I have been reading and watching posts and replies, on the General forum, as well as Coaching forum, that seem to dismiss the importance of having developed triceps. I may be wrong, but what I surmised is that even though having a longer stroke is of great importance (and I am an advocate of a longer sroke depending upon the distance and actual stroke being swum), that many people including Kaizen making statements that a long stroke is better, there is much conclusion that "finishing" the stroke lower on the leg has several problems: 1) it takes tricep strength so avoid it and 2) finishing shorter and closer to the waist area is the way to go.
Now granted, a 50 free sprint probably needs a lesser SPL than a 200 or 400, but my concern in this topic is that there may be a message to other swimmers that finishing later on the body requires more strength in the back of the arm (triceps) so avoid it. My Word: Wrong!!
Every great, great swimmer I have ever seen has the arms of Hercules, both in biceps, shoulders and triceps. And even at my older age and a fatter body, the one remaining muscle group that is ripped is the triceps on my arms because they have been trained over years and carry me through even now. Having these great muscles developed continues to aid in my powerfully finishing my stroke and setting up for the next one. Triceps DO provide propulsion in the stroke finish/recovery portion of the stroke, so making sure they are developed, as well as other components of your body, is extremely important. Just one swimmer's point of view....and open for discussion.....
donna
I think the idea is that we buy the DVD, but I borrowed it (sorry Karlyn) from Kerry (O'Brien). He suggested I take a look at the last section as I peppered him with yet more questions about my stroke!
On a side note: I was impressed that there was sort of a disclaimer in the video (intended for age-groupers I guess) that you should always do what your coach tells you, and that her technique is just another way to do the stroke.
As far as the stroke goes she just really emphasizes the front quadrant part of the stroke, and she sets her catch in the front REALLY fast and then engages all arm muscles. The finish isn't emphasized as much as the catch, because your larger arm muscles are more engaged in the catch (and actual pull). Also, she does not cross that imaginary mid-line as her hands enter the water, in fact she enters about shoulder width, or how you would if you were paddling on a surfboard.
It made sense to me. I'd recommend seeing it for yourself though. I'm sure I'm not doing her technique justice with my words!
I was talking about her stroke with one of our other coaches and we both wondered how Karlyn doesn't have shoulder problems- she rolls still from side to side but with her wide pull- it looks like there is a lot of pressure on her shoulders. We also talked about that while her technique is different, from what most coaches teach, it's still really good.... In a nut-shell Karlyn is just Karlyn and an incredibly talented swimmer (not to mention nice person :) )
I think the idea is that we buy the DVD, but I borrowed it (sorry Karlyn) from Kerry (O'Brien). He suggested I take a look at the last section as I peppered him with yet more questions about my stroke!
On a side note: I was impressed that there was sort of a disclaimer in the video (intended for age-groupers I guess) that you should always do what your coach tells you, and that her technique is just another way to do the stroke.
As far as the stroke goes she just really emphasizes the front quadrant part of the stroke, and she sets her catch in the front REALLY fast and then engages all arm muscles. The finish isn't emphasized as much as the catch, because your larger arm muscles are more engaged in the catch (and actual pull). Also, she does not cross that imaginary mid-line as her hands enter the water, in fact she enters about shoulder width, or how you would if you were paddling on a surfboard.
It made sense to me. I'd recommend seeing it for yourself though. I'm sure I'm not doing her technique justice with my words!
I was talking about her stroke with one of our other coaches and we both wondered how Karlyn doesn't have shoulder problems- she rolls still from side to side but with her wide pull- it looks like there is a lot of pressure on her shoulders. We also talked about that while her technique is different, from what most coaches teach, it's still really good.... In a nut-shell Karlyn is just Karlyn and an incredibly talented swimmer (not to mention nice person :) )
