I have found that one of the crucial reasons for my bad strokes is rooted in the asymmetry of my habitual muscle usage, i.e. being used to throw things with right hand/arm. The right hand/arm/shoulder are not only stronger but also more flexible and "knows" how to move and exert the muscles. I assume professional swimmers do a lot of training to strengthen their weak side? What are the most effective ways/exercises to do it?
Your observations are exactly on point, and the concept of symmetry is one that many swimmers do not pay enough attention to during their workouts. In order to be efficient, both sides of the body should ideally be of equal strength. However, since we all have one dominant side, it is very difficult to enforce a perfectly symmetrical stroke. Whether it is breathing to one side, or relying primarily on one arm, there are many areas of asymmetry that can be improved upon. They're not necessarily always strength-related, either - they can also be timing-related. Single arm (with special emphasis on your weaker side) is one of the dominant drills to work both sides of the body evenly, but you will also need a coach to determine exactly where you are asymmetrical and what drills to use in combination with fullstroke to be able to improve. You'll also need to determine how much time to spend on fullstroke, and how much to spend on technique. Outside of the pool, you can use stretch-cordz or the Vasa trainer for strength building, but again it is not always about strength, but also can be a timing issue.
I assume professional swimmers do a lot of training to strengthen their weak side?
To be honest, I've never heard of anyone doing something specifically to train their weak side. I agree with Julia that you should strive for symmetry, but both arms need to be incorporated to achieve this.
To be honest, I've never heard of anyone doing something specifically to train their weak side. I agree with Julia that you should strive for symmetry, but both arms need to be incorporated to achieve this.
I think this is right. If you want to improve strength by weights or whatever you shouldn't workout the weak side more. Work them out equality and the weaker side will catch up.
So...when we all achieve perfect symmetry as swimmers we can take the lines off the bottom of the pool? Seriously...what advantage is there to this swimming symmetry? I've never heard of runners striving for running symmetry yet we all also have a dominant leg.
Dan
To be honest, I've never heard of anyone doing something specifically to train their weak side. I agree with Julia that you should strive for symmetry, but both arms need to be incorporated to achieve this.
To work on our weak pull side our coach occasionally has us do drill sets with a paddle on our weak side arm and a fin on the strong side to keep the overall stroke balanced. It works surprising well. In my case that means a paddle on my left hand and a fin on my right foot.
Mark
