Hi, I'm new to the board. I've read a lot of posts and think this is a great resource for people. Anyhow, a little background. My 8 year-old son, who has Asperger's syndrome and it's associated errrrr...lack of athleticism, is on the neighborhood swimming team. Surprisingly he really seems to enjoy swimming and gets excited about his improvements. He has improved from a 44 second 25 yard time to 34 seconds in this, his first year. I have never swam competitively but given his interest in swimming, I've developed a similar interest and have been reading about stroke mechanics while watching lots of video of Ian Thorpe and Alexander Popov. Of course I practice it on myself and have become infinitely better. I've been trying to teach my son proper technique as well, with some success. While other kids his age on the team (many more experienced) more or less bully their way through the water faster than him, I don't let him pull as hard as he can or stroke as hard as he can for obvious reasons...so he learns better. He will be taking lessons soon from one of the student coaches, although I'm a little weary about it because they may teach him their own bad habits (not that I'm not, lol). For example, pretty much all the older kids on the team do the classic S-shaped scull.
My question is as follows; I am trying to teach him the high elbow and getting a feel for "hard water". We're also working on timing his hip rotation to use that vertical forearm. As you can imagine, it's difficult for him to rotate the arm and shoulder like that during the stroke, although he can on dry land. I noticed Popov pronating his hand (palm facing out) in the beginning of his catch, which I imagine does 2 things; one, scull a little, and two, get him into the EVF. Is this a pretty standard thing? I don't see Thorpe do it on video, but maybe I'm not seeing it well amid the bubbles. I myself have more or less been able to get a reasonable EVF without pronation, but maybe I should do the same? The second question is do most of you prefer the front quadrant style? Again, Thorpe begins his catch as his recovering arm passes his head and he starts rotating, while Popov begins his catch earlier.
If you could give me advise on these issues, particularly as it pertains to teaching a child, I would be appreciative. Sorry for the lengthy post.
Parents
Former Member
Thank you for your input. I see your point about the two different strokes she shows in the clip. The EVF seems easier to me in a catchup stroke because you are almost flat when getting to EVF, whereas it's tougher to achieve while rotated. Incidentally, I notice she gets her elbow out pretty wide on the catch, I'm wondering if that is something that might help me.
One last point, in my opinion the "Vertical" in EVF is a bit misleading, the important thing is to get the forearm perpendicular to the direction of travel not whether it is pointing at the bottom of the pool. Many excellent swimmers anchor with their arm in a diagonal orientation, and with that in mind I personally find that concentrating on getting my elbow out helps me get my forearm oriented correctly. I would prefer the term Early Perpendicular Forearm, perhaps George or Coach T will chime in if I'm on the wrong track, I have to admit that my thinking is colored by the fact I have poor flexibility in my shoulders.
Thank you for your input. I see your point about the two different strokes she shows in the clip. The EVF seems easier to me in a catchup stroke because you are almost flat when getting to EVF, whereas it's tougher to achieve while rotated. Incidentally, I notice she gets her elbow out pretty wide on the catch, I'm wondering if that is something that might help me.
One last point, in my opinion the "Vertical" in EVF is a bit misleading, the important thing is to get the forearm perpendicular to the direction of travel not whether it is pointing at the bottom of the pool. Many excellent swimmers anchor with their arm in a diagonal orientation, and with that in mind I personally find that concentrating on getting my elbow out helps me get my forearm oriented correctly. I would prefer the term Early Perpendicular Forearm, perhaps George or Coach T will chime in if I'm on the wrong track, I have to admit that my thinking is colored by the fact I have poor flexibility in my shoulders.
