Learn the basics first!

Reading swim myths debunked threads got me thinking abut this again, but I don't want to derail them with this.... One thing that always puzzles me is when average swimmers look at the cream of the crop swimmers, like Phelps, and the rest of his caliber to see how to maximize out own performance. Most of us real mortals tend to have much more basic and serious flaws in our techniques, that if corrected even half ways would make a HUGE difference in performance. Most of the cream of the crop at the top has gone through the basics, and fine tuning, and then fine tuned things even more to take advantage of their own physical advantage or disadvantage minutia. I'm not talking about it sometimes being fun to analyze what makes the greats great, and the physics of it all. Thinking about what may be next and trying to learn and investigate more is always a good thing - well, let me qualify this, when put in it's proper perspective. I'm talking about when actually coaching and clinics... most of what we end up dealing with is people who worry about their hand entry, should it be thumb or pinky first, and similar minutia... while their whole arm movement, for example is so inefficient, they get very little propulsion out of it. What I don't see in swimming as much as I would like to (or as much as in other sports I participated in) is emphasis on, learn the basics first. Then you can start fine tuning things. YES,and just to get some discussion going-this is especially true for beginning triathletes.

I think part of this is the tendency of most people to want a quick fix for major problems. Losing weight by increasing activity level and decreasing calories taken in seems like an awful lot of work if there's some magic pill or tea or procedure that will be a quick fix. Changing the hand entry position is so quick and easy and identifiable that it seems so much more do-able than hours of work perfecting body position and alignment which are so much less glamourous! I think a lot of golfers do this too when they hope against hope that a new, expensive club will miraculously improve their swing. My husband loves to shoot guns (in competitions) and he's always convinced that the next new gadget or sight is going to vault him to the next level. He doesn't want to hear that he just needs to practice more! Maybe in swimming it's a little harder to just "throw money at the problem" so the quick-fix addicts focus on pinky position instead of the big picture...

YES,and just to get some discussion going-this is especially true for beginning triathletes. *ahem* :blush: I don't know if I dare to say this, I hope I don't get clobbered... yes, what you said.... We run a lot of three or so hour clinics on weekends. My honey and I. The format is, we go over freestyle basics, show people drills, film them above and under water, review the videos with them, and in a few days send them a DVD with the review and reminder drills. Honey is much more experienced swimmer and coach, so he works with more advanced people, I work with more beginner level, as far as coaching goes, I'm a lowly part time level 1.... honey has a million years of experience and a degree in this stuff. Anyway, that's just for orientation purposes. I can't tell you how many people we send home to practice just basic streamlining, and holding onto the edge of the pool bobbing in and out of the water just learning to breathe relaxed and in a rhythm of their heads going in and our of the water. Lot of these people come from the 'more advanced section' too... and a lot of them do worry about minutia that is, if you compare their development ot an age grouper, a few years ahead of them. Head position and body posture is another major thing. Often we have them do vertical kicking... seems it's a lot less confusing to a number of people to get close to the right body posture when they are vertical, before they go horizontal. I think t's the whole spatial orientation and sensory experience that changes too much for a beginner, and they lose track of their body parts. Third biggie is, slow down and learn to feel the water, before you can speed up. It's not uncommon to have people who are sooo much into sprinting and speed that they are afraid to slow down and get the better feel for the water, and what their body is doing. As a result, they can't break through a plateau.

The guys at swim smooth have developed a useful hierarchy of swim skills that embodies this concept and suggests the order you should work on the various swimming skills: Swim Smooth Stroke Correction Hierarchy

I think part of this is the tendency of most people to want a quick fix for major problems. Losing weight by increasing activity level and decreasing calories taken in seems like an awful lot of work if there's some magic pill or tea or procedure that will be a quick fix. Changing the hand entry position is so quick and easy and identifiable that it seems so much more do-able than hours of work perfecting body position and alignment which are so much less glamourous! Wanting a quick fix may be part of this, but when I see novices taking 40 strokes to go 25 yards with high elbows, bilateral breathing, very slow and careful hand entry, and no power whatsoever, I know that someone taught them that stuff in the wrong order. Connie's remedial program is right on.

I think part of this is the tendency of most people to want a quick fix for major problems. Losing weight by increasing activity level and decreasing calories taken in seems like an awful lot of work if there's some magic pill or tea or procedure that will be a quick fix. Changing the hand entry position is so quick and easy and identifiable that it seems so much more do-able than hours of work perfecting body position and alignment which are so much less glamourous! I think a lot of golfers do this too when they hope against hope that a new, expensive club will miraculously improve their swing. My husband loves to shoot guns (in competitions) and he's always convinced that the next new gadget or sight is going to vault him to the next level. He doesn't want to hear that he just needs to practice more! Maybe in swimming it's a little harder to just "throw money at the problem" so the quick-fix addicts focus on pinky position instead of the big picture... Boy, isn't that the truth! Interestingly you mention golf, sometimes I tell people if they want to engage in a sport that can be learned faster then swimming, and has less technique they should take up golf. Shooting.. that one is rather near and dear to me, that's a sport where I actually made it to the olympic level. Where I grew up and trained, we didn't gave access to gadgets. Just work, work and work... and with a little bit of talent, it really worked.