I'm a Swinger

RE: I'm a Swinger

Judester — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 09:03:40 GMT

You're asking a good question, and the answer is - yes, you can break old habits. But you can only do this by: a) working with a private coach who can analyze your stroke, provide you with appropriate drills to practice and specific workouts to complete; b) finding a team with a coach who will be accommodating to your needs in terms of practicing your new stroke; and finally c) practicing your new stroke consistently and with patience. Thanks, Swimspire. I have a coach, but not a private one. On the other hand, I do have a great team. I've only been swimming with them a week but they've already given me some good ideas. Last night, I learned the zipper drill which I think will help. We'll see how it goes. Hi Judester, I think you would get more useful responses if you explained your reasons for converting from "swinger" to "smooth." Many excellent freestyle swimmers (especially open water swimmers) are "swingers," so it's not obvious to me, based on your original post, why it is necessary for you to change. I guess I would like to be a smooth swimmer because it seems more efficient to me and the more efficient I am, the longer I can swim. I grew up as a sprinter which meant "swim hard and fast and think about nothing else" according to my coach. But as an adult, I have found that I can't maintain a steady pace for long distances and I'm thinking if I swim smooth, I'll increase my efficiency and therefore, swim longer distances with a faster (or as fast) pace without tiring out so quickly. The problem with being a swinger is that I have to swim more strokes to achieve the same speed over the same distances as smooth swimmers. Albeit, part of the problem may also be I forget about my kick. Being a swinger also tends to affect my ability to reach farther on the catch because I'm pretty flat on the water.

RE: I'm a Swinger

evmo — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 06:53:31 GMT

Hi Judester, I think you would get more useful responses if you explained your reasons for converting from "swinger" to "smooth." Many excellent freestyle swimmers (especially open water swimmers) are "swingers," so it's not obvious to me, based on your original post, why it is necessary for you to change.

RE: I'm a Swinger

Former Member — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 15:21:07 GMT

What's a "swinger" in the swimming sense of the word? I've never seen that term used, at least not here.www.swimtypes.com/swinger.html

RE: I'm a Swinger

smontanaro — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 10:12:34 GMT

What's a "swinger" in the swimming sense of the word? I've never seen that term used, at least not here.

RE: I'm a Swinger

flystorms — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 08:59:08 GMT

Yup! Former swinger here. It's taken about 4-5 months of really making a conscious effort to make a change. Worked with a stroke coach and did a lot of video. It finally clicked when he compared arm motions as being like the treads on a tank... always going parallel to your body and hands entering right in front of the shoulders. When I'm tired they start to slip back again, but it's noticeable and correctable. You can do it even if it means slowing down for a few weeks. It's worth it.

RE: I'm a Swinger

Swimspire — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 07:53:20 GMT

I'm a swinger trying to "convert" to a smooth swimmer. I can swim smooth if I really focus on my stroke and take it slow but every time I sprint or swim at a moderate pace, I get right back into my swinging habits. I feel like I'm wasting my time trying to convert to a smooth swimmer and that my swinging habits are here to stay. How do I ditch my swinging habits so that swimming smooth is automatic for me? Or is once a swinger always a swinger? You're asking a good question, and the answer is - yes, you can break old habits. But you can only do this by: a) working with a private coach who can analyze your stroke, provide you with appropriate drills to practice and specific workouts to complete; b) finding a team with a coach who will be accommodating to your needs in terms of practicing your new stroke; and finally c) practicing your new stroke consistently and with patience.