Ok, when I was a kid on the swim team back in the early 1980s, we were taught that for freestyle, the pull arm begins the pull as the recovery arm lifts out of the water to begin the recovery. This is how I always swam freestyle. But then the other day, I was told by a coach that the timing has been modified. Now, apparently, the pull arm begins the pull towards the end of the recovery instead of the beginning. I should have known something was up months ago with all those catch up drills we were doing and when I heard my other teammates talking about their "glides" and not knowing what the hell they were talking about (as a sprinter, I never glided).
Then, I found out that now, when swimming breaststroke, the head is kept low into the water instead of forward with the top of the cap always peaking through the surface. When I learned breaststroke, letting the top of the cap (i.e., your whole head) under the water was grounds for disqualification. Is that no longer true?
And last but I'm sure not least, I found out that back flip turns are no longer practiced. Why not?
And what else has changed since the 1980s that I need to know about?
Now, apparently, the pull arm begins the pull towards the end of the recovery instead of the beginning.
As I have thought about my very Old School freestyle, I turned to Ernest Maglischo's Swimming Fastest, page 129. It observes that a faster stroke rate might be better for some swimmers, such as those with weak or broken-rhythm kicks, saying that swimmers "should not start that arm down while the other arm is applying propulsive force. Instead, they should stretch the front arm out, just under the surface of the water, to improve streamlining only for as long as they are completing the propulsive phase of the underwater stroke with the other arm. And they should begin moving the front arm downward, from the extended position toward the catch, at the precise moment when the rear arm releases its propulsive pressure on the water ... this will be when the rear arm approaches the thigh, not when it leaves the water. No swimmer should ... continue stretching the front arm after the rear arm's propulsive efforts have been completed ..." He notes that Popov "begins the downsweep with his front arm at precisely the moment he stops pushing back against the water with his rear arm."
Now, apparently, the pull arm begins the pull towards the end of the recovery instead of the beginning.
As I have thought about my very Old School freestyle, I turned to Ernest Maglischo's Swimming Fastest, page 129. It observes that a faster stroke rate might be better for some swimmers, such as those with weak or broken-rhythm kicks, saying that swimmers "should not start that arm down while the other arm is applying propulsive force. Instead, they should stretch the front arm out, just under the surface of the water, to improve streamlining only for as long as they are completing the propulsive phase of the underwater stroke with the other arm. And they should begin moving the front arm downward, from the extended position toward the catch, at the precise moment when the rear arm releases its propulsive pressure on the water ... this will be when the rear arm approaches the thigh, not when it leaves the water. No swimmer should ... continue stretching the front arm after the rear arm's propulsive efforts have been completed ..." He notes that Popov "begins the downsweep with his front arm at precisely the moment he stops pushing back against the water with his rear arm."
