You can be more efficient and save energy in your swim workouts or races! Here are my top 3 tips for High Quality Freestyle Rotation!
Rotation is IMPORTANT! Rotating side to side while swimming freestyle reduces the amount of drag. Doesn’t it waste energy getting side to side? Yes and no. Rotation does use energy (an extremely small amount) however we are using gravity mostly to get one side to the other. Also, by rotating it sets your body up in a very powerful position to anchor. Thus faster swimming!
How far should I rotate? The most optimal place to rotate is onto your “Rails” (riding the rails) Your rails are the part of your body that begins to curve into and make your sides (about 45degrees). Rotating more/less you just aren’t as efficient.
Catch the Rhythm… What do you think about when you are trying to speed up or slow down? Think about changing your rotational rhythm. Wanna go faster? Increase your rotational rhythm. This way you are using your core and not just flailing your arms and legs.
Bonus Tip- Make sure your hips and shoulders stay connected. This means if your shoulders are rotating to your rails (the easy part) your hips need to move at exactly the same time to your rails (the harder part). For me it works best focusing on my hips rotating to my rails and my shoulders usually get there connected on their own.
Thanks Ty for the advice. I've asked this question in some form or another in the past, but am still a bit confused about it. How does rotation help the anchoring? I can see how power is generated and how drag is reduced, but I find it a little harder to keep the elbow high from that rotated position. When you rotate, the extended elbow naturally starts to face the bottom unless you rotate the shoulder internally. That's something I've been working on, namely rotating my shoulder internally a tad when my arm is extended, so it's ready for the catch and (hopefully) elbows don't drop.
One other question. I've watched different swimmers whose catch arms are in different positions when they have reached the flat position. For example, Ian Thorpe usually has his catch elbow even with his shoulder when his body is flat, whereas Popov would have his elbow behind him and nearly ready to exit the water by the time his body was flat. I guess it's the difference between getting most of your propulsion in the first 45 degrees of rotation or the second. Any thoughts? Which is preferable, or easier for someone like me still learning.
Thanks Ty for the advice. I've asked this question in some form or another in the past, but am still a bit confused about it. How does rotation help the anchoring? I can see how power is generated and how drag is reduced, but I find it a little harder to keep the elbow high from that rotated position. When you rotate, the extended elbow naturally starts to face the bottom unless you rotate the shoulder internally. That's something I've been working on, namely rotating my shoulder internally a tad when my arm is extended, so it's ready for the catch and (hopefully) elbows don't drop.
One other question. I've watched different swimmers whose catch arms are in different positions when they have reached the flat position. For example, Ian Thorpe usually has his catch elbow even with his shoulder when his body is flat, whereas Popov would have his elbow behind him and nearly ready to exit the water by the time his body was flat. I guess it's the difference between getting most of your propulsion in the first 45 degrees of rotation or the second. Any thoughts? Which is preferable, or easier for someone like me still learning.
