I am trying to improve my freestyle. I have been working on balance,timing,counting strokes.
When watching videos of world classs swimmers, I noticed that on swimmers like Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, that their arm in the water is fully extended(straight) and angled below the corresponding shoulder. It looks as though the arm that is about to catch the water is angled to where it points towards where the pool wall and pool bottom meet. Not pointed directly down but not pointed directly straight out from the shoulder to the wall.
It seems like most of the best freestylers have their extended arms pointed below their bottom shoulder at an angle before the pull. This also appears to only happen once they have finished the rotation to that side.
Has anyone else noticed this or am I way off?
Thanks,
David
Parents
Former Member
I think it was in Swimming Fastest that the author cited a study that showed that the "kinetic chain" may be a viable "feel" but that it isn't feasible in terms of physics.
Not sure if science can really rule in or out the potential contribution of body rotation.
Oops, I forgot to say that the study I am thinking of dealt with the "kinetic chain" as it relates to butterfly/undulation/dolphin kick. Sometimes people talk about starting the undulation in your chest and "whipping" a wave down through your body to your feet, if I recall correctly the study showed that the physics of this in an aquatic medium don't work. Which is not to say that you shouldn't move in a way that looks like a wave moving down your body, just that the energy won't be transmitted down your body in the way that it is when you whip a wet towel or throw a baseball for example. In this case the wave moving down the body is a concise way of describing the desired movement and feel, no problem there, it is the explanation of "why" that I believe is off the mark. Another problem I see with that model is it doesn't fit with a two-kick style fly.
I know that rotation works for me, I'm just not ready to buy the statement that the "power is coming from the hips" as a literal statement, I suspect the power is coming from the lats. Perhaps when my stroke improves I'll get the feel of power coming from my hips.
I think it was in Swimming Fastest that the author cited a study that showed that the "kinetic chain" may be a viable "feel" but that it isn't feasible in terms of physics.
Not sure if science can really rule in or out the potential contribution of body rotation.
Oops, I forgot to say that the study I am thinking of dealt with the "kinetic chain" as it relates to butterfly/undulation/dolphin kick. Sometimes people talk about starting the undulation in your chest and "whipping" a wave down through your body to your feet, if I recall correctly the study showed that the physics of this in an aquatic medium don't work. Which is not to say that you shouldn't move in a way that looks like a wave moving down your body, just that the energy won't be transmitted down your body in the way that it is when you whip a wet towel or throw a baseball for example. In this case the wave moving down the body is a concise way of describing the desired movement and feel, no problem there, it is the explanation of "why" that I believe is off the mark. Another problem I see with that model is it doesn't fit with a two-kick style fly.
I know that rotation works for me, I'm just not ready to buy the statement that the "power is coming from the hips" as a literal statement, I suspect the power is coming from the lats. Perhaps when my stroke improves I'll get the feel of power coming from my hips.
