I have been trying hard to correct the lack of symmetry in my backstroke. In trying to correct it I swim slowlier. Then I saw this:
www.youtube.com/watch
At :41-:44 and 1:07-1:12 it's so obvious he was far from being symmetric. Would he have been better off if he corrected that?
Leslie Livingston recently told me that some coaches have begun advocating what she calls the "loping" style for both freestyle and backstroke. I think we have all been at meets where incredibly fast swimmers use this approach. It is the antithesis of symmetrical, but it seems to work really well.
Chris Stevenson has a bit a of a lope in his freestyle, correct me if I am wrong, Chris. If you read this, being a former Olympian and current genius and ongoing student of swimming, perhaps you could share with us your thoughts on loping through the water. It almost looks like a slight aquatic limp. Is one of the advantages here that the more powerful side of the body shoulders a greater share of the propulsive burden?
Note: even if Chris does not discover this thread, I would not change your stroke just because of some theoretical sense that symmetrical should be better/faster. What may seem intuitively right is not always so. Perhaps some day we will all be taught to limp through the water to reach maximum speed, and future coaches will be able to explain why!
Leslie Livingston recently told me that some coaches have begun advocating what she calls the "loping" style for both freestyle and backstroke. I think we have all been at meets where incredibly fast swimmers use this approach. It is the antithesis of symmetrical, but it seems to work really well.
Chris Stevenson has a bit a of a lope in his freestyle, correct me if I am wrong, Chris. If you read this, being a former Olympian and current genius and ongoing student of swimming, perhaps you could share with us your thoughts on loping through the water. It almost looks like a slight aquatic limp. Is one of the advantages here that the more powerful side of the body shoulders a greater share of the propulsive burden?
Note: even if Chris does not discover this thread, I would not change your stroke just because of some theoretical sense that symmetrical should be better/faster. What may seem intuitively right is not always so. Perhaps some day we will all be taught to limp through the water to reach maximum speed, and future coaches will be able to explain why!
