hi just started swimming again swam tons as a kid but no racing or anything like that. i am trying to just be able to do a 100 but at this point 50 just kills me because i cant slow down:D my wife says i look spastic with all the splashing i do kicking and such. is there a trick to going slower but still kicking or should i just try to build my endurance at the pace im going. by the way i do not ven know what my fast (to me) pace is. thanks very much just a newbie hoping to get enough swimming under my belt to go to a masters class:)
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Former Member
Sounds like you're thrashing.
Try getting "longer" in the water.
A good place to start is just pushing off the wall and getting a feel for a good glide. Don't take any stroke. Just push and glide, with your arms extended in front, hands together (palm of one hand on top of the back of the other.) Biceps touching (or even better, pressing) your ears. Feel how long you can be, how relaxed... For starters, try to glide past the backstroke flags (or, if no flags, past the point on the lane lines where the color scheme changes. (Most lane lines have a color change of some sort at the same distance from the walls that the backstroke flags hang.))
Slow down your stroke. On each stroke (each hand strike of the water) push your hand (and arm, all the way up to the shoulder) forward once it enters the water. Kind of like putting your arm into a coat sleeve. This will lengthen your stroke and allow you to get a better "feel" of the water.
Yes, slow down your stroke. The description in your post looks like you are thrashing. Not even sprinting (properly). But it's hard to tell without actually seeing it. A good easy stroke wouldn't have a whole lot of kicking splash.
Start with a few simple things like the suggestions I made. The complete answer to your question would take a book, or a whole series of coaching assistance. And while some people like to joke about TI (Total Immersion), the concepts of that program embody a lot of the things you are looking to do to improve your stroke.
Sounds like you're thrashing.
Try getting "longer" in the water.
A good place to start is just pushing off the wall and getting a feel for a good glide. Don't take any stroke. Just push and glide, with your arms extended in front, hands together (palm of one hand on top of the back of the other.) Biceps touching (or even better, pressing) your ears. Feel how long you can be, how relaxed... For starters, try to glide past the backstroke flags (or, if no flags, past the point on the lane lines where the color scheme changes. (Most lane lines have a color change of some sort at the same distance from the walls that the backstroke flags hang.))
Slow down your stroke. On each stroke (each hand strike of the water) push your hand (and arm, all the way up to the shoulder) forward once it enters the water. Kind of like putting your arm into a coat sleeve. This will lengthen your stroke and allow you to get a better "feel" of the water.
Yes, slow down your stroke. The description in your post looks like you are thrashing. Not even sprinting (properly). But it's hard to tell without actually seeing it. A good easy stroke wouldn't have a whole lot of kicking splash.
Start with a few simple things like the suggestions I made. The complete answer to your question would take a book, or a whole series of coaching assistance. And while some people like to joke about TI (Total Immersion), the concepts of that program embody a lot of the things you are looking to do to improve your stroke.
