Hey everyone, do any of you have tips/suggestions for 12-under swimmers who continually don't lead with their head in fly and consequently are out of alignment in the stroke? Any ideas for how to develop their rhythm and timing?
Hey Braun -
We do something called a "Nemo" kick where we have the swimmers do butterfly kick underwater with their hands at their sides (rather than streamlined). The key is to have them keep the head nearly neutral, with just the slightest up and down to start the "wave" of the kick from the head and carry it through the body to their feet. Don't worry about breathing until they get the "feel" for the flow.
It's also important at this time to remind them that the kick is from the hips (not the knees) both up and down (not just a downward push), and that their feet are like flippers at the end of their legs.
Once they understand the flow, and feel of this head to foot wave, it's easier to move on to the arms and breath timing.
redbird - I like that drill. We will try it out. Thanx for the tip.
Hey Orca -
There are some excellent pictures with the story about butterfly in the current Swimmer issue. I believe there are two shots showing the model doing the "nemo".
Thanx redbird -in my 200 fly i really need to think more about my hips. I do breathe on my right side. I feel more at ease from hs & college distance swimming. It works for me but not for everybody.
