Anyone have any good drills/ideas/thoughts for working on streamlining off the wall? I've been concentrating on increasing the power in the dolphin kicks, but I know I need to work on my streamline, too. I know what I'm supposed to do (head down, squeeze ears with arm muscles, hand over hand, etc.) but find my technique falling apart as I tire during the workout.
I'm not very flexible, and find stretching my arms out to where I squeeze my ears sort of uncomfortable, or at least unnatural feeling, even when I'm fresh. That same position becomes more unnatural feeling as my arm muscles tire. I can hold it OK for a little while when I concentrate, but usually after a couple hundred meters I will "wake up" in a pushoff to find my elbws slightly bent and arms away from my head by a couple of inches, which I know is really inefficient.
I've been trying to just "assume the position" at home periodically, and incorporate it into my warmup stretching. I am self-coached, with no video opportunity -- but I know video would show a crummy steamline. I've watched the eeswim stuff, and can clearly see and visualize what a great streamline looks like, but mine's not there. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
Parents
Former Member
Bill,
Sounds to me like you have a general flexibility issue. Lots of swimming authorities (from our own Wayne M to Dr. Ron Karnaugh, who held the SCM World Record for 200 IM when he was in his mid-30s) recomend a stretching program.
I do a 1 hour yoga class once a week. I have found this is more useful that doing weight training, even weight training more often than once per week. There are lots of other options: pilates, swim specific stretching programs, etc. I makes sense to me that as we get older we need to pay more attention to flexibility.
Just my two cents.
Matt
Bill,
Sounds to me like you have a general flexibility issue. Lots of swimming authorities (from our own Wayne M to Dr. Ron Karnaugh, who held the SCM World Record for 200 IM when he was in his mid-30s) recomend a stretching program.
I do a 1 hour yoga class once a week. I have found this is more useful that doing weight training, even weight training more often than once per week. There are lots of other options: pilates, swim specific stretching programs, etc. I makes sense to me that as we get older we need to pay more attention to flexibility.
Just my two cents.
Matt
