Stefan Nystrand

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!