www.youtube.com/watch
I started doing this drill recently on the advice of a swim instructor to help even out my freestyle. Yet, most good swimmers I watch in the pool do not seem to rotate that severely. Why do the drill if you don't rotate that much? Or do you?
I've been working for 2-3 years to breath effortlessly to the left. (Right is great, alternate breathing is fine, but only to the left was just awkward.) I'm mostly there, though right breathing is still more effortless.
Using paddles helped a lot. I think because paddles slow my stroke tempo down so I had more time each stroke to get the breathing right. I also used a pull buoy so I didn't have to think about my legs, with the added benefit that I could feel my body rotation better than if I was kicking. Even now I find it helpful to breath right for 1/2 a lap, paying attention to timing details, then breath left the next 1/2 trying to replicate timing and body position. Disclaimer: if you don't normally use paddles, start with small ones and only 1 or 2 laps per day and build up. Paddles are notorious for causing shoulder problems.
A drill I like is the catch-up drill breathing each stroke (every arm rotation). It's a lot of gliding and a lot of breathing, but the point isn't to go fast.
It worked well for me to throw in a little breathing work most practices, rather than stress about getting it right in a short amount of time.
Hi Jan. I've tried the paddles with and without pull buoy. I have absolutely no rotation from the waist down. It's pathetic. I tried alternate breathing but tend to give up b/c I feel even more unbalanced. I guess I need to keep on trying.
I used to do catch up drill but found that I couldn't convert to regular freestyle, although sometimes when I watch videos of good swimmers, it almost looks like they are doing catch up. My other strokes are strong, but freestyle is frustrating.
