Just for context, I started swimming five years ago and I'm 42 years old. After a lot of floundering I got down to 1:50 per 100, and I do about 3000 meters a workout. I used to just swim it out, now I'm working on intervals and actually trying to push myself in a semi intelligent way.
I am haunted by my kicking problems, inasmuch as they're weaker than my arms and I tend to always move from side to side. I came to the conclusion this morning in my workout that breathing on only one side on every second stroke was forcing me to angle out every stroke and compounded my problems with keeping straight and letting my kicking propel me forward as opposed to side to side.
I started working this morning on breathing on alternate sides on every third stroke and while I have to re-train my lungs to accept the breathing differently and get comfortable one goggling the non dominant side, I immediately saw a big change in how I was gliding through the water and felt like I was swimming a bit with a pull buoy.
I had back surgery two years ago and for 18 months only swam with a buoy which probably made my problems a lot worse because I wasn't working on my core but was getting stronger with my pull, and wasn't addressing my weak kicking problem and facing up to the challenge of breathing on one side was pulling me a bit askance every stroke.
Anyways here's the question for you pros. Am I thinking about this problem right?
I tried to post the workout I need today. When I was working half through on breathing side to side I felt I had to go a lot slower to accommodate the new breathing technique and get comfortable with turning to the left, as well.
Any feedback would be really helpful. I know it's going to take a long time to put the breathing, catch and kicking pieces back together but I really want to get down into the 1:30's per 100 just for me, and I know without some great kicking I will never ever get there.
Thanks for posting the video, both above and under water. It's great to see that you are so motivated to coach yourself and learn about the areas of your stroke that need improvement. For not having been a swimmer before, and having only practiced swimming for five years, you certainly are doing a great job! There are a few main areas that you can work on to fine-tune your stroke, based on the video you posted.
I would suggest working on keeping your head/the vertical axis of your body still. As you can see in the underwater video, your head and body are constantly moving from side-to-side. This can be caused by several different factors: a wide pull (see below for more explanation), lack of kick, and even your breathing pattern. Think about rotating around that axis. This will allow you to get a good rotation while keeping your head still and body line streamlined. In my opinion, your current head position is just fine.
Another area that will help keep you swimming in a straight line is working on avoiding the crossing over tendency - as you noticed - with the right arm. Despite that tendency to cross over you simultaneously have a very wide pull, that extends outside of the body line. This means you are not taking full advantage of your pull to move you forward. This also can contribute to the excessive head movement mentioned above. You can practice the "early vertical forearm" pull by trying drills such as these: www.youtube.com/watch
Finally, I would suggest working on maximizing your distance per stroke - in other words getting a full extension at the front of the stroke and a complete finish at the end of the stroke. As you can see in the underwater video, you start your pull immediately upon entering the water with your hand. You need to get more of an extension at the front of the stroke prior to beginning the catch phase of the pull. In the process of lengthening your stroke, you will also develop more of a kick.
Working with a coach - either remotely or on-deck - can also help you design structured workouts that will be geared towards your current swimming needs and building up your endurance.
Good luck!
Thanks for posting the video, both above and under water. It's great to see that you are so motivated to coach yourself and learn about the areas of your stroke that need improvement. For not having been a swimmer before, and having only practiced swimming for five years, you certainly are doing a great job! There are a few main areas that you can work on to fine-tune your stroke, based on the video you posted.
I would suggest working on keeping your head/the vertical axis of your body still. As you can see in the underwater video, your head and body are constantly moving from side-to-side. This can be caused by several different factors: a wide pull (see below for more explanation), lack of kick, and even your breathing pattern. Think about rotating around that axis. This will allow you to get a good rotation while keeping your head still and body line streamlined. In my opinion, your current head position is just fine.
Another area that will help keep you swimming in a straight line is working on avoiding the crossing over tendency - as you noticed - with the right arm. Despite that tendency to cross over you simultaneously have a very wide pull, that extends outside of the body line. This means you are not taking full advantage of your pull to move you forward. This also can contribute to the excessive head movement mentioned above. You can practice the "early vertical forearm" pull by trying drills such as these: www.youtube.com/watch
Finally, I would suggest working on maximizing your distance per stroke - in other words getting a full extension at the front of the stroke and a complete finish at the end of the stroke. As you can see in the underwater video, you start your pull immediately upon entering the water with your hand. You need to get more of an extension at the front of the stroke prior to beginning the catch phase of the pull. In the process of lengthening your stroke, you will also develop more of a kick.
Working with a coach - either remotely or on-deck - can also help you design structured workouts that will be geared towards your current swimming needs and building up your endurance.
Good luck!
