Wow, my freestyle stroke technique has fallen apart! :afraid: I didn't realize it had gotten this bad since returning from hip surgery.:blush: Videos shot from on deck don't reveal what this video shot from above shows. Underwater clips don't reveal my flaws as much as this video shows either.
What I see in this video is that the arm on my breathing side (whether I breathe to the left or right) is going wide on recovery and entering wide. Even though I aim to straddle the line on the bottom of the pool and trace the edge with my thumb (right thumb on right edge, left thumb on left edge), I'm not doing what I think I'm doing. My arm is going wide, especially when I breathe right on the second 25. It is going so wide that I end up at the right edge of the lane by the time I hit the wall! (Perhaps my fears of crossing over has caused me to enter too wide...)
When I do the one-arm drill each day as part of my warm-up, it feels like everything is going correctly. Evidently, when I put the stroke together, it's not.
Which drills would you recommend for this? I looked through Cokie's "There's a Drill For That!" for some ideas; however, I couldn't figure out which drill would be best.
Any ideas? THANKS!
www.youtube.com/watch
Fingertip drill? That would allow you to trace the path forward on the water so you are brushing closer to your head and bringing it straight forward.
Also, I don't know the name but the one where you rotate to the side, bring the arm straight up into the air let it hand there for a kick or two and then let it bend and fall forward. It's designed to give the sensation of finding the right hole to enter the water.
I'm suspicious you're leaning on that side for balance though due to weakness in one side from healing your injuries. You may not be able to fully correct the balance at a moderate to race pace until both sides are up to full strength/flexibility.
Oh, and catch up drill, too- while usually catch up is to help set up for a front end stroke style, I find it's also good for balance and hand placement. You can even combine fingertip drill with catch up drill.
Elaine, I can assure you the problem is not with your rotation, it is - as you correctly point out - primarily with your hand placement, which also results in a wider pull outside of your body line. This is an issue that I remember you had even before your surgery. It is now more pronounced because you have lost some of your core strength and kicking ability during your rehabilitation, forcing you to rely more on your upper body and exaggerating bad habits.
Two drills I can recommend for you are single arm breathing away from the stroking side (one arm at your side, taking a stroke with the opposite arm and breathing away from the stroking side) and catchup drill (which you can do with a snorkel so you can see where your hand placement is). Both of these drills need to be practiced slowly, used sparingly and ideally with a coaches supervision. The problem with many of these drills is that if they are not practiced properly they can lead to other bad habits, which is not what you want. Also keep in mind that there isn't one specific drill that is going to instantly improve your technique if you practice it continuously. Improving your technique requires a full combination of drills, kicking sets, fullstroke sets and combination sets. Everything is interconnected in terms of technique. You have to also be patient with your progress - take it one step at a time!
Well, that's what I thought. Thanks for the confirmation. :)
The problem I had previously was having my arm waver through the water as it went forward. It was also aiming a bit down rather than shooting straight forward. From what I could see in those previous underwater side-view videos, my hand also tended to bend at the wrist out to the side at times. What I couldn't see from those videos, however, was how far my shoulder was from my head on recovery. That seems to be what sets me up for a bad hand entry. I am now trying to touch my cheek with it as I bring my arm forward.
I don't have a regular coach to keep an eye on my stroke, and I can't even have Bruce help me out like he has in the past, because I am training at another pool while our community pool is undergoing major foundation and crack repairs. The best I can do is have him come out to the pool from time to time to shoot video, so I can check up on how I'm doing. I will also bring my camera to the pool and see if I can trade out video shoots with some of the other swimmers I have gotten to know. ("I'll shoot video of you and post your videos for you on YouTube if you will shoot me...")
Thanks for your suggestions, Swim'! :agree: I do mix it up a lot each day in workouts to avoid repetitive stress injuries, so I will make sure to continue doing that.
Fingertip drill? That would allow you to trace the path forward on the water so you are brushing closer to your head and bringing it straight forward.
Also, I don't know the name but the one where you rotate to the side, bring the arm straight up into the air let it hand there for a kick or two and then let it bend and fall forward. It's designed to give the sensation of finding the right hole to enter the water.
I'm suspicious you're leaning on that side for balance though due to weakness in one side from healing your injuries. You may not be able to fully correct the balance at a moderate to race pace until both sides are up to full strength/flexibility.
Oh, and catch up drill, too- while usually catch up is to help set up for a front end stroke style, I find it's also good for balance and hand placement. You can even combine fingertip drill with catch up drill.
Elaine, I can assure you the problem is not with your rotation, it is - as you correctly point out - primarily with your hand placement, which also results in a wider pull outside of your body line. This is an issue that I remember you had even before your surgery. It is now more pronounced because you have lost some of your core strength and kicking ability during your rehabilitation, forcing you to rely more on your upper body and exaggerating bad habits.
Two drills I can recommend for you are single arm breathing away from the stroking side (one arm at your side, taking a stroke with the opposite arm and breathing away from the stroking side) and catchup drill (which you can do with a snorkel so you can see where your hand placement is). Both of these drills need to be practiced slowly, used sparingly and ideally with a coaches supervision. The problem with many of these drills is that if they are not practiced properly they can lead to other bad habits, which is not what you want. Also keep in mind that there isn't one specific drill that is going to instantly improve your technique if you practice it continuously. Improving your technique requires a full combination of drills, kicking sets, fullstroke sets and combination sets. Everything is interconnected in terms of technique. You have to also be patient with your progress - take it one step at a time!
Well, that's what I thought. Thanks for the confirmation. :)
The problem I had previously was having my arm waver through the water as it went forward. It was also aiming a bit down rather than shooting straight forward. From what I could see in those previous underwater side-view videos, my hand also tended to bend at the wrist out to the side at times. What I couldn't see from those videos, however, was how far my shoulder was from my head on recovery. That seems to be what sets me up for a bad hand entry. I am now trying to touch my cheek with it as I bring my arm forward.
I don't have a regular coach to keep an eye on my stroke, and I can't even have Bruce help me out like he has in the past, because I am training at another pool while our community pool is undergoing major foundation and crack repairs. The best I can do is have him come out to the pool from time to time to shoot video, so I can check up on how I'm doing. I will also bring my camera to the pool and see if I can trade out video shoots with some of the other swimmers I have gotten to know. ("I'll shoot video of you and post your videos for you on YouTube if you will shoot me...")
Thanks for your suggestions, Swim'! :agree: I do mix it up a lot each day in workouts to avoid repetitive stress injuries, so I will make sure to continue doing that.
