The Backstroke Lane

Elaine, those links up there don't work These might: Elaines 50 back: www.youtube.com/watch Back start: www.youtube.com/watch Looks good to me, but I'm still learning back myself

Elaine, those links up there don't work These might: Elaines 50 back: www.youtube.com/watch Back start: www.youtube.com/watch Looks good to me, but I'm still learning back myself Thanks for the heads-up, Steve; I used the "share" links from YouTube the first time around. I edited my post and they work now. :agree:

Here's the question: Should I have said something to the meet officials about the pad in lane 5? I'm not a very experienced meet swimmer. I had no idea if the pad in lane 4 would have been as slippery as the one in lane 5 until I got in for the 50, so I figured initially that was the way it was supposed to be and I was just a doofus for not being able to get off to a clean start. (I had no problems with the pads in the SCM meet - a different pool). What's the proper protocol here? Skip I have no idea what the proper protocol would be, but I would have mentioned it to the officials. It couldn't hurt to mention it and I would think they would want to correct the problem.

Even better: fVk909tUfCk vVKckXWupK4 In general, I do not have a good eye for stroke mechanics, so please take my comments for what they're worth, i.e., not much. To me, head position looks good (nice & stable!) and body position looks good. I don't know what to say about the kick. In both videos, it looks to me like you are slipping a lot of water with your left hand. Maybe not so much with your right hand? I'd suggest trying to find a better catch & pull. Throttle down your stroke rate to something slower, and find something where you can really PULL on the water. Then, over a period of months, gradually increase stroke rate while maintaining the same efficiency. Yes, it's difficult. To calibrate the underwater dolphin kick, I suggest the following. Get Bruce to time a 25 AFAP underwater SDK vs. a 25 AFAP back where you swim as much as possible (if 25 is too far, do 12.5). If necessary do it several times. That will give you an idea of how fast SDK is versus swimming. In my case, they are almost exactly the same speed, so in a 50, I can trade off SDK versus swimming at will. To me your SDK looks slower than swimming, so you may want to come up as sooner. Timing some sprints will tell the tale. You can also calibrate 25s with slower, stronger pulls, versus 25s with a higher turnover rate (and presumably slipping more water). In my experience, increased turnover rate is not always a win. You have to play with it. Any of this may be wrong! YMMV.

Ok, Swimosaur, I'm not the most tech-savy person you know. :blush: How do I get my YouTube videos inserted in my post like you did (rather than just a link)? Thanks!!! :applaud: As for your advice, thank you for taking the time to view the videos and post (what I feel) is good advice! :smooch: You are right; my SDK is slower than my swimming. I haven't timed it; I just know it is from the feel. I'm sure I would be better off getting up to the surface ASAP. But, I will have Bruce time it. The slipping is something I was unaware of until you pointed it out. I will check that out in tomorrow's training session with my coach and see if he notices it, as well. Thanks for the suggestion on my stroke rate; I'll work on it.

The scientist in me pooh-poohs anything so subjective as "feel," do get it timed. But I can guarantee that you are faster underwater -- in any race, not just backstroke -- at one point: just after the start/push-off. You should work on your streamline. It doesn't look very tight and your head is sticking out well below your arms, which slows you down. Your head should be between your arms (shoulders on your ears) and you should squeeze those arms very tightly to present as narrow a profile as possible. Try to stretch and become "taller" in your streamline. Think about those little underwater "torpedo" toys that kids use, the ones that you fling underwater and they just keep going and going -- try to go for that shape. One person I swim with has excellent underwaters and she isn't even a very good kicker. Her secret is that she has an amazing streamline position (and it doesn't hurt that she is quite tall and skinny). One way to work on streamline: put on some fins and do some sprints (with plenty of recovery time) while trying different positions, especially for your head. Since you go so much faster with fins on you might well be able to feel hydrodynamic inefficiencies directly (eg water hitting your cap), but of course you should also look at the clock. The hope is that the fins magnify streamline inefficiencies. It isn't just for backstroke, do it on your front too. The "muscle memory" for streamlining is a little different front vs back, I think. Hey, Chris; this is great stuff! I didn't think I would hear from you or Fort and appreciate that you both posted advice. :agree: Honestly, I hadn't even thought of my head position, as I was so focused on what my legs and arms were doing! So, I will definitely get that fixed and use more video for feedback. And, yes, I will have Bruce time me. The fins idea is great too, so I will work on my streamline with fins, as well. Thanks! :D

The thing that grabbed my attention was where your feet were positioned on the backstroke start -- they're almost at the bottom of the x! How can you get a good push off with your feet way down there? I would move your feet up about a foot. You'll be in a better position to explode, arch your back and get a cleaner entry into the water. Chris' advise is good. Long blade fins can really help you detect streamlining flaws with the SDK. There is a really good reason why my feet are positioned there- and, I only do it in my community pool. Did you notice the edge of the pool in the 50 yard video? We do not have blocks and the edge is rounded and difficult to hold. So, without being able to grip the edge, I needed to figure out a way to keep from slipping. To the right of the round plastic attachment on the wall of the pool where the water is pumped in, the concrete has a bump. I rest my left foot on top of the bump to keep it from slipping. The right foot is on the concrete, as well, because the tile is quite slippery. Today, at Steve Lundquist Aquatic Center, I was able to place my feet higher on the wall for my starts, since I had a starting block to use. My coach/ training partner watched a few of my starts and said they are looking much better; my head was back and my back was arched. Now I need to work on a better streamline and more powerful SDK!

The URL for your first video is, www.youtube.com/watch To embed, use only the code following the "?v=". Remove the dashes from the following line: -f-V-k-9-0-9-t-U-f-C-k- Try it! fVk909tUfCk :banana: :smooch:

my SDK is slower than my swimming. I haven't timed it; I just know it is from the feel. I'm sure I would be better off getting up to the surface ASAP. But, I will have Bruce time it. The scientist in me pooh-poohs anything so subjective as "feel," do get it timed. But I can guarantee that you are faster underwater -- in any race, not just backstroke -- at one point: just after the start/push-off. You should work on your streamline. It doesn't look very tight and your head is sticking out well below your arms, which slows you down. Your head should be between your arms (shoulders on your ears) and you should squeeze those arms very tightly to present as narrow a profile as possible. Try to stretch and become "taller" in your streamline. Think about those little underwater "torpedo" toys that kids use, the ones that you fling underwater and they just keep going and going -- try to go for that shape. One person I swim with has excellent underwaters and she isn't even a very good kicker. Her secret is that she has an amazing streamline position (and it doesn't hurt that she is quite tall and skinny). One way to work on streamline: put on some fins and do some sprints (with plenty of recovery time) while trying different positions, especially for your head. Since you go so much faster with fins on you might well be able to feel hydrodynamic inefficiencies directly (eg water hitting your cap), but of course you should also look at the clock. The hope is that the fins magnify streamline inefficiencies. It isn't just for backstroke, do it on your front too. The "muscle memory" for streamlining is a little different front vs back, I think.

The thing that grabbed my attention was where your feet were positioned on the backstroke start -- they're almost at the bottom of the x! How can you get a good push off with your feet way down there? I would move your feet up about a foot. You'll be in a better position to explode, arch your back and get a cleaner entry into the water. Chris' advise is good. Long blade fins can really help you detect streamlining flaws with the SDK.