Favorite drills are, by stroke
-- Fly: 3-4 kicks per pull. Good for working on timing and getting the feel for the stroke and the catch (EVF, if you would rather); not as tiring as regular fly
-- Back: what I call "shotgun" backstroke. Swim with an exagerrated shoulder roll and a pause with the arm pointing straight up and reaching high, sighting up your arm like the barrel of a shotgun.
-- ***: :rofl:
-- Free: catch-up free, working on roll and catch
Favorite things to do:
-- stretching. Of all kinds, all the time. Before warmup, during warmup, between sets, before races...you get the idea. Besides activating my muscles, it also relaxes and focuses the mind.
-- hypoxic sets to work on stroke efficiency and underwater SDK at the end of races.
-- This year: Pilates and adding more intense core exercises to my weight lifting. This has definitely improved by SDK and I think it has also helped my swimming. Plus it is kind of fun, and good for general health/fitness. (I was originally motivated by a desire to avoid future back problems, such as those my dad has gone through.)
Not a big fan of equipment.
-- I'll use paddles & pull buoy more during taper after I've stopped lifting. Good for feel/catch and to maintain strength.
-- I'll use a snorkel some, maybe once a week -- I can definitely see the point (balance, hypoxic work, integrating legs & arms) but I don't really like it all that much yet, and sometimes I get panicked when oxygen runs low.
-- I never use fins: I don't honestly see the point and, anyway, they hurt my knees and ankles.
Favorite drills are, by stroke
-- Fly: 3-4 kicks per pull. Good for working on timing and getting the feel for the stroke and the catch (EVF, if you would rather); not as tiring as regular fly
-- Back: what I call "shotgun" backstroke. Swim with an exagerrated shoulder roll and a pause with the arm pointing straight up and reaching high, sighting up your arm like the barrel of a shotgun.
-- ***: :rofl:
-- Free: catch-up free, working on roll and catch
Favorite things to do:
-- stretching. Of all kinds, all the time. Before warmup, during warmup, between sets, before races...you get the idea. Besides activating my muscles, it also relaxes and focuses the mind.
-- hypoxic sets to work on stroke efficiency and underwater SDK at the end of races.
-- This year: Pilates and adding more intense core exercises to my weight lifting. This has definitely improved by SDK and I think it has also helped my swimming. Plus it is kind of fun, and good for general health/fitness. (I was originally motivated by a desire to avoid future back problems, such as those my dad has gone through.)
Not a big fan of equipment.
-- I'll use paddles & pull buoy more during taper after I've stopped lifting. Good for feel/catch and to maintain strength.
-- I'll use a snorkel some, maybe once a week -- I can definitely see the point (balance, hypoxic work, integrating legs & arms) but I don't really like it all that much yet, and sometimes I get panicked when oxygen runs low.
-- I never use fins: I don't honestly see the point and, anyway, they hurt my knees and ankles.
