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
Former Member
Maybe just play around with keeping your hands below your elbow and not using "bring them into chest" as a focal point. Check your stroke count and fatigue levels after a couple weeks of playing with this and compare both pull patterns. The answer will become clear. Good luck! Me- my breaststroke is straight up broken, I can't figure it out and have essentially given up. I applaud your efforts.
My vote? think about your underwater pull pattern- whether you glide at the beginning or or not is probably way less important than how much propulsion your pull generates- I think you are spending time with palms towards the bottom of pool instead of the wall behind you. anchor those hands and push back is my vote- deep or shallow, glide, etc is probably a bit secondary to pull power. THose other things will decrease drag or fatigue but I don't think you are getting full power on your pull. Just 1 vote. Maybe pick one thing to try at once?? The key to stroke changes is to find the verbal cue that creates the desired change for the individual rather than a total "rebuild"- look at some of the things mentioned here and pick just a couple and think about which verbal cues will help you.
Example- "early vertical forearm" is REALLY hard for a lot of people to conceptualize. So for some swimmers (again most of my experience is with early-career swimmers and adult swimmers), I try "palm pushes back" or maybe "hand below elbow." Others need to think of a straight pull rather than an "S"... Thinking of ALL these things at once is simply too much so go to the pool, have some fun and try on some mental focal points til you find one you like!
I guess I would think of your stroke changes as "edits" rather than a "rebuild" since you've got a functional fly, are near your goal, have endurance and have identified a technique that you can hold up over a distance and does not cause injury. Like the head position- I'm thinking degrees/centimeter at most rather than inches of change- does that make sense?
Also - your feet tend to come out of the water and when you kick down , you are pushing air rather than pushing water only.
Keeping your feet totally under water will allow for more push on the water = faster time.
NOT, NOT, NOT a coach. But I play around with my fly a lot, particularly the 200. And since I haven't had coaching since I was a kid, I just have to figure out what works for me. I try to emulate Yuya Yajima
So two things I see. One has been pointed out, head position. I think you can tuck your head more, going into more of a streamline. The other thing I would do is try a high elbow pull. I've found that, for me anyway, I can conserve energy much more effectively, even if it costs me an extra stroke. I don't have to exert nearly as much energy on my pull when I keep the elbows a bit higher, at least at initiation. Again, though, that is anecdotal from playing around, not from instruction.
No problem- I am working on getting back in to coaching more and would REALLY like to coach masters, so this is good for me to- to see what resonates, to look at videos and try and offer an opinion and then hopefully hear back to see what worked and what did not!
