I only started swimming freestyle less than a year ago and I'm still struggling with quite a few issues:
1. When breathing to the left, my head head-spine alignment vanishes and it appears as if I'm trying to change direction while lifting my head; I have no clue why I might be doing that.
2. I over-rotate when breathing.
3. Even with a slow hand entry, there's a lot of splashing going on.
In the answers to a few other posts I read that videos help, so I've put a few online:
Back/front view:
www.youtube.com/watch
Right side view:
www.youtube.com/watch
Left side view:
www.youtube.com/watch
In general, breathing in freestyle is problematic for me. When I swim relaxed enough to breathe with ease, my form totally degenerates and I'm wiggling through the water, almost flipping on my back when breathing. If I focus on a certain aspect of my stroke, for example, keeping my chin close to the shoulder or reaching out when rotating to air, or synchronizing my kick with my stroke, I find that I build up so much oxygen debt that I cannot swim more than two lengths in a 50 m pool without pausing.
I can only guess why--I probably forget to breathe out with sufficient force because I'm busy with other things and when I realize that I need more air than I'm currently getting, anxiety kicks in and everything falls apart.
I'll happily accept any comments on my videos or general advice that might help me not drown and maybe even improve my stroke. :)
Thank you!
Parents
Former Member
Good for you. Keep working on the drills. Find time during your workout to work on them everytime you swim. That will greatly help you with technique when you put them all together. They will feel unnatural, but thats normal.
You can also work on "sculling". The really short movement of moving your hands "in and out" (back and forth) to slowly propel you through the water. Put a pull buoy between your legs and do different sculling:
-On your stomach, arms out front
-On your stomach, elbows at your hips
-On your back, feet first, arm extended over your head
-On your back, feet first, elbows at side
-On your back, elbows at side, head first
Kind of hard to explain over the net, but most experienced swimmers should know these and could show you. It really helps you with "feel" and how to "catch" the water at the beginning, middle, end of strokes.
Good for you. Keep working on the drills. Find time during your workout to work on them everytime you swim. That will greatly help you with technique when you put them all together. They will feel unnatural, but thats normal.
You can also work on "sculling". The really short movement of moving your hands "in and out" (back and forth) to slowly propel you through the water. Put a pull buoy between your legs and do different sculling:
-On your stomach, arms out front
-On your stomach, elbows at your hips
-On your back, feet first, arm extended over your head
-On your back, feet first, elbows at side
-On your back, elbows at side, head first
Kind of hard to explain over the net, but most experienced swimmers should know these and could show you. It really helps you with "feel" and how to "catch" the water at the beginning, middle, end of strokes.
