The main thing I see in your breaststroke is that you are pulling too far back.This gets your hands stuck under you in the dreaded "prayer position" so that you don't get good acceleration in to your recovery.Your feet are too shallow and you are getting air with your kick,this may be due to bending at the hips on your kick recovery,but without underwater views I can't be sure. Given your relative beginner status I think your swim was GREAT:bouncing::bouncing::cheerleader::cheerleader:
As far as your butterfly/back issues... I would suggest that this is in large part due to the timing of your stroke, and perhaps your core strength... Can you train this more? The stronger your core is, the less discomfort you'll feel while swimming, and your energy from the pull will produce more forward motion with a stronger core...
I could always use more core work. Including roman chairs which I have not done in a long time.
One thing that would help this turn is to go deeper so the pull-out is below the surface more. Your pull-out kick was on the surface, no power there. You should be shooting underneath the water, and when you feel the slow-down to kick, you should still be under that surface, because the kick will power you a bit more underneath before you break out to stroke. This takes practice, but I find it fun to get the feeling of shooting along underneath, so peaceful and fast.
Good point. I started working on a flip turn today and I am cautiously optimistic.
The main thing I see in your breaststroke is that you are pulling too far back.This gets your hands stuck under you in the dreaded "prayer position" so that you don't get good acceleration in to your recovery.Your feet are too shallow and you are getting air with your kick,this may be due to bending at the hips on your kick recovery,but without underwater views I can't be sure.
This is great feedback. I struggle with this stroke enough when I am fresh let alone when I get tired! I have been told by others I am pulling too far back, so your comments reinforce this problem. I did feel my feet breaking the surface. Why? Also, how do I get height out of the water so I can get my core more involved?
Without go into "technique" problems...
You really have to work on your turns, especially back-***
Nice race!
One thing that would help this turn is to go deeper so the pull-out is below the surface more. Your pull-out kick was on the surface, no power there. You should be shooting underneath the water, and when you feel the slow-down to kick, you should still be under that surface, because the kick will power you a bit more underneath before you break out to stroke. This takes practice, but I find it fun to get the feeling of shooting along underneath, so peaceful and fast.
I must say the start looked pretty good to me, in terms of reaction time and distance.
On the backstroke, is he rolling enough? I'm not sure.
As for working the butterfly kick without bothering your back, it might help kicking on your side and practicing SDK's on your back off the wall.
Wow... You've only been swimming for three years? That's incredible...
You've really improved, and you look quite good in the water, way to go...
I'd like to ask you more questions, do you care to join my Interview(s) with the Champion(s) thread? See, for me, anyone that trains regularly is a winner... A true Champion... The results are measured on your own clock, and the joy is equally as great.
As far as your butterfly/back issues... I would suggest that this is in large part due to the timing of your stroke, and perhaps your core strength... Can you train this more? The stronger your core is, the less discomfort you'll feel while swimming, and your energy from the pull will produce more forward motion with a stronger core...
Try these exercises, but ease into them over many weeks.... take it slow until you have appropriate adaptation...
forums.usms.org/showpost.php
Keep up the good work, if you swim regularly, you are a winner!
The first words my coach would have said to me were, "Why did you breathe with less than 5 metres to go?" (In my experience there is no correct reply to this question!)
In Donald's view the last 5 is where races are lost and won, where records are set or missed.
You get into the red float end-zone, you're nearly finished. You can do without that breath 3 - 4 metres from the wall. Drive the last five (that rhymes quite nicely!) and try to push the wall backwards with the force of your finish!
The other one would be breathing on first stroke out of the turn on freestyle. You're travelling at your fastest so don't turn your head and break the smooth line of the body. As soon as you turn to breathe you lose all the speed you had when driving off the wall.
Turn, drive, streamline (torpedo), glide, kick, stroke, stroke, THEN breathe!
It's well worth training yourself until this becomes your natural way to turn.
Good swim, by the way, you're MUCH faster than me!
Al.
Don't worry about trying to get higher in the water. If you keep your pull more in front of you and get more power from your insweep, your torso will naturally come up, especially if you don't bend at the hips with your kick recovery. Keep practicing.
OK,
Keep my pull more in front of me, and do not bend at the waist during kick recovery. Hope my lower back flexibility allows it. I try to incorporate this.
Thanks for the comments. Those are good points that are tough to remember when racing.
That's why our coach hammers and hammers and hammers at these points in training, so we don't have to try and remember them, hopefully they'll be second nature!
By the way, Granparents are from Auchtermuchty.
Welcome, compadre! :wave:
