Streamline limitations

RE: Streamline limitations

Former Member — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 16:28:59 GMT

The stretches and flexibility drills mentioned are great. While you're working on your range of motion, here are some immediate fixes that might help (and you probably know anyway): Before pushing off the wall, press in to get a good compressed hip, knee and ankle flex. A quick hand scull can help position the body. Then get the hands into thumblock or hand-over-hand overhead before starting the push. I prefer the feet to be close together on the wall, as they and the legs will be joined together during streamline. I also prefer to leave the wall with a slight side tilt, say 15-45 degrees, as it seems to decrease drag, then gradually corkscrew into position for the first armpull(s). The push should be done with the balls and toes, and steadily accelerate in force throughout, reaching a crescendo at the moment you leave the wall. Feet then assume a big-toe point, where they stay throughout the streamline. Whether you use a hand-over-hand or thumblock is not as important as making sure that you pull your shoulders forward out of their sockets, so that your head can tightly hide between your arms, and your shoulder profile is narrowed. Try to maximize the distance between the tips of your fingers and the tips of your toes throughout streamline, making your waterline as long as possible. The core needs to hold the body in a straight line, preventing sagging. The narrower and straighter the waist profile, the better. Much of a streamline's benefit is lost if it doesn't smoothly transition to a clean, powerful breakout. Swimmers will have their own individual best breakout techniques for each stroke and event, but here are some general ideas. The first armpull is crucial, so I like to arch the body slightly to bring the hands close to the surface, and open up the armpit(s) for the biggest scooping pull possible. The arch should create a stretching across the thorax and abdomen into the pelvis, getting the entire front of the body into the act. If all that happens, combined with a strong, well-timed kick, the body will vault into initial planing position. Conversely, if the hand(s), arm(s) and body are too deep during the first armpull, and the front of the body isn't stretched from hips to armpits to maximize range of motion, you can end up lifting the weight of water that is above your head, back and shoulders, a feeling that every breakout artist knows and dreads. In order to preserve the initial streamline-through-armpull impetus, it is best not to breathe in freestyle and butterfly breakout. I prefer to breathe during the third armpull of freestyle and the second stroke of butterfly, to maximize breakout momentum.

RE: Streamline limitations

Former Member — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 09:28:06 GMT

Please excuse the external links and no photos as I'm an inTerneTs idiOts. I googled lat stretch and scoured for pics since I don't know the names. If I can throw 2 cents of unsolicited advice. Don't give up until you can get your arms completely locked behind your head. I have worked with a couple of different guys on the team who harped on this point and it wasn't until I could 'lock in' with the arms that I could truly feel my thoracic spine undulate. It went from feeling like a see saw to a whip in very short order. If I unlock them and don't have a rigid platform from shoulders forward I instantly lose that undulation that really makes it cook. This is where I'm struggling face down, but it's coming. Lower and mid trap conditioning is helping me sustain it a bit better as well in the dry land routines. crossfunctionalrehab.com/.../shoulder_lat_stretch_1.jpg nealhallinan.com/.../hiplat-side.jpg nwstrengthlab.com/.../exercisestretches064.jpg 50.87.144.28/.../lat-stretch-1.jpg

RE: Streamline limitations

flystorms — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 04:25:46 GMT

Oh those stretches all look like they'd feel soooo good! One thing I like to do is when I'm stopped in traffic or at a stoplight, I'll stretch my arms up and behind my head on the ceiling of the car. It helped a ton as I was recovering from shoulder surgery and now these days it just helps cut down on tightness. I get strange looks from other drivers but really don't give a poop what they think. :)

RE: Streamline limitations

Former Member — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 09:58:48 GMT

I'm sorry but my descriptions would be horrible given that I have never been much of a stretching kind of guy. I will email the crew and see if they have some kind of pic/description for them. In short, any exercise that puts your elbow behind your shoulder is a no no in their book as it puts unnecessary stress on both the soft tissue and especially the joint and labrum. The 3 main stretches I do for the lats I had never seen before. The pec stretch is laying on a foam roller down the center of your spine and letting gravity only slowly stretch the pec. The other one is called 'the perp' and it's akin to assuming the position like being arrested, but against the wall. Almost like the fly catch position. Will post back, sending email now.

RE: Streamline limitations

Karl_S — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 09:27:34 GMT

I have an update for you Karl since we seemed to be in a bit of the same boat. After talking with one of the kids from a local university team whom I saw doing all manner of lat stretches I found that indeed was my flexibility limiter, NOT my shoulder/cuff muscles. I thought I had flexibility in my lats, but in point of fact they were basically like a couple of pieces of cinder block! I have also joined a group for dry land training learned a few new stretches for the lats and pecs that have helped as well. I update this post today b/c it was my breakthrough day. Underwater dolphin to the 15m mark on my back is now my 2nd fastest stroke. No question when turning from fly to back in the 100 IM I will dolphin to the 15m mark. Face down for fly I need to break out at about 11m b/c I begin to slow down, but am working hard on it! Being able to get the hands locked and tight behind my head allow me to really get the full effect of the thoracic section of my spine as the starting point for the 'whip'. Tiny bit of movement with the hands/arms, but the real undulation now starts just under my pecs. Anyway, just wanted to relay the update b/c it's so darn exciting! My *** stroke still stinks, but today I led my buddy all the way to ~ the 15m mark of the *** leg which has never ever happened. Now to work on the dolphin for face down and on side! Way fun. For *me* anyway it was and is lat flexibility, my shoulders were already flexible enough. YMMV. This is very cool! Congrats on the progress! Can you share your lat stretches with us?

