Who do you trust for help?

Former Member
Former Member
I'm absolutely amazed at the amount of misinformation on swimming, especially on the internet. One website I saw instructing the specifics of the backstroke advocated a completely illegal turn. A bodybuilder site said that depleting your stores of Glycogen by starving your body of it actually helped the body move faster. I'm not buying that. You can't swim without it. Other sites like USA Swimming, have a lot of kids with a lot of questions who for some reason don't ask their coaches or parents. Lots of ear infection questions - which are fairly preventable by wearing a swim cap. Early on in my learning I suffered a severe injury by practicing a drill recommended by one of the so-called experts in swimming technique, who shall remain nameless. That's led me to pay closer attention to sports medicine specialists and surgeons who swim. Everybody's body is different and has specific limitations. For example, the Neer Test for your shoulders. The entire approach to pitch, catch, pull, etc... is highly individual. I trust top athletic coaches and top swimmers and doctors. One site on backstroke listed something very technical which actually made sense and works wonders but after running a search a dozen ways through Google I found no one knew of it or spoke of it other than that 1 site! Who do you trust? What are your thoughts on this?
Parents
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Let's see.... I have moderate Scoliosis, joint problems in both ankles, horrible allergies, and our ever popular friend Plantar Facitiis. There were standard drills presented to me when I first learned to swim, but kickboards and pull buoys are supposedly bad for the back. Everyone thought my crawl sroke was long and wonderful but after a brief bout with swimmer's shoulder I learned to shorten it. You are all right in your comments. It depends upon what works for you as an individual. I may want to swim as fast as Peirsol or as smooth as Coughlin, but my anatomy is different. Plus, I'm getting old... :(
Reply
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Let's see.... I have moderate Scoliosis, joint problems in both ankles, horrible allergies, and our ever popular friend Plantar Facitiis. There were standard drills presented to me when I first learned to swim, but kickboards and pull buoys are supposedly bad for the back. Everyone thought my crawl sroke was long and wonderful but after a brief bout with swimmer's shoulder I learned to shorten it. You are all right in your comments. It depends upon what works for you as an individual. I may want to swim as fast as Peirsol or as smooth as Coughlin, but my anatomy is different. Plus, I'm getting old... :(
Children
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