Fqs

I definitely have a front quadrant style it treats me pretty well in every competition I have done. If I were trying to go top ten in sprint events I'd probably need to get away from it during races.

I do front quadrant freestyle. I really like it. I used to not, but then I read "Fitness Swimming" by Emmett Hines, tried it, and haven't been back to my old way since. Every once in a while I'll mess up a stroke and it will not be FQ but I can feel a difference in how effective the stroke is and how much effort it takes to me execute it. Using FQ, I feel more slippery in the water, like I can get a better stretch and glide. I also noticed that my times have decreased. Once you learn, it is definatly worth it to practice it. ~Kyra

I am a firm believer in FQ swimming. Head on over to the archives of TI's website and you will find an article titled picture perfect. In it is a picture of Hoogie, Thorpe, and Phelps racing at the Olympics this year. You will see in the photo that even these swimmers, the fastest in the world, are swimming FQ. Terry Laughlin has a few other points to make about the photo and I have put all of them to good use. Take a peek at the article and you might find something that makes your swimming a bit more efficient.

for some reason i am just not picturing what FQS is very well... i am going to try and get on TI's website and find those pics, but maybe the chlorine is getting to my head... could someone describe it a bit more?? thanks... S.:confused:

Emmett Hines' website also has an article that teaches FQ swimming. Keep your lead hand out in front of you until your recovery hand is past your head. I allow my recovery hand to enter the water before starting my other hand on its catch and pull. Check out the H2Ouston swims website. Just look in their archive or article list and you should find some info on front quadrant. The goal is to be long and streamlined and to accomplish this you can't have both arms working symetrically.

Originally posted by 330man Emmett Hines' website also has an article that teaches FQ swimming. Keep your lead hand out in front of you until your recovery hand is past your head. I allow my recovery hand to enter the water before starting my other hand on its catch and pull. Check out the H2Ouston swims website. Just look in their archive or article list and you should find some info on front quadrant. The goal is to be long and streamlined and to accomplish this you can't have both arms working symetrically. The problem with this method is that you decelerate while neither arm is pulling (unless you get a lot of propulsion from your kick). Front quadrant doesn't mean catch-up, it just means that both arms are in the front quadrant (above or below the water) at the same time. So you don't have to (and shouldn't) wait to begin pulling until the recovering arm is past your head.

I attempt front-quandrant swimming. Now whether I actually DO front-quadrant swimming is entirely open to debate. :p

Originally posted by gull80 The problem with this method is that you decelerate while neither arm is pulling (unless you get a lot of propulsion from your kick). Front quadrant doesn't mean catch-up, it just means that both arms are in the front quadrant (above or below the water) at the same time. So you don't have to (and shouldn't) wait to begin pulling until the recovering arm is past your head. totalimmersion.net/.../pictureperfect.html Look at Phelps in the lower portion of the picture. He is probably not going to wait until both hands are parallel to each other to begin his next stroke but he is also at full race speed. His recovering arm is just above his head and his lead arm has yet to begin it's catch. I swim catch-up for the majority of my workouts and don't have a problem with speed variation and it allows me to keep my stroke count down in the 12-15 range. I get very little propulsion from my kick if I kick at all. Sometimes I will only kick a two beat for a half a lap or so and then decide to cruise for a few laps. Cruising without a kick makes me very aware of my balance in the water. If I can maintain balance without kicking I know I am doing something right.

Originally posted by 330man totalimmersion.net/.../pictureperfect.html Look at Phelps in the lower portion of the picture. He is probably not going to wait until both hands are parallel to each other to begin his next stroke but he is also at full race speed. His recovering arm is just above his head and his lead arm has yet to begin it's catch. I swim catch-up for the majority of my workouts and don't have a problem with speed variation and it allows me to keep my stroke count down in the 12-15 range. I get very little propulsion from my kick if I kick at all. Sometimes I will only kick a two beat for a half a lap or so and then decide to cruise for a few laps. Cruising without a kick makes me very aware of my balance in the water. If I can maintain balance without kicking I know I am doing something right. 1) I have real questions about people who don't kick. It used to be that people thought that kicking only helped to maintain balance. Now many believe that kicking can add 10% or more forward movement. what is your reasoning for not kicking. 2) I have a question to others who want both arms above the shoulder line. How do you maintain a good roll? Most people I talk with stress a very"deep' hip roll when they do a TI technique. That seems not very possible. \

Originally posted by craiglll@yahoo.com 1) I have real questions about people who don't kick. It used to be that people thought that kicking only helped to maintain balance. Now many believe that kicking can add 10% or more forward movement. what is your reasoning for not kicking. 2) I have a question to others who want both arms above the shoulder line. How do you maintain a good roll? Most people I talk with stress a very"deep' hip roll when they do a TI technique. That seems not very possible. \ Both are reasonable questions. Why do I not kick sometimes? Mostly to check on my balance and sometimes to conserve energy. Poor plantar flexion can result in a kick that produces propulsion in the opposite direction!! I don't have that problem but my kick is nothing to write home about. As I said, stopping my kick allows me to see how well balanced I am and it also allows me to be much more relaxed. Just as with people who use pull buoys but I do it without a pull buoy. I suspect that 10% or less of my swimming is done without a kick. Most of the time I am trying to maintain a 2 beat kick. How do I maintain a good roll? When I complete my recovery and drive my hand foreward into the water that intitiates a roll that is carried out by my core body. I do not roll to the extent that TI suggests as I have found it to be counter productive in my stroke. I roll just enough to allow a high elbow recovery without moving my elbow too far past my scapular plane (essentially my back).