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.
Parents
Former Member
Shoot, I wish we could all get together in a group to discuss this and act it out; it's kinda hard sometimes to try to explain stroke technique!
All I know is I pull straight down "up to a point" before I rotate. My hips rotate first and cause my body to turn, but not all of my body, just most of it. I kinda think of myself as being a chicken on a cooking spicket; it is turning but some of me is not. It's like my body is on a rod and rotates from side to side; this also gives me great streamlining. I'd rather swim like a submarine than a yacht!
I think everyone needs to watch more videos of proper technique; a picture is worth a thousand words.
Donna
Donna, I agree with regard to the discussion group! I go to the coaching conferences around here and it is extremely interesting to see the evolution of the strokes every year!
Shoot, I wish we could all get together in a group to discuss this and act it out; it's kinda hard sometimes to try to explain stroke technique!
All I know is I pull straight down "up to a point" before I rotate. My hips rotate first and cause my body to turn, but not all of my body, just most of it. I kinda think of myself as being a chicken on a cooking spicket; it is turning but some of me is not. It's like my body is on a rod and rotates from side to side; this also gives me great streamlining. I'd rather swim like a submarine than a yacht!
I think everyone needs to watch more videos of proper technique; a picture is worth a thousand words.
Donna
Donna, I agree with regard to the discussion group! I go to the coaching conferences around here and it is extremely interesting to see the evolution of the strokes every year!
