The swim smooth guys have a new site at www.swimtypes.com that attempts to classify swimmers into six types. I found it interesting to try, and to see how the classification changed when I played around with the input values.
One of the things I found interesting was that they said their data show that people are somewhat polarized between sub 1:25/100m continuous pace for "smooth"/ideal swimmers and plus 1:25/100m "overgliders" and that fitness doesn't seem to be a big factor in dividing people across that time. Most people with good technique will be under 1:25 pace and very few swimmers with overglider technique problems will be able to get under 1:25. They use your 400m time as the input so if your time is under 5:40 you will be classified as smooth, much over that and you'll be classified as an overglider or swinger.
In any case I would be interested in seeing how other people classify and whether you agree with the classification.
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Good questions. The truth is, I don't know the answers. I was told I should fix my hand alignment, and so I've been trying to. :doh:
Fairly typical and it's fine. It's just not the way I work, hence my apparent reserve in stating it's right or wrong. But I am alone in my camp, at least on this discussion forum.
The usual little questionnaire I ask myself while working with athletes like the one shown on the clip (again, 1:10 per 100m open water therefore no turns over 3.8k) looks as follow:
1. The technical element that I see (hand pitched slightly off), does it create any adverse effect?
2. If so how can it be seen, or only felt?
3. Would the swimmer be faster if he was correcting this?
4. Once I issue the feedback, how can we monitor the improvement?
5. Do we have more important cats to beat?
I track all that in a technical log book, where I write any feed back given to anyone. Coaching them becomes a matter of reopening the book and see how things progress. Otherwise, I end up giving feedback on top of unresolved feedback. Then everything gets confused and it becomes more difficult to see if we progress or not. Just my way of working... my :2cents:
But you raised a valid point. You have a strong sense of observation. For you it may be important to just stick to theory books and do what your coach is instructing you to do. One thing is that the hand is the brain of the arm. If your coach is expecting you for instance to flex the wrist, pointing fingers down upon hand entry, he may then see this outward sweep as something conflicting with this principle. I just couldn't clearly see this in the clip.
Good questions. The truth is, I don't know the answers. I was told I should fix my hand alignment, and so I've been trying to. :doh:
Fairly typical and it's fine. It's just not the way I work, hence my apparent reserve in stating it's right or wrong. But I am alone in my camp, at least on this discussion forum.
The usual little questionnaire I ask myself while working with athletes like the one shown on the clip (again, 1:10 per 100m open water therefore no turns over 3.8k) looks as follow:
1. The technical element that I see (hand pitched slightly off), does it create any adverse effect?
2. If so how can it be seen, or only felt?
3. Would the swimmer be faster if he was correcting this?
4. Once I issue the feedback, how can we monitor the improvement?
5. Do we have more important cats to beat?
I track all that in a technical log book, where I write any feed back given to anyone. Coaching them becomes a matter of reopening the book and see how things progress. Otherwise, I end up giving feedback on top of unresolved feedback. Then everything gets confused and it becomes more difficult to see if we progress or not. Just my way of working... my :2cents:
But you raised a valid point. You have a strong sense of observation. For you it may be important to just stick to theory books and do what your coach is instructing you to do. One thing is that the hand is the brain of the arm. If your coach is expecting you for instance to flex the wrist, pointing fingers down upon hand entry, he may then see this outward sweep as something conflicting with this principle. I just couldn't clearly see this in the clip.
