Check
www.youtube.com/watch
Whoa... I'm speechless... well, momentarily anyways...
That is incredible, I've never seen anything quite like
this before!! What a perfect example of a totally unique
stroke, a bizarre phenomena that might not ever become
mainstream swimming philosophy.
I mean, it would be near to impossible to try and mimic
this stroke pattern, not to mention, how could someone
actually describe this appropriately in words...???!!
Attempting the impossible, just for the sheer need of
understanding, how could I let this opportunity "swim"
away?
His mix of technical variables are somewhat shocking,
and trying to describe his kick pattern combined with
his torso and pulling action is a slightly daunting task.
I mean, this appears to be a hybrid swimming stroke,
combining elements of butterfly and freestyle, with very
little semblance of previously accepted principals. This
may be the new "stroke" or just something that works
solely for this man.
Personally, I'm not willing to risk everything by endorsing
this stroke, but I will not disappoint by trying my best to
explain it.
His windmill action above water has been seen before, not
a complete shock, but it is when we look under-water that
I'm completely flabbergasted...
All the concepts I've known about sprint freestyle are almost
completely contrary with Stefan Nystrand.
Where should I start?
1. He bounces through his stroke, a tighter version of
the body dolphin action, during freestyle??!!
2. He swims "uphill", totally bizzare, but this is what I'm seeing.
You can even pause his stroke in the 25 meter under water angle,
and the result is uncanny. It appears that he rotates from side to side,
so fast, that the resistance from his body position is mitigated.
3. His "catch" stays near the surface, and he begins pulling
immediately, he doesn't wait for his forearm to be perpendicular to
the bottom of the pool. ***GASP*** Instead, he almost drops his
elbow, and pulls at 45 degrees, in exchange for faster tempo, and
the body dolphin.
4. His kick, ummmmm, his kick... What is that? A four-beat freestyle/dolphin blend? It's like his legs are assisting with the upper body set-up and over-all body-dolphin action.... ???!!!????!!!!
Okay folks, not sure what else to say, except.... WOW!
Parents
Former Member
You know, after further analysis, (many hours of staring in a dumbstruck fashion) I've come to another conclusion.
It appears that Stefan isn't doing the free kick in the "traditional sense", but instead it seems he is doing single dolphin kicks with each leg, and just allowing the beat to be loose in terms of how it corresponds with his lightning fast arm-cycle.
There certainly IS an over-all body dolphin that results from this action, and it is bizarre, albeit tighter and smaller. (This can even be seen by his bouncing stroke from the above water angle) Also, if you look at the head-on video you can see his head and shoulders moving up and down, up and down, without a doubt.
Again from the side view, the head up and feet down (frozen frame) looks hauntingly similar to a butterfly action, except the arms are spinning in a freestyle motion. (In one picture I managed to capture, his feet are nearly together in motion, just like a dolphin kick)
This stroke is nearly impossible, but hey, I guess that's why we call it sport.
S - Staying
P - Performance
O - Oriented
R - Respecting
T - Talent
You know, after further analysis, (many hours of staring in a dumbstruck fashion) I've come to another conclusion.
It appears that Stefan isn't doing the free kick in the "traditional sense", but instead it seems he is doing single dolphin kicks with each leg, and just allowing the beat to be loose in terms of how it corresponds with his lightning fast arm-cycle.
There certainly IS an over-all body dolphin that results from this action, and it is bizarre, albeit tighter and smaller. (This can even be seen by his bouncing stroke from the above water angle) Also, if you look at the head-on video you can see his head and shoulders moving up and down, up and down, without a doubt.
Again from the side view, the head up and feet down (frozen frame) looks hauntingly similar to a butterfly action, except the arms are spinning in a freestyle motion. (In one picture I managed to capture, his feet are nearly together in motion, just like a dolphin kick)
This stroke is nearly impossible, but hey, I guess that's why we call it sport.
S - Staying
P - Performance
O - Oriented
R - Respecting
T - Talent
