jldicarlo's group -- FULL (Page 4)

Then you'd best get training...wouldn't want them to BEAT you at your own game....

Am I that bad a mentor?

Not possible, most definitely be something else.  My list of suggested reasons our group seems to have gone away:

1.  Everyone is so busy training that they don't have time to check the forums
2.  Group members significant others/family/friends have been complaining that they spend more time on BT than with them, so they make their visits to BT short and sweet
3.   Everyone's really busy planning their various super bowl parties
4.   People's work has blocked BT so there is not much opportunity
5.  No one liked my flying muffins suggestion for our group name

During swim practices we are on occasion supposed to do our own swimming drills.  All I can remember are the finger-tip drag and catch-up.  I know there must be a ton.  Specifically, I need to work on breathing-not sticking my head way out of the water when taking a breath.  Are there any specific drills for this?

Also, this is going to be difficult to explain, but how do you all pull under water?  How far down does your hand go before you begin to pull back?  Does that make sense?  

Thanks for any input! 

Thanks for the drills!  I'll try them tinight.  The pool was closed last night due to power outages . 

That sounds painful...in a fun way! 

Forgot to answer the pulling question...

It really starts with the catch...your hand enters the water, you "catch" the water so now your fingertips are pointed towards the bottom and your elbow remains HIGH (higher than your hand).  Then you pull.

I pull pretty straight...i.e. none of that funky "S" pulling thing they USED to teach and only old school swimmers do now.  I guess in relation to my body (which is rolling at the same time) the hand might curve...but from my viewpoint, it comes straight back.

High elbow...that's important.

So, last night I tried the new swimming drills and techniques you both suggested.  I think that I pulled harder and quicker under the water, but am still having a hard time with the "no exaggerated S" pulling technique.  Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I could feel a difference.  Thanks!

I'm sore today.

Keep at it.  You can't change habits overnight.  You have to think about them all the time until they become habit and it takes a LONG time.

Try "anchor" drill for pulling.  Basically, it's doggie paddling with a purpose.  Keep your head forward, keep your entire recovery underwater, when you need to breathe bring your head straight up.  As you're looking forward underwater watch your pull

Single Arm Drill is good for watching pull as well.  On your side, swim only with the upper arm.  Turn head up to breathe when needed.

I have the same problem with the whole S thing under water too. Ive only been in the pool 6 times in recent history, but the catch up, catch up with thumb and the finger drag helped me with this.  I still revert when I get tired, but when I'm still feeling good in the pool, I pull much stronger and straighter, and actually rotate.

I'm basically starting from zero.  Until mid January, I had never had a lesson, never swam a drill, or done swimming other than laps.  I am still really slow and in-efficient, but I am already seeing great benefits to the little time I've been in the water this year.  Now Im just hoping the stamina kicks in before April 1st.

Just keep at it!  I started from zero about four years ago! 

I had one of those in Boston....and I carried it in a backpack.  I used to use that to lock it to the bike rack and a long rope-type lock to then lock all the various pieces (frame/wheels) so that it looked double unappealing and difficult to steal. 

redhiker702 - 2007-02-08 5:09 PM Madame Mentor... Can you explain the best (most graceful) way to get into and out of the flip turns? (I've been doing them, but they're kinda choppy, splashy and sometimes disorientating)

Heh...this is better done visually, but I'll see what I can do.

The key is to keep your body in constant motion.  As you come up to the wall you should be gliding on your stomach with your arms by your side.  When it's time to flip, I teach people to think about pushing just their head to the bottom of the pool.  Then the body follows on it's own.  Sometimes you need a little kip kick from your legs to get the head moving.  Also, your arms shouldn't move at all.  My guess is that if you are choppy and splashy you are trying to use your arms to whip yourself around.  Your arms stay in one place and your body moves around them.  Once you flip is complete your arms should still be over your head ready for the pushoff.  In an ideal world you push off on your back and turn as you are gliding.  I never go the trick of that.  My upper body (and sometimes my legs) rotate as I'm pushing.  It's the wrong way to do it, but I never bothered to relearn.  You MIGHT be doing what I do and that's why you get disoriented.  Guess #2 on the disorientation is that you aren't flipping completely and end up pushing towards the bottom of the pool instead of straight out or up.  Heading towards the bottom gets me disoriented.

Okay, so to summarize the tricks:
1. Use a kip kick (sorta like a dolphin kick) to push your HEAD towards the bottom of the pool.  Your body will follow.
2. Keep your arms stationary...don't flail them out to the sides.
3. Flip with authority.  The "faster" the actual flip the more likely you are to make it all the way around.  When I flip lazily I end up having to use my arms or getting a funny pushoff which in turn disorients me.

Try that...

Sorry it took me so long to write back...I was drooling over my impending truck purchase last night...see CoJ or my log.

I'm back and I survived!

Did y'all think of questions for me while I was gone?

It's almost the end of February!  How are the seasons going???? 

Congratulations!  It sounds like it was a memorable event.  As for questions, I do have a couple.  What did you think about as you are freezing down to your bones?  I would imagine that would require A LOT of mental strength.  But, I couldn't imagine what would be going through my mind.

I do have a more tri-related question.  How do you sight during open water swims?  I've done a couple of things (just following the people in front of me or sort of sticking my head upright occassionally as I was swimming).  I was wondering if there was a smoother way of doing it.

redhiker702 - 2007-03-01 9:36 AM We practiced stroke-stroke-stroke head forward to breathe and site...repeat. The coach hung out at the end of the lane and lifted either his right or left hand in a sequence and we had to tell him the order correctly or do 50 situps on the deck. Fear of situps is a great motivator! I also have a swimmy question, about the clock. At masters I kind of just go with the flow when he throws out the times but i think I need to learn what I should be doing. Using Naners last swim as an example: 4-150's on 2:20 (50 easy/50 hard/50 easy) 4-50's kick on 1:30 Does that mean you have 2:20 min to complete the first set? (and if you get done before the 2:20 you get to rest?) How do you keep track of the times in your head? I would be focusing on stroke count and number of laps but not sure how to get that last number straight in my head....

Woah, your practice sounds intense!

Those times meant that we had 2:20 to complete one 150 (the whole set took 9:20 to complete).  The times were designed to give some rest between the 150s.  We don’t really have to remember much because our coach gives us only small amounts of the workout at a time.  For instance, last night she started off saying I want you to do a warm-up set of 10-50’s on 1:00.  We finished that and she let us know what to do next.  If I forget, I just hope that someone in my lane was paying attention!