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.
I watched the go swim video. Looks a lot like EVF to me. Are you under the impression she is moving her arms through the water. To me she puts her hand in, anchors and her hands almost come out in the same place that they entered.
I guess it depends on what you consider the anchoring position. Are you anchored to where your hand is when the arm is fully extended, or are you anchored after the arm is perpendicular to the pool bottom? In other words, as your forearm arcs from extended forward to facing down, are you pulling yourself forward (anchoring yourself) or is it a non-propulsive movement (arc) simply bringing the forearm to an anchored position. In the video clip, she is sometimes rotating while the forearm is arcing down and ends up flat when the forearm is truly perpendicular to pool bottom (front quadrant or catchup style). In other parts she has quickly gotten the forearm into that perpendicular position before rotating (more rotary style).
I watched the go swim video. Looks a lot like EVF to me. Are you under the impression she is moving her arms through the water. To me she puts her hand in, anchors and her hands almost come out in the same place that they entered.
I guess it depends on what you consider the anchoring position. Are you anchored to where your hand is when the arm is fully extended, or are you anchored after the arm is perpendicular to the pool bottom? In other words, as your forearm arcs from extended forward to facing down, are you pulling yourself forward (anchoring yourself) or is it a non-propulsive movement (arc) simply bringing the forearm to an anchored position. In the video clip, she is sometimes rotating while the forearm is arcing down and ends up flat when the forearm is truly perpendicular to pool bottom (front quadrant or catchup style). In other parts she has quickly gotten the forearm into that perpendicular position before rotating (more rotary style).
