Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

RE: Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

Former Member — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:05:22 GMT

Thanks, Taruky. That Ceiling drill was wonderful. Actually, I used to think that when the body rotates to the non breathing side, the head should rotate automatically but it seems that is not so. good explanation Colojoel has also given a very good tip on how to ensure that the head remains down. Thanks.

RE: Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

Former Member — Tue, 17 May 2011 11:24:02 GMT

Good video there. I just started bilateral breathing again as my non-breathing left arm and rotation to that side was real weak. I must say I am still confused though. It seems it would be almost impossible to rotate the body far enough to the non-breathing side. Lately I've been thinking the rotation has to happen more from my hips as if the body rotation leads to the breath. Yet ideally the stroke must be the same whether you are breathing to that side or not, which leads me to think the neck and head must have to roll quite a bit independently. But its this high head position and jerking of my head to breathe that I am trying to fix. :confused:

RE: Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

orca1946 — Tue, 17 May 2011 10:58:13 GMT

She also shows the " I " pull rather than the old "S" pull.

RE: Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

ColoJoel — Tue, 17 May 2011 08:07:34 GMT

For What It's Worth, :) what has helped me the last few swims is when I roll to the right (my 'normal' non-breathing side), I ensure that I see my left arm bicep (that's the upper arm, right?), AND, behind it, the black line on the pool bottom (IOW, I line them up). I feel that this way, I know that I'm looking down, not off toward the right. OR put another way, I center my left arm bicep with the black line. Today I was doing more bilateral breathing, so on the times when I would roll to the left but NOT breathe, I tried doing the same thing with my right arm (center upper arm on the line) -- seemed to work OK.

RE: Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

Former Member — Mon, 16 May 2011 05:53:55 GMT

RE: Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

taruky — Mon, 16 May 2011 04:32:26 GMT

Thanks Swiosaur and double thanks for specifying the first few seconds. From the video, it does seem that the shoulders/hips should rotate equally to the opposite side but the head has to look down. To me it seems that the body does not seem exactly streamlined when turned the other way but that's the way it is I suppose. When one feels as if one is getting into a rhythm, the body glides through the water. The other thing that I am observing is that the arms seem to be in a somewhat cyclical motion(especially under water) aren't they? Since the overall objective is to reduce drag and improve rhythm, I am asking this as head position is critical in reducing drag. KPN never looks perfectly streamlined because she tends to extend her arms wide. I don't think it is because she is looking straight down. I normally bilateral breathe every 3rd stroke, but there are times when I unilateral breathe like you, especially if I'm winded. A couple reasons that I would recommend looking straight down after your breath are; 1. You will have a keener sense of rotating to the opposite side. For example, if you always breathe to your right, you tend to under rotate to your left. Keeping your head down gives your neck and torso feedback on how much you are rotating. On dry land, pretend you are swimming toward the ceiling. One time breathe to your right, then have your head move all the way with your body to the left. The second time have your head stop looking straight ahead while the torso continues to rotate. You'll feel that little bit of tension in the neck and shoulders as the torso rotates to the other side, which I find really gives me great feedback that I'm rotating well. 2. That aforementioned tension also helps to keep from over rotating. 3. Your breathing side arm is more likely to drift to the opposite side (across the middle) on extension if your head rotates past the middle. Using that dry land swimming towards the ceiling example again, try it. Once with the head stopping in the middle, once with the head following the torso. The head can act as a sort of guide for your arms. I actually like to imagine my head as the guide with every stroke. I don't want my head or body drifting left or right. I also imagine myself rotating on a skewer. I would advise practicing the "swimming toward the ceiling" concept when you have opportunities. It also helps to work on the catch/shoulder rotation.

RE: Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

Former Member — Sun, 15 May 2011 07:48:26 GMT

It's amazing how many questions are answered in the first few seconds of this video ... 2bPvk0paWcg To me it looks like KPN looks straight down during her non-breathing strokes. She does not rotate her head along with her shoulders. My free is pretty identical to this.

RE: Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

ColoJoel — Sun, 15 May 2011 03:05:24 GMT

Excellent Question ! :applaud: I too am working on proper freestyle position (aren't we all?). Last week my masters coach told me to 'get your armpits out of the water' (or--"your armpits should be out of the water when you rotate"). I too tend to breathe unilaterally (to the left) and wonder what I should do (head-wise) when I 'rotate' to the right?. Lately I've tried harder to look down rather than look over to the right. The KPN video does show her head down. So I think I'm going to do that for now -- I've read (& have some GoSwim videos) that say to the effect: 'head rotates w/body to breathe, otherwise it stays looking down'. I'm trying to do more bi-lateral breathing, however (when I remember to) :)

RE: Head postion in Freestyle single stroke unilateral swimming

Swimosaur — Sat, 14 May 2011 06:57:25 GMT