Hey folk,
I've heard different viewpoints about my freestyle, and I wonder if I could hear from you on these various opinions:
1. Previous masters' coach: focus on high elbows, fingertips in first. (I hope I'm interpreting him right.)
2. Same coach: kick from hips, not knees (hard one... my kickboard sets are not pretty!)...
3. Swim instructor who happened to observe me one day: too much splash on kick (maybe related to #2)
4. Guy who swims pretty fast and efficiently in nearby lane: "You have a strong kick, but you don't reach far enough. Your hand goes into the water too soon." Tried more of a reach, and it did seem to help my time a little... read: VERY slow to merely "very slow" (sans caps). ;)
5. Current masters' coach: "If you've been swimming a certain way for a while, it actually could slow you down to mess with your stroke too much."
And... can a person who is still in pursuit of a sub two minute 100 have any hope of becoming not "very slow" but merely "slow" or even "halfway approaching fast"? I'm 55 and a regular runner as well as swimmer, so reasonably fit (resting heart rate of 31 measured a couple of days ago).
Thanks for your comments!
Again, thanks, guys!
Bud and Geochuck... the advice about keeping it simple is definitely welcome! And having some ONE thing to focus on sounds great.
Bud, loved that parody about the hand entering the water first etc. etc. lol! Me, I'm no physics scholar, don't even play one on tv! And while swimming, I tend to not be too great with calculations (okay, I'll come clean... I'm not too great with calculations on land or anywhere else, but I won't go there...)
I have noticed some odds 'n' ends: doing 25s where we start out hard and then ease off halfway and my time isn't radically different fr/ the ones where I push the whole way.... I also notice that my easy swimming times are getting better. Nothing that will result in Nike sponsorship, ha ha! But edging toward better.
Next practice, I'll try a couple of those focus points--the elbow out first idea for some sets and Geochuck's point about shoulder touching ear for others, see which one seems to suit me more.
I really enjoy the swimming--and paired with running, it's a totally winning combo! ... I do a hard workout in the pool on Thurs. and soon afterward, a track workout... When I first started to swim in a masters' group, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to manage both but I think the running and swimming feed each other and make me stronger.
Again, thanks, guys!
Bud and Geochuck... the advice about keeping it simple is definitely welcome! And having some ONE thing to focus on sounds great.
Bud, loved that parody about the hand entering the water first etc. etc. lol! Me, I'm no physics scholar, don't even play one on tv! And while swimming, I tend to not be too great with calculations (okay, I'll come clean... I'm not too great with calculations on land or anywhere else, but I won't go there...)
I have noticed some odds 'n' ends: doing 25s where we start out hard and then ease off halfway and my time isn't radically different fr/ the ones where I push the whole way.... I also notice that my easy swimming times are getting better. Nothing that will result in Nike sponsorship, ha ha! But edging toward better.
Next practice, I'll try a couple of those focus points--the elbow out first idea for some sets and Geochuck's point about shoulder touching ear for others, see which one seems to suit me more.
I really enjoy the swimming--and paired with running, it's a totally winning combo! ... I do a hard workout in the pool on Thurs. and soon afterward, a track workout... When I first started to swim in a masters' group, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to manage both but I think the running and swimming feed each other and make me stronger.
