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
For the record here's the conclusion of the aforementionned study.
Abstract available here www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.../query.fcgi
Again you're not the only one disputing this theory. Maglischo prefers to think of undulation as being a reversed wave starting from feet traveling up the the head :rolleyes:
It would be interesting to see the whole article because it is dangerous to draw conclusions from an abstract. But that hasn't stopped me yet! :D
I question whether you can draw conclusions about transmission of force based on timing, as they seem to be doing. Not only is it clear that you can produce the same movement and timing based on power applied at each link or transmission of power down links but you would expect the timing to be the same for an efficient swimmer. Any variance from the timing that would transmit a wave down the body would result in segments working against one another.
Actually I wonder if people doing one kick fly are swimming as though they are transmitting force down the chain, but the "looks like they are dragging their legs" or "half kick" is the actual result; and actively powering the chain is necessary to produce an apparent kick. There, a unified theory! ;)
For the record here's the conclusion of the aforementionned study.
Abstract available here www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.../query.fcgi
Again you're not the only one disputing this theory. Maglischo prefers to think of undulation as being a reversed wave starting from feet traveling up the the head :rolleyes:
It would be interesting to see the whole article because it is dangerous to draw conclusions from an abstract. But that hasn't stopped me yet! :D
I question whether you can draw conclusions about transmission of force based on timing, as they seem to be doing. Not only is it clear that you can produce the same movement and timing based on power applied at each link or transmission of power down links but you would expect the timing to be the same for an efficient swimmer. Any variance from the timing that would transmit a wave down the body would result in segments working against one another.
Actually I wonder if people doing one kick fly are swimming as though they are transmitting force down the chain, but the "looks like they are dragging their legs" or "half kick" is the actual result; and actively powering the chain is necessary to produce an apparent kick. There, a unified theory! ;)