RE: Streamline limitations

Former Member — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 08:23:59 GMT

RE: Streamline limitations

smontanaro — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 04:52:45 GMT

RE: Streamline limitations

__steve__ — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:04:07 GMT

The classic hand lock streamline places my trick shoulder in a vulnerable position. I experimented with various streamline hand positions discovering if I lock my right thumb over the base of my left index finger, my left (bad) arm recesses 1" shorter in to the shoulder joint, keeping it stable. With practice and stretching, I manage a decent streamline for starts, turns, and underwaters like this. For limitations, just find a way to either eliminate or overcome them.

RE: Streamline limitations

Former Member — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:32:25 GMT

Ok I can do a thumb hook will give that a shot. I'm going to pass on the watermelon seed test though;)

RE: Streamline limitations

Chris Stevenson — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:14:21 GMT

If you can't do hand over hand, try hooking your thumbs. That's almost as good and might be easier. Focus on being as long and tight as you can (I heard one colorful coach say you shouldn't be able to fit a greased watermelon seed up your butt). If that hand position becomes natural maybe you can progress to hand over hand. Be sure to keep your head facing down, don't lift it to look in the direction you are traveling, even after you break streamline to take your first stroke.

RE: Streamline limitations

Former Member — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:47:02 GMT

2) With arms and shoulders relaxed slide backwards bending at the waist, keeping your back and neck straight (streamlined), until your ears are below your arms, 3) squeeze your elbows together into a full upper body streamline, I can stand with my back against the wall and raise my arms right at shoulder width until the front of my tricep is in line with my ears. BUT the problem is when I attempt to join my hands and get narrow. THAT is where I fail. Does that tell you anything about where my tightness might be? As in scapula, cuff muscles, lats? It's locking the hands together that forces me to lower the arms back down to my chin rather than behind head. Thanks again for input all great stuff.

RE: Streamline limitations

Rob Copeland — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:36:06 GMT

always push off hard, lock your streamline, & glide fast and farMy suggestion is to reverse the first 2 steps. Make sure your arms are locked into your stream line as or before you push off. I see a lot of folks who get locked in after they leave the wall and by that time you have wasted a lot of speed. And a simple stretch: 1) Standing up, facing a kitchen counter place one hand over the other, 2) With arms and shoulders relaxed slide backwards bending at the waist, keeping your back and neck straight (streamlined), until your ears are below your arms, 3) squeeze your elbows together into a full upper body streamline, 4) hold the streamline while visualizing a perfect turn and push off, 5) relax and repeat.

RE: Streamline limitations

ande — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:16:38 GMT

Do it like this munfitnessblog.com/.../michael-phelps-speedo-advertisement-under-water.jpg or this media.oregonlive.com/.../michael-phelps-4x200jpg-46dfbe4881035ed8.jpg the keys are: hand over hand lock your streamline as great as you can always push off hard, lock your streamline, & glide fast and far

RE: Streamline limitations

Zurn — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:35:42 GMT

vo2 - If you can't lock you hands, don't leave them out wide in a superman position. Get them side by side if you can. I get lazy off my walls when I'm tired, but I still make sure I grab my left thumb with my right hand. It might not be the best method, but anything is better than nothing. (I know, I know, I shouldn't do that, but I get the same distance with them side by side as I do with them locked up.) And when my coach tells me to lock up my hands, I just tell her I'm practicing my "Ian Thorpe". :D He never locked his hands, even on starts. But he had his arms next to his ears and his elbows in. Hope that helps.

RE: Streamline limitations

habu987 — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:13:13 GMT

Very limited on time, so this'll be a short post. Off the top of my head, without researching it, here's a stretch that will come in handy. Stand facing a wall, about 1.5 feet away, and reach one hand up as high as you can on the wall. Bending forward at the waist, lean in towards the wall and tuck your chin in--you'll feel the stretch in your lats and shoulder muscles. Hold it for 20-30 seconds or as long as you can, then switch to the other arm. While I don't have any flexibility problems, I do tighten up a lot after lifting/dryland before I get in the pool, and this stretch is the only thing that lets me achieve a full streamline when I'm that tight.

RE: Streamline limitations

Former Member — Sun, 19 May 2013 07:20:28 GMT

It's an interesting component of the overall picture to tackle for sure. Swimming hard b/t the flags has been my one and only focus b/c anything else seemed silly given my triathlon pursuits of the time. Having been out of the pool focused scene for over 20 years it kind of went over my head. I embrace the new challenge. The slow, steady improvement in swimming is something I relish. Nothing comes easy, takes work, which is why when I see someone do all the little things so well....RESPECT! You and I look much alike in our un-streamlined streamline. Fun though b/c there isn't anywhere to go but faster with am positions like that! Mine is actually much, much worse. I just know someone on this forum has a good resource for stretches specific to the muscle groups we need to loosen up.

RE: Streamline limitations

Karl_S — Sun, 19 May 2013 01:10:36 GMT

...I can certainly get my hands overlapping with elbows quite close to narrow my frontal profile within the margin of my shoulders, but overall the hands will be down below my head. As in looking from the side my arms would be pointing a good 20 degrees down if my torso/legs are level with the surface of the water. ... Any particular stretches I might focus on? ... Hear hear! I suspect that this is one of my major limitations. Here are some frames that I think show it well.7543 7544 7545 How does one stretch to get a better streamline?