Today, for whatever reason, I made a focused effort to sight the end of the pool, albeit momentarily, during my breath. I think it helped me keep correct orientation and pitch thus helping my body dolphin. I think before I was just looking cross eyed into the water ahead and not really picking the end of the pool as the focus. It was cool seeing the wall "rapidly" approaching.
So my question is, should you not look at any discernable thing and zone out looking for the tee, or should you take a conscious peek at the wall on every breath to help keep body orientation?
What say you?
Are you picking your head up to do this, Rob? You don't want to lift your head up very much, just enough to get your chin out of the water. And if you're lifting your head too much, your hips will drop.
No, not picking up the head, but only lifting my eyeballs to take a peak. Good eyeball excersize. Maybe this is not the thing to do. I will need to experiment. It just seemed like when I sighted the wall, my brain immediately knew where my head/torso/hip line was and would signal any corrective action to my dolphin kick.
This may go out the window in a 50 where you go more on feel. Not sure.
My stroke is better if I just focus on lunging forward without lifting my head too much. My kick and stroke follow naturally if I throw my head forward. That said, if you feel faster and can back it up with a time on your fly by sighting, I say go for it.
I definately don't want to lift my head too much. Just don't know if I should focus on "nothing" when my head is out of the water.
IMO Phelps is looking at the wall ahead, but I think he has an "experts" only head position.
Fly is my favorite stroke. When I went to the Auburn Masters Swim Camp, Ralph Crocker told me I needed to look down when I breathed and when I didn't breathe. It is hard to look down when you breathe, but I have found that it seems to help keep me flatter on the water and minimizes the up and down effect.
Looking down will reassure you that your head position is relaxed. If you want to see the other end of the pool, go ahead and look. The wall isn't moving anywhere, but your butt will be dragging for the time you look. If your recovery and breathing portion is sufficiently aggressive, you can probably get away with rolling up your eyes, but I prefer to go by the lines on the bottom to tell me where I am.
The "look down while breathing" is an odd sensation if you are not accustomed to it, but is very efficient.
Over the years I have tried many things to improve my butterfly, but core strength and powerful kicking will always be the key. You can have no arms left at all but if your legs can hold out, the race is a thing of beauty.
Looking down will reassure you that your head position is relaxed. If you want to see the other end of the pool, go ahead and look. The wall isn't moving anywhere, but your butt will be dragging for the time you look. If your recovery and breathing portion is sufficiently aggressive, you can probably get away with rolling up your eyes, but I prefer to go by the lines on the bottom to tell me where I am.
The "look down while breathing" is an odd sensation if you are not accustomed to it, but is very efficient.
Over the years I have tried many things to improve my butterfly, but core strength and powerful kicking will always be the key. You can have no arms left at all but if your legs can hold out, the race is a thing of beauty.
Well, hell has frozen over. I'm going to agree with Michael for the first time ever. :) I never look at the other end of the pool. I might, maybe, roll my eyeballs up once (but not while breathing) about 4-5 strokes from the wall, but that's it. Or, at least that's what I aim to do.
Today, for whatever reason, I made a focused effort to sight the end of the pool, albeit momentarily, during my breath. I think it helped me keep correct orientation and pitch thus helping my body dolphin. I think before I was just looking cross eyed into the water ahead and not really picking the end of the pool as the focus. It was cool seeing the wall "rapidly" approaching.
So my question is, should you not look at any discernable thing and zone out looking for the tee, or should you take a conscious peek at the wall on every breath to help keep body orientation?
What say you?
Well, your head is round, and your face and goggles aren't as round. So by that logic, keep your head down. Also, I found it hard to do a no-breath stroke in fly with out looking down. It also seems like your neck would get sore. I say breath every other stroke, and keep your head down when you're not breathing.
I definately don't want to lift my head too much. Just don't know if I should focus on "nothing" when my head is out of the water.
IMO Phelps is looking at the wall ahead, but I think he has an "experts" only head position.
His chin skims the surface as it rides along that giraffe like neck of his. So perhaps it doesn't affect him in any way (to be looking forward).
But even he said...in his 60 minutes interview...he won the 100 fly because Cavic lifted his head up...and he held his down.
To paraphrase what he said...any lift of the head is like putting on the water brakes.
