So I'm 50, swimming a few years, had a little coaching. Turn 50 yd laps at around 55 seconds, and can sustain that pace for 15 laps or so at a time.
Goal = 30 minute mile (35 laps at 51.5, I think).
So I understand the strong core and relaxed arms, but I wonder if I'm too relaxed. So, to my question: When I played basketball, we were told that, if we wanted to leap as high as possible, jump at an 8 or 8.5 on an effort scale with 10 as maximum effort, so that we didn't tense up. Is it about the same with freestyle--especially with arm motion?
I can sprint a 40 second lap, but even swimming an hour a day, I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to pull off the 30 minute mile?
Thanks for any advice on technique or workouts, in addition to my primary question about how "hard" to swim.
Your basketball coach made a good point, and the concept of maintaining a strong core/relaxed arms position does apply to swimming. Relaxed arms translates primarily into the recovery phase of the stroke, however. You want the pull phase to be strong enough to provide forward momentum in the water.
This video on Olympic champion Alex Popov and his coach, the great Gennadi Touretski, explains these concepts well: www.youtube.com/watch
Perhaps you should consider working with a specialized technique coach to be able to identify all of the areas of your stroke that need improvement. The forums are great, but they are of course different than working with a coach one-on-one, a coach who will be able to give you workouts and precise technical guidance on what you - as an individual swimmer - need to adjust in order to improve.
Your basketball coach made a good point, and the concept of maintaining a strong core/relaxed arms position does apply to swimming. Relaxed arms translates primarily into the recovery phase of the stroke, however. You want the pull phase to be strong enough to provide forward momentum in the water.
This video on Olympic champion Alex Popov and his coach, the great Gennadi Touretski, explains these concepts well: www.youtube.com/watch
Perhaps you should consider working with a specialized technique coach to be able to identify all of the areas of your stroke that need improvement. The forums are great, but they are of course different than working with a coach one-on-one, a coach who will be able to give you workouts and precise technical guidance on what you - as an individual swimmer - need to adjust in order to improve.
