Everyone who watched coverage of the World Championships this year no doubt noticed Michael Phelps new distinct lope in his freestyle. I know a lot of other swimmers do this too, and their freaking fast, so this morning I asked my coach about it. She looked at me quizzically and said it's a very bad habit to have and if you don't do it naturally just forget about it.
But, Phelps didn't have this very obvious lope up to now, and he just broke 5 world records with it. So it doesn't seem like it can be that bad. I'm not to prove my coach wrong, I'm just curious.
So if anybody knows anything, please share. Why does it make some fast and for others it could be considered a bad habit? What's the trick to learning it? If it is a bad habit, why did Phelps bother to pronounce it?
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Former Member
Perhaps the lope helps a swimmer to establish a good rhythm as well as conserve energy? ....I lope as well.....but of course I'm not "quite" as fast as Phelps. I think it might help to conserve energy by helping to create a more energy efficient stroke ...although I can't say why exactly.....I noticed from my own personal experience that I relax more on my recovery and feel like I'm exerting less energy (but still maintaining the same speed more or less) when I lope vs not loping. Phelps looked very relaxed on the first 150 of that 200....I think the lope may have been more pronounced to stay loose and relaxed (while keeping the recovery relaxed) on that first 150.....hence he saved up energy for the blast of energy he used coming off of the last turn and the all out sprint down the stretch on the last 50 where he really pulled away from Peter V. and the rest of the field. I have witnessed several pretty fast swimmers (usually middle distance to distance swimmers though) growing up that also had a lope in their strokes....I also breathe to one side (as opposed to bilateral breathing) ....and it looked as if Phelps also breathed to one side in that race....perhaps the one sided breathing is connected to the whole energy conserving part of the lope (in the sense that the method doesn't work as well when you breathe bilaterally??)....Just speculating though....but you asked for our feedback...and thats my best guess (and of course I "could" be wrong....but then again its me right.....LOL!!)
Newmastersswimmer
Perhaps the lope helps a swimmer to establish a good rhythm as well as conserve energy? ....I lope as well.....but of course I'm not "quite" as fast as Phelps. I think it might help to conserve energy by helping to create a more energy efficient stroke ...although I can't say why exactly.....I noticed from my own personal experience that I relax more on my recovery and feel like I'm exerting less energy (but still maintaining the same speed more or less) when I lope vs not loping. Phelps looked very relaxed on the first 150 of that 200....I think the lope may have been more pronounced to stay loose and relaxed (while keeping the recovery relaxed) on that first 150.....hence he saved up energy for the blast of energy he used coming off of the last turn and the all out sprint down the stretch on the last 50 where he really pulled away from Peter V. and the rest of the field. I have witnessed several pretty fast swimmers (usually middle distance to distance swimmers though) growing up that also had a lope in their strokes....I also breathe to one side (as opposed to bilateral breathing) ....and it looked as if Phelps also breathed to one side in that race....perhaps the one sided breathing is connected to the whole energy conserving part of the lope (in the sense that the method doesn't work as well when you breathe bilaterally??)....Just speculating though....but you asked for our feedback...and thats my best guess (and of course I "could" be wrong....but then again its me right.....LOL!!)
Newmastersswimmer
