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Swimming Advice: your questions
Question: I attended a stephen shaw breaststroke workshop sometime ago. I swim regularly breastroke and back crawl but, despite studying his video, I still cannot do the crawl. I simply cannot get any propulsion using my legs. Any advice would be appreciated.
Swimming Without Stress Says: Most of the propulsion in the crawl strokes comes from the other end.Think of it in terms of the glide - let the weight of your head carry you through the water and use the sweep of your hand to create another glide.If you are trying to make yourself move with the legs you will probably be overdoing it and tensing up (putting the brakes on) - the harder you kick the more you come to a standstill. Think of the kick as a gentle flutter - its job being to keep the legs light (so the downhill momentum of the glide isn't lost).There are some Swimming without Stress videos on Youtube you might want to look at. Have a good look at your more comfortable strokes and see how there are three phases : glide, slowing down and accelerating ("swish" to create another glide). If you are kicking too much in the crawl you will not be able to feel this change of tempo - the slowing down phase allows you to relax so the propulsive phase is nice and loose. The propulsion creates a dynamic glide which allows you to relax and slow down again. |
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Question: I can swim for miles with the breast stroke but only a single length front crawl. When I practice the leg stroke with a float I do not seem to move very fast at all. Can you give me some advice on how to improve on this stroke?
Swimming Without Stress Says: Here is my advice - forget your legs!! Very often the more you try to make yourself move with your kick (especially when holding a kickboard), the more you tense up at the front end - tightening your neck and shoulders. This is like the brakes going on and so the less progress you make.Think of the stroke in terms of the glide - let the weight of your head in the water and direction in the forward arm carry you forward. (Letting yourself fall through the water). The real propulsion comes from the sweep of your hand which sends your head and the other hand forward. Allow yourself to roll with the movement so each stroke gets a nice length to it. The kick is mainly just about keeping the legs nice and light and loose. Have you seen Ian's book? If you are still struggling I am sure you would benefit from a course here with us in Wales. Cheryl |
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Question: My neck hurts when swimming racing breast stroke - what am I doing wrong?
Swimming Without Stress Says: It could be that you're pulling your head back forcefully against your neck when getting your head out to breathe and this may be exacerbated by pulling the arms back too forcefully and too early so the head doesn't get chance to lead when coming up for air.
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Question: I am a strong swimmer, and am doing a 10 mile open water swim in September. I swim a mile in the pool in around 32 minutes, and can keep pace for 3 miles. Where possible I will get to the open water to train, but a lot of my training will be in the pool. Any suggestions what drills I can introduce into my training to improve my speed? I feel that I need to build strength and endurance, and pull harder with each stroke.
Swimming Without Stress Says: We're more about efficiency and ease of movement than speed. My swimming just gets slower and slower.......I would definitely recommend interval training if you're not using it already. My book, Swimming without Stress, may be of interest to you. It does have an explanation of interval training and some training sets. It should also be useful in terms of preventing injury and making you swimming more smoothly. |
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Question: What lightweight swimming wetsuits do you recommend?
Swimming Without Stress Says: The Aqua Sphere swim skins are available in ladies' and men's styles. They are lightweight, flexible and very good value for money. Have a look at our online shop for more information. If you need any advice, give us a call. |
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