Subject: RE: Bigfuzzydoug's Ten Points to Swimming I've been reading tips spread around everywhere about swimming, and I jumped in the pool Friday with three goals in mind: 1. Slow down, stop timing how quickly I can swim 400m, and swim for about half an hour and concentrate on my form. 2. Minimize my leg use. 3. Stretch my body out. I warmed up, and started evaluating my form. By the end of the session my swim was a 180 from what it was. I started at the same time as the guy next to me on one of my final laps, and I confirmed that I was moving equal distance with much, much less effort; my strokes were about a 1 to 3 compared to random guy next to me. It feels AWESOME. I achieved bilateral breathing. I also developed a very nice hip roll, and it is combined with a quick scissor of my feet during arm travel. Very limited leg travel; I just finished reading bigfuzzydoug's ten swimming points, and I feel it lends greatly to a good "torpedo" shape. Plus, if my anatomy classes serve me correctly, that uses fast-twitch muscles rather than the slow twitch muscles I will need during the bike and run. Further, I also discovered the benefit of having a very quick catch-up phase during the stroke. If I was propelling, I made sure my arm was fully extended to create a "longboat" effect. I can't sum it all up, I just know it felt fantastic. I have a long way to go, especially endurance wise, but man it feels good to achieve this level of form. Bigfuzzydoug's ten points puts out the right information. |