this thread is here for us to share tid bits of wisdom about swimming
stuff like
get your cap wet before you put it on.
keep your racing suit dry before you race.
Don't warm up in your racing suit
don't breathe on the last stroke into a turn
or your first stroke out of a turn
ande
jay yarid puts a couple drops of baby shampoo in his googles to prevent fogging
ande
Put a few drops of water in each goggle before putting them on. Not enough to get in your eye, just enough to keep them from fogging up.
I usually breathe in and out of my turns - I can do more SDK's that way. On the other hand, having to wait a little longer for that first breath after the SDK's helps me establish a fast turnover. I struggle with sprinting so that can be a useful way to coerce myself to pick up the pace.
Another favorite trick of mine is during taper and in the meet warmup: hypoxic work.
I always view taper as a necessary evil: I like swimming fast (ie, the results of tapering) but I hate taper-time itself because I'm endorphin-addicted and can't wait to get back to REAL training. But I'm convinced that most people don't rest enough during taper -- mine has to last 3 weeks and includes essentially no lifting.
To satisfy my exercise craving without tiring myself out too much, I'll do much more hypoxic work. It elevates the heart rate but recovery is quick. It is good to prepare further for underwater SDK on the turns during the race (ideally this should be part of training and not put off until taper). And it also promotes efficient/effortless fast swimming.
Chris
that's from the mermaid song
performed by bobby bare
written by Shel Silverstein & Jim Friedman
Hey mermaid.... who are you? I like this, did you write it?
"Come live with me in the sea said she,
Down on the ocean floor
And I'll show you many's a wonderous thing
That you've never seen before"
I wrote this,
The Swim
Streamlining in a cool fluid flow,
With only air and water to soothe the senses,
Becoming entirely present through this rhythmic motion,
As past tension transmutes into current reflections,
Nothing now but sweet submission to this aqueous moment.
Since my recent avatar picture is the turn, I figure I'd might as well share my 2 cents on the subject.
Coming into the wall your head and torso should attempt to line up with a 45 degree angle to the back wall and bottom of the pool. (Keeping hips, legs, and feet close to the surface) This deeper upper-body position makes it much easier to get the hips and feet "spinning" over the top. As soon as the hips have crossed the "tipping" point, then your head and torso should go immediately in the opposite direction (closer to the surface) while your feet land on the wall in a semi-extended state. (See the picture)
If you mean:
take last breath as you pass over "T", stroke, flip body 180 degrees, push off (streamline = eyes down, hands together, arms tight, etc.) with feet as wide as hips, roll (& dolphin kick), stroke, breathe as your sequence - then YES!
get your cap wet before you put it on.
keep your racing suit dry before you race.
Don't warm up in your racing suit
don't breathe on the last stroke into a turn
or your first stroke out of a turn
ande
A good idea for a thread. It sounds liks you are talking about race-day "tricks," which I think are highly individualized (though there are some common habits that are probably good or bad ideas).
In fact, what stikes me about your examples is that I do the OPPOSITE of every one of them! The breathing in/out of the turn is a bad habit of mine, I'll admit. As for the suit...
One of my biggest problems with the technical suits is losing the feel for the water. I used to do what you say...but I found that I can re-gain a measure of the feel for the water by wearing the suit in warmup. Plus, if possible I like to warm up until JUST before I swim, and I don't want to get out just to put my suit on.
It may go against the prevailing superstition -- I mean, wisdom -- concerning the suits, but I honestly think the "dry/buoyancy" thing is a nonfactor. And since backstroke is my best stroke, the suit is going to be wet for those events anyway.
Chris
We used to do this when I ran track to play with our opponents' heads. Just before the start, loudly say "I'm so tired." "Tired" will be the last thing they are thinking as the race starts. :D
