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?
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!
Yes I have a pronounced lope in both free and back. It is not something I consciously developed nor have I made an effort to fix it. A number of freestylers lope but, as mentioned, that may also be due partly to breathing every other stroke. I haven't made a systematic study of backstrokers but my impression is that most do not have as pronounced a "limp" as I do. It is not something I do on purpose -- I was kind of shocked the first time I saw it on video (sometime late in my college career).
IMO: there may be any number of things to try to correct in stroke mechanics to increase efficiency...this would probably be far down on my list of things. Just my :2cents:.
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!
Yes I have a pronounced lope in both free and back. It is not something I consciously developed nor have I made an effort to fix it. A number of freestylers lope but, as mentioned, that may also be due partly to breathing every other stroke. I haven't made a systematic study of backstrokers but my impression is that most do not have as pronounced a "limp" as I do. It is not something I do on purpose -- I was kind of shocked the first time I saw it on video (sometime late in my college career).
IMO: there may be any number of things to try to correct in stroke mechanics to increase efficiency...this would probably be far down on my list of things. Just my :2cents:.
