Gym exercise

Nate, Like a golf swing, a swimming stroke has many components contributing to power and speed. In swimming you have the start, turn, a streamlined body, timing, tempo, breathing, and a propulsive pull and kick. Just like golf and most sports all the components that make-up the end result, starts with a “set-up”. In golf, before you can swing the club you need to properly grip the club and address the ball with the proper stance. In swimming, you have to “set-up” your hand and forearm in the most propulsive position or all the other things don’t work well. This position you put your hand and forearm in is called the Early Vertical Forearm position or EVF. In the following Swimming World website video/interview www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../preview.asp titled Freestyle Coaching - Catch or Release, some of the top coaches at the recent Senior Nationals at Irvine California were asked that question; what would you teach first when teaching the freestyle. Nine of the eleven said the catch (Early Vertical Forearm EVF). Nine of the eleven said things like: a great catch leads to a great release; absolutely and definitely the catch (must be taught first), without the catch the rest doesn’t matter; elbow over the hand is what we teach. It’s time that everyone knows that the catch is not just an important component to swimming fast, it’s vital for every stroke and every swimmer can improve it. It’s gets a little technical but each competitive stroke (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) can be separated into four different segments or quadrants. The front quadrant is where propulsion initiates; the second quadrant is where the acceleration of the stroke occurs; the third quadrant where the recovery is initiated and the fourth quadrant is where the recovery makes the transition to the entry. The all important EVF position can be found in the first quadrant of each stroke. The following website article, by Rich Straus, www.trifuel.com/.../propulsive-swimming-and-the-catch-000830.php “Where Power Begins,” will help you better understand what a catch is and why it’s important to swimmers. One of the best ways to understand the EVF is by seeing underwater videos of great swimmers performing the skill. Go to utube and type in “EVF + Swimming” and you’ll see the front quadrant EVF skills performed by Olympic and Nationally ranked swimmers. The breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle are all demonstrated by the best swimmers in the world and every stroke shows an effective EVF. Once you understand what a great EVF looks like, you’re going to need to strengthen the muscles responsible for holding the forearm in that “over-the-barrel” position. There are twelve muscles that work help hold your hand and forearm in the EVF position. The following EVF exercises shown are safe isometric exercises, requiring little or no weights. DRYLAND and ISOMETRIC TRAINING DRILLS A training response can be gained from an isometric drill performed at 80% of maximum effort for six to twenty (20) seconds or more. 1. Isometric drill where the swimmer has both hands over their head in an EVF position. You’ll be surprised how difficult it is to keep the elbows slightly above the shoulder for any length of time. 2. Isometric drill where the swimmer has both hands pushing up and/or against an immoveable object like a wall or a starting block. 3. Using light weights and the most forgiving surgical tubing, have swimmers hold the EVF position for short bouts and slowly increase resistance and time. 4. Have swimmers, while standing, mimic the EVF stroke, moving their hands up and down but never past their shoulders. 5. Have swimmers hold a rescue tube, noodle, kick board, etc., above their head in the EVF position. 6. Have swimmers bend-over and mimic the swimming stroke of world-class swimmers using a great EVF position. Nate you need to develop a sound strength training regime but it’s easy to overlook the small muscles in the shoulder responsible for getting you a better EVF. Good Luck, Coach T.

Nate, Like a golf swing, a swimming stroke has many components contributing to power and speed. In swimming you have the start, turn, a streamlined body, timing, tempo, breathing, and a propulsive pull and kick. Just like golf and most sports all the components that make-up the end result, starts with a “set-up”. In golf, before you can swing the club you need to properly grip the club and address the ball with the proper stance. In swimming, you have to “set-up” your hand and forearm in the most propulsive position or all the other things don’t work well. This position you put your hand and forearm in is called the Early Vertical Forearm position or EVF. In the following Swimming World website video/interview www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../preview.asp titled Freestyle Coaching - Catch or Release, some of the top coaches at the recent Senior Nationals at Irvine California were asked that question; what would you teach first when teaching the freestyle. Nine of the eleven said the catch (Early Vertical Forearm EVF). Nine of the eleven said things like: a great catch leads to a great release; absolutely and definitely the catch (must be taught first), without the catch the rest doesn’t matter; elbow over the hand is what we teach. It’s time that everyone knows that the catch is not just an important component to swimming fast, it’s vital for every stroke and every swimmer can improve it. It’s gets a little technical but each competitive stroke (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) can be separated into four different segments or quadrants. The front quadrant is where propulsion initiates; the second quadrant is where the acceleration of the stroke occurs; the third quadrant where the recovery is initiated and the fourth quadrant is where the recovery makes the transition to the entry. The all important EVF position can be found in the first quadrant of each stroke. The following website article, by Rich Straus, www.trifuel.com/.../propulsive-swimming-and-the-catch-000830.php “Where Power Begins,” will help you better understand what a catch is and why it’s important to swimmers. One of the best ways to understand the EVF is by seeing underwater videos of great swimmers performing the skill. Go to utube and type in “EVF + Swimming” and you’ll see the front quadrant EVF skills performed by Olympic and Nationally ranked swimmers. The breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle are all demonstrated by the best swimmers in the world and every stroke shows an effective EVF. Once you understand what a great EVF looks like, you’re going to need to strengthen the muscles responsible for holding the forearm in that “over-the-barrel” position. There are twelve muscles that work help hold your hand and forearm in the EVF position. The following EVF exercises shown are safe isometric exercises, requiring little or no weights. DRYLAND and ISOMETRIC TRAINING DRILLS A training response can be gained from an isometric drill performed at 80% of maximum effort for six to twenty (20) seconds or more. 1. Isometric drill where the swimmer has both hands over their head in an EVF position. You’ll be surprised how difficult it is to keep the elbows slightly above the shoulder for any length of time. 2. Isometric drill where the swimmer has both hands pushing up and/or against an immoveable object like a wall or a starting block. 3. Using light weights and the most forgiving surgical tubing, have swimmers hold the EVF position for short bouts and slowly increase resistance and time. 4. Have swimmers, while standing, mimic the EVF stroke, moving their hands up and down but never past their shoulders. 5. Have swimmers hold a rescue tube, noodle, kick board, etc., above their head in the EVF position. 6. Have swimmers bend-over and mimic the swimming stroke of world-class swimmers using a great EVF position. Nate you need to develop a sound strength training regime but it’s easy to overlook the small muscles in the shoulder responsible for getting you a better EVF. Good Luck, Coach T.