Some years back I finished a novel about swimming—specifically, about three swimming brothers growing up on the age-group circuit in suburban Pittsburgh of the 60s; actually, kind of a combination swimming / coming-of-age novel. I sent the ms. around to a handful of agents and publishers and got a nibble or two, but shelved it when I felt I had exhausted my legitimate contacts. My lack of persistence was a problem, but another might have been timing: one agent responded that swimming wasn’t the hot sport at the moment; golf (i. e. Tiger Woods) was. I’m hoping that the subject of swimming might be more of a selling point in the wake of Michael Phelps. Without making any claims for the quality of the novel (though ordinarily I’m happy to write my own blurbs), I thought I might enlist the help of my fellow swimmers as I prepare to submit it to the publishing world again. Best case would be to come across an agent or publisher who was also an avid swimmer. But short of that I was wondering if any master swimmer might have any contacts in the publishing world, even a tenuous one, that he or she could put me on to. Sometimes that’s what it takes. Please feel free to write me back with suggestions or questions about the novel.
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Former Member
That's a reasonable supposition. Shoulder injury has far less to do with volume than with volume-practice of biomechanically unsound movements.
The specific movement/position most responsible for shoulder injury in swimming is the long reach entry in freestyle, followed by quick catch. That position or technique puts great pressure on a long lever (fully extended arm) at a time when the shoulder is highly unstable.
If you read the article by Jonty Skinner on the USA Swimming website which I referenced in my initial post on the thread "the effect of scy training on technique" you can learn more about a sounder, safer technique - earlier, steeper entry, with arm in a more vertical position, and flexed at the elbow, before applying pressure to hand/forearm.
I have a feeling that you missed my idea. My supposition was that my technique must be faulty not because I suffer from shoulder injury but rather because I do not experience anything like that but, instead, I happen to have some very untypical problems for swimmers. I was reasoning that if my injuries are untypical, it is probably because I use different joints than normally swimmers do. And this led me to the conclusion, that my technique must somehow diverge from what is accepted as correct.
Sorry if I did not get your point. I am Polish, English is my second language. But I inferred from your message that you think I complain of shoulder injury. And it is just the opposite.
That's a reasonable supposition. Shoulder injury has far less to do with volume than with volume-practice of biomechanically unsound movements.
The specific movement/position most responsible for shoulder injury in swimming is the long reach entry in freestyle, followed by quick catch. That position or technique puts great pressure on a long lever (fully extended arm) at a time when the shoulder is highly unstable.
If you read the article by Jonty Skinner on the USA Swimming website which I referenced in my initial post on the thread "the effect of scy training on technique" you can learn more about a sounder, safer technique - earlier, steeper entry, with arm in a more vertical position, and flexed at the elbow, before applying pressure to hand/forearm.
I have a feeling that you missed my idea. My supposition was that my technique must be faulty not because I suffer from shoulder injury but rather because I do not experience anything like that but, instead, I happen to have some very untypical problems for swimmers. I was reasoning that if my injuries are untypical, it is probably because I use different joints than normally swimmers do. And this led me to the conclusion, that my technique must somehow diverge from what is accepted as correct.
Sorry if I did not get your point. I am Polish, English is my second language. But I inferred from your message that you think I complain of shoulder injury. And it is just the opposite.
