s because of ‘one percenters’. The little things that make a big difference. They pull your chair out for you, they call you ‘Sir’, the meals are presented well…it doesn’t take much extra effort but the impact it has is huge.

Swimming has also has it’s ‘one percenters’. Small things that you can do in training to make yourself that little bit quicker than your competition. Let’s take a look.

There’s only two ways to swim faster – You can either increase your stroke rate (the number of strokes you take per minute) or you can travel further for each stroke you take (also  known as distance per stroke). Don’t complicate things. They are the only two ways to swim faster.

Head position determines body position – Your body will follow where you head goes. If you’re hips are sinking, it’s likely your head is too high. Use the angle of your head to control where your body sits in the water. Throwing your head side-to-side will cause you to ‘snake’ in the water. Keep your head still!

Kick within your body shape – Your kick is used for two things. Propulsion and body balance. Kicking your legs outside the shape and alignment of your body creates drag. Keep your kick small and tight.

Push off on your side (in training) – When you push off the wall in training it’s faster to leave on your side than to push off on your front. Hold onto the wall with one hand and then push off at an angle. You can save up to half a second with this.

Finish on your side – When you throw yourself into a finish, you can get there quicker by rotating to your side. It lengthens your reach by 10-15cm.

No breathing the last 5 meters – When you’re finishing in training or in a race, you should never breath the last 5 meters. Taking a breath will slow you down up to half a second!

Doing these small things can add up to seconds over a hundred meters. These are some of the easier things to do that will decrease your times…just like learning the correct swimming technique can drop your times dramatically.