We were goofing around after practice the other day and decided to see who could swim the farthest underwater. We both went well over 50 meters (the underwater turn was a killer). I opted for dolphin kicking a ways and then switched to the underwater breastroke. I’m not sure which technique is better for distance as opposed to speed. Anyone out there ever make a full 100m underwater? Oh yeah, this can be dangerous because a lot of people pass out. So if you make an attempt, be sure someone is on deck watching you. Perhaps some of you dorks could even put on your competitions suits and monofins and see if it improves your performance. You guys kill me with all your equipment.
Turns underwater are way more difficult.
I don't believe that it is more difficult. My long axis turns are already and always underwater. Maybe my feet come out a bit? On final approach in free, I torpedo under and into the wall. Same thing with back. That's current Stanford coaching--don't look at the cross-hairs, look at where the wall meets the floor. If you look up at all, you kill your own momentum. I find that I get an extra yard or two of momentum off the wall and that I use a whole lot less energy on the turn. My turns were quite horrible before this...
For one thing your body wants to bob up to the surface, for another water is 1000 times denser than air, so reversing your direction takes a lot of energy.
No. If you keep your head streamlined within your arms and place your kick-off feet between rump and knees in the horizontal plane, you jet out horizontally. If your head is tilted up or down (or if you arch your back), then you'll bob up or crash downwards. If you drop one foot, you'll roll.
Turns underwater are way more difficult.
I don't believe that it is more difficult. My long axis turns are already and always underwater. Maybe my feet come out a bit? On final approach in free, I torpedo under and into the wall. Same thing with back. That's current Stanford coaching--don't look at the cross-hairs, look at where the wall meets the floor. If you look up at all, you kill your own momentum. I find that I get an extra yard or two of momentum off the wall and that I use a whole lot less energy on the turn. My turns were quite horrible before this...
For one thing your body wants to bob up to the surface, for another water is 1000 times denser than air, so reversing your direction takes a lot of energy.
No. If you keep your head streamlined within your arms and place your kick-off feet between rump and knees in the horizontal plane, you jet out horizontally. If your head is tilted up or down (or if you arch your back), then you'll bob up or crash downwards. If you drop one foot, you'll roll.
