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Body Position |
- the head affects the rest of the body (ie if
you raise your head the hips sink)
- keep the head still and looking down unless
breathing or sighting
- don't move the head side to side unless breathing
- most swimmers position the head so that the waterline is
between the hairline and middle of the head (this position
varies with body type)
- body roll: the whole body rotates
around mid-line or axis of the body
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Arm Stroke |
Entry
- keep the elbow bent so that the entry point is about 3/4 as
far as you can reach when fully extended
- enter with all four fingers at once
- continue to extend underwater with a smooth and fluid motion
Power Phase
- hand faces slightly inward (towards opposite foot) until
moment pull starts, then turns slightly to face directly
back
- the elbow remains higher than the hand
- you should feel tension in wrist and pressure on the palm
Mid Pull
- elbow is bent to approximately of 130degrees as the hand and arm
sweep back towards the feet
- keep the wrist flat and the fingers pointing at the bottom of
the pool as long as possible
- hand does not cross mid-line of body
Finish
- at the end of the mid-pull, straighten the arm and press the
hand back towards the feet till the arm is
almost fully extended and the thumb comes very close to the thigh
- note that the hand gains speed from catch to finish so that
the finish is fastest and creates the most power
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Recovery |
- the hand and arm are relaxed to gain a moment of rest
- elbow is bent and lifted high out of water followed by the
hand, little finger first
- at this point the body roll is at its maximum
- elbow is high, arm is relaxed and forearm hanging down
- as the hand passes the shoulder let it lead the rest of the
arm to the entry point
- a common mistake is dropping the elbow during recovery
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Kick |
- down beat motion starts at the hip
- thigh starts down even while the calf and foot are still going
up
- knee is slightly bent through most of the downbeat
- burst of power comes when you quickly straighten the leg and
snap the foot
downwards as if kicking a
ball (imagine the motion is like that of a whip)
- that whip happens as the arm stroke is in the entry stage
- recovery is on up beat: keep the leg straight and raise to the
surface till the heel just breaks the surface
- don't bend the leg on recovery as it will cause drag
- the range of motion of the kick varies with body type but
averages 12 inches
- keep the feet close laterally to increase streamline (big
toes almost touch)
- cadence varies from 6 beat to 2 beat and usually depends on
distance of swim, shorter swim = faster
cadence
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Breathing |
- you can breath once on every arm cycle or once every 1.5
cycles
- proper body roll makes it easier to breath to the side
- inhale just as you start the arm recovery
- rotate your head on the body's axis as you turn to breath
- don't lift head
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