In Cecil Colwin's book "Breakthrough Swimming," the author writes that in freestyle the swimmer should "SEE THE HAND ENTER BEFORE TURNING THE HEAD TO BREATHE." He makes this point several times and refers to it as "a stroke fundamental."
Is there general agreement that this is correct? Should you actually be able to see your forward hand enter the water before turning (rotating) to breathe?
I understand that Coach Colwin is making a point that some swimmers have a tendancy to breathe too early in the stroke, but it seems to me that if you try see your hands as they enter and extend just under the surface, you must look upward, your head position then becomes too far forward and out out of alignment with your body.
Does anyone have any experience with this or an opinion about it?
Parents
Former Member
Gareth,
You have proposed some interesting questions. I am suspicious of arguments in favor of the hydroplane approach for a number of reasons:
1) I too heard this line of reasoning in high school, in the 1970's. However, even world class sprinters would be hard pressed to exceed a speed of 8.2 km/hour (this is a bit faster than a 22 second 50 meters), yet most boats have to go substantially faster than that to get the hydroplaning effect. Given that, this argument sounds a lot like some pseudo-scientific explanation a traditionalist would trot out to justify doing things the way they have always been done.
2) As you note, most people don't have the kind of speed or kick required to swim this way. Teaching them to swim like this would be a bit like teaching your child how to drive for the first time in a high performance racing auto.
3) Even for the talented, at some set distance a race transitions from a long sprint to a short distance event. Are you trying to become such a drop dead sprinter that you want to learn this style, which in many ways is the opposite of the balanced body style, and confuse yourself for anything else?
On the other hand: if the balanced body approach is always correct, why can swimmers with a strong kick usually kick substantially faster with a kick board? Wouldn't artificially raising your front shove your hips and legs deeper and increase resistance?
As the Bard would say, "There are more things in heaven and earth than our philosophy." I'd be interested in seeing a comparison of the two styles for accomplished sprinters. This would need to be more than a couple of swimmers, and comparing more than simple times. If you fall into the "well the current world record holder does it this way, so that means it is better for all swimmers under all circumstances" trap, you probably won't learn very much. But, careful study might bring some insight.
Matt
Gareth,
You have proposed some interesting questions. I am suspicious of arguments in favor of the hydroplane approach for a number of reasons:
1) I too heard this line of reasoning in high school, in the 1970's. However, even world class sprinters would be hard pressed to exceed a speed of 8.2 km/hour (this is a bit faster than a 22 second 50 meters), yet most boats have to go substantially faster than that to get the hydroplaning effect. Given that, this argument sounds a lot like some pseudo-scientific explanation a traditionalist would trot out to justify doing things the way they have always been done.
2) As you note, most people don't have the kind of speed or kick required to swim this way. Teaching them to swim like this would be a bit like teaching your child how to drive for the first time in a high performance racing auto.
3) Even for the talented, at some set distance a race transitions from a long sprint to a short distance event. Are you trying to become such a drop dead sprinter that you want to learn this style, which in many ways is the opposite of the balanced body style, and confuse yourself for anything else?
On the other hand: if the balanced body approach is always correct, why can swimmers with a strong kick usually kick substantially faster with a kick board? Wouldn't artificially raising your front shove your hips and legs deeper and increase resistance?
As the Bard would say, "There are more things in heaven and earth than our philosophy." I'd be interested in seeing a comparison of the two styles for accomplished sprinters. This would need to be more than a couple of swimmers, and comparing more than simple times. If you fall into the "well the current world record holder does it this way, so that means it is better for all swimmers under all circumstances" trap, you probably won't learn very much. But, careful study might bring some insight.
Matt
