Hi All,
This is a very newbie question and a hesitant one at that having read forums.usms.org/showthread.php
and being from that group of how was if phrased "trying 2 b athletes" or "mediocre at 3 sports" ouch.
Still I thought the best place to get swimming advice would be from swimmers.
I only started swimming this month. I have worked steadily at it but only know three basic strokes (crawl, *** and side). Needless to say I have been concentrating on the crawl and have progressed from being able to do 50M non stop to 1800 M non stop but painfully slow (40 minutes!). Still it beats the alternative which is drowning.
Going to a masters class is not an option the only class available to me conflicts with my wife's dragonboat practice. Which leaves open swim during regular pool hours to do laps.
1 - What would be the best DVD or book for a new swimmer to get to improve their technique. Specifically crawl.
2 - How do you keep count of laps without losing track!?! Sometimes I lose track in the mid 30's other times in the 60's either way I am either swimming more or less than intended and of course the times may look better than they actually are. Any advice would be appreciated.
3 - Last thing - I really need to learn how to do a flip turn. Can anyone point me to a FAQ or video that shows how to do it?
The problem with "telling you what to do", is that many times swimmers are not doing what they think they are doing. (That's why we have coaches and underwater video. :) ) In Colwin's book, he mentioned the arm bend, and how (Olympic level) swimmers thought they were straight-armed, when underwater photos showed a lot of arm bend.
The golf swing metaphor (although I don't play golf) is still appropriate. You want to get your abs/hips/core to start the motion, then your arms come into play. It is not the same motion, but a similar chain of energy transfer. The metaphor is for people that may have a solid golf swing, so they know how it should feel when the swimming motion is done right. If your hip rotation is not coordinated with arm motion, then you won't have the same sensation.
The problem with "telling you what to do", is that many times swimmers are not doing what they think they are doing. (That's why we have coaches and underwater video. :) ) In Colwin's book, he mentioned the arm bend, and how (Olympic level) swimmers thought they were straight-armed, when underwater photos showed a lot of arm bend.
The golf swing metaphor (although I don't play golf) is still appropriate. You want to get your abs/hips/core to start the motion, then your arms come into play. It is not the same motion, but a similar chain of energy transfer. The metaphor is for people that may have a solid golf swing, so they know how it should feel when the swimming motion is done right. If your hip rotation is not coordinated with arm motion, then you won't have the same sensation.
