The 3 Technical Aspects of Swimming Jim Vance 2011 USAT Elite Coach Du Worlds USAT Level II Coach USAT Youth & Junior Coach Former USAT Elite Triathlete Elite Coach, TrainingBible Coaching Head Coach, Founder TriJuniors www.coachvance.com Twitter: @jimvance
Welcome These are my thoughts and experiences, based on several years of teaching, racing, learning, coaching and my understanding of how athletes think and learn School teacher for 6 years, elementary & high school levels Ironman Florida 2006 3 rd, 8:37:09 Swim PR Ironman 52 mins, 3 rd swim IMCDA Front pack swimmer XTERRA, Ironman, etc There are many technical philosophies of swimming, not everyone will agree. These are some simple cues and concepts which will help you, based on sound physics and experience 2
Change the thinking 3
The 3 Technical Aspects of Swimming - The 3 aspects - What each is - Why they are important - Factors affecting each - Clear up the Confusion 4
The 3 Technical Aspects of Swimming The 3 aspects: - Length - Pressure - Direction 5
Length What is it? Act of maximizing horizontal distance of the body Posture in the water, just like standing, sitting, etc. Commonly considered to be part of the recovery phase There is nothing RECOVERING about swimming! How many athletes do this for the bike or run? Change your thinking. Too many athletes think swimming and reach are passive. This shouldn t be passive, it should be an active part of the stroke. Swimmers are REACHING FORWARD as far as possible, creating extension of the body 6
Length What is it? 7
Length What is it? 8
Length What is it? 9
Length What is it? 10
Length What is it? 11
Why Length? CREATES MOMENTUM from inertia of the arm and hand, THROWING IT FORWARD. (Think of punching forward) Should feel like you re on top of the water 12
Why Length? Ever seen a short speed boat? 13
Why Length? Lift Increased Speed Better Efficiency 14
Factors Affecting Length? Reach Range of Motion Body Extension (Roll) Stroke Rate Mental Focus 15
Pressure Catch and pull Why pressure, and not catch? Where does it start? What is the goal of pressure? 16
Pressure What is it? 17
Pressure What is it? 18
Pressure What is it? 19
Pressure - Swimming, Pole Vault, Rock Climbing 20
Factors Affecting Pressure LENGTH! Range of motion in shoulders and arms Elbow and hand position Mental focus Stroke Rate Strength (core engagement, lats, etc.) 21
Direction Not a phase of stroke, but a principle Newton s 3 rd law Direction of energy and forces Where do we want our energy and forces to go? 22
Direction Hand position during pull, (s-curve) Fingers pointing out/in Hand entry into water, (goggle-line vs. further out) Use a snorkel, take inventory of your stroke! 23
Clear up the Confusion What do we do in other strokes? How do they compare with what we teach and do in Freestyle? Backstroke Butterfly Breaststroke Consider streamlines and dive starts WE NEVER PREACH SHORT! WE NEVER PREACH DIRECTIONS OTHER THAN WHAT WE WANT! 24
Clear up the Confusion Things athletes are distracted by and need to quit worrying about: Speed Easy speed under 1:50/100, (1:30 Competitive AGer, 1:15 elite, 1:05 Olympian) 2 flat tires A faster stroke is NOT a better stroke Tweaks Hand exit Kicking Body roll and rotation Fingers spread or together 25
Clear up the Confusion What one thing do you need to swim, besides yourself? WATER!!! But we never consider the water, we only consider ourselves! DANCE WITH THE WATER! 26
Tips for Getting Faster Snorkel Tennis Balls Different strokes, learn feel Roll-over drill Swim Golf EXPERIMENTATION DANCE with the water 27
Application 28
Application 29
Application 30
Application 31
Summary The 3 aspects: Length Pressure Direction 32
Questions? 33
Thank you for attending! Jim Vance 2011 USAT Elite Coach Du Worlds USAT Level II Coach USAT Youth & Junior Coach Former USAT Elite Triathlete Elite Coach, TrainingBible Coaching Head Coach, Founder TriJuniors www.coachvance.com Twitter: @jimvance