Yes, I'm back again with yet another request for video feedback on my fly. :rolleyes: It may not look like it, but I have worked hard trying to improve my fly technique and speed. I train on my own, so I am grateful for you all who coach me by (online) committee! Thank you!!
As I mentioned in the 2020 goal thread, I am trying to improve my 200 fly time. My best ever was in the low 3:50's back in 2012, and my best in 2019 (at age 57) was 4:10.62. Both were ridiculously slow-- not even on the motivational chart as a "B". :cane:
Although I would love to get back under 4:00, I would be happy to just get on the motivational chart as a "B" with a 4:02.57.
I have increased my fly training yardage to anywhere from 400-700 yards of my 2,500 yd (av.) workout that I typically do six times per week. Twice per week, my fly is a USRPT set where I am doing 50's on 1:20 (decreasing the interval as I get closer to meet time) and making 1:01 as my fail time. Otherwise, fly gets worked in as part of 400 IM training or sprint training for the 50 and 100 fly. (My core stroke is breaststroke, so I am doing the same for breaststroke on as well.)
In addition to pool work (including body dolphin sets with fins), I have been working on strength and flexibility during my post-swim on deck workouts. M-W-F, I do 100 military-style push-ups as sets of 15 with a fast set of 10 at the end. I also do 100 crunches or sit-ups. I follow that with Theraband sets that I learned in physical therapy. I finish with strength yoga poses that work mostly on the back and shoulders as well as stretching. (On alternate days, I focus just on flexibility and balance with my yoga with less emphasis on strength. This is a stretch that has helped my fly a lot:
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So, what next? I have great endurance when I swim fly slow with a long glide; however, when I try to speed up, I can't make a 200 without pauses at the wall. What else should I be doing with my technique and training to improve my time? The following are front view and back view videos of my fly while I was in Charleston. (Love those 50 meter pools!!!)
https://youtu.be/t_-DInNBOs8https://youtu.be/aSj1G4WQvNc
This is my frustration : When I swim fly with a more up and down movement (bigger kick, going deeper at the end of recovery), I can swim fly forever. I've done a 2,000 yd fly as well as a 1,000, 900, and several 500's that way. The trade-off is that it is slow. When I try to flatten it out with a smaller kick and stay shallower, I lose my power. I'm fine for the 50 and even 100 that way, but I can't maintain it.
I have the flexibility as demonstrated in the photo earlier in this thread, and I have strength. (How many 57-year-old women do you know that can do 100 military-style push-ups?) I have worked hard on both, and I continue to do so. I also train hard in the pool.
So, what gives? Am I trying to fit a square peg in a round hole by trying to flatten out my fly? My recovery has improved, but I haven't gotten anywhere with trying to keep my arms shallower on entry or the catch, even though I think I am aiming forward (instead of down). My kick has gotten smaller; I used to kick with my entire lower leg coming out of the water. My smaller kick, however, has resulted in slower speed.
Should I continue to try to swim conventional fly or go rogue like Yajima with a gliding style of butterfly?
This is my frustration : When I swim fly with a more up and down movement (bigger kick, going deeper at the end of recovery), I can swim fly forever. I've done a 2,000 yd fly as well as a 1,000, 900, and several 500's that way. The trade-off is that it is slow. When I try to flatten it out with a smaller kick and stay shallower, I lose my power. I'm fine for the 50 and even 100 that way, but I can't maintain it.
I have the flexibility as demonstrated in the photo earlier in this thread, and I have strength. (How many 57-year-old women do you know that can do 100 military-style push-ups?) I have worked hard on both, and I continue to do so. I also train hard in the pool.
So, what gives? Am I trying to fit a square peg in a round hole by trying to flatten out my fly? My recovery has improved, but I haven't gotten anywhere with trying to keep my arms shallower on entry or the catch, even though I think I am aiming forward (instead of down). My kick has gotten smaller; I used to kick with my entire lower leg coming out of the water. My smaller kick, however, has resulted in slower speed.
Should I continue to try to swim conventional fly or go rogue like Yajima with a gliding style of butterfly?
