I do several stretches pointed out as no-nos in that article. I have a little routine that I always do, much of which I borrowed from Janet Evans' book. But after reading that I'm thinking I might just quit stretching altogether.
:confused:
there is no one point in the four competitive strokes that requires extraordinary range of motion to have a fast, efficient stroke.
While I agree with the general notion of what you are saying, what constitutes "extraordinary range of motion" might be a little different for a masters swimmer (particularly an elderly one) than a college-age swimmer.
I have definitely seen a number of masters swimmers whose performance has been negatively impacted by a lack of flexibility (eg, not being able to hold a streamline; not being able to fully engage core muscles; lack of full range of shoulder motion; not being able to assume a proper starting position on the blocks, just to name a few).
Many youngsters could probably get away without any stretching at all, but it might be more important for aging swimmers. Which makes the advice in the article all the more useful.
there is no one point in the four competitive strokes that requires extraordinary range of motion to have a fast, efficient stroke.
While I agree with the general notion of what you are saying, what constitutes "extraordinary range of motion" might be a little different for a masters swimmer (particularly an elderly one) than a college-age swimmer.
I have definitely seen a number of masters swimmers whose performance has been negatively impacted by a lack of flexibility (eg, not being able to hold a streamline; not being able to fully engage core muscles; lack of full range of shoulder motion; not being able to assume a proper starting position on the blocks, just to name a few).
Many youngsters could probably get away without any stretching at all, but it might be more important for aging swimmers. Which makes the advice in the article all the more useful.
