How do I improve my swim turns on the wall?
Swim turns have only two purposes: Changing direction and picking up speed. Many swimmers have toxic ideas about turns, thinking that swim turns to provide opportunities for extra breathing, or additional rest. The first step toward creating a team of fast and efficient turns is to explain and demonstrate the major points of swim turn execution. Minimize motion such as: Shifting the feet after planting them on the wall, bringing both hands to the wall on freestyle or backstroke, and lastly, lifting the body upward or into the wall. Swimmers must emphasize that the body has to be underwater and already in a streamlined position before the feet hit the wall to push off. Swimmers must also determine the depth of the water. The goal is to push from the wall forward, not down and up. Buoyancy will assist in the lift ascending to the surface. The optimal time underwater is however long the swimmer moves faster while underwater than when at the surface. It is important to determine the best underwater strategy for each individual as every swimmer is different.
How do I improve my flutter kicking?
Are you barely moving anywhere when you swim? Despite all the effort put into kicking your legs, do you feel that you are kicking on the spot or moving more slowly than your swim mates, even when it looks like they are putting less effort into their flutter kick? This is how you fix that. The movement needs to start from the hips rather than the knees for an effective flutter kick. In response, your knees will naturally bend and follow the movement. Don't put a lot of focus on trying to synchronize the frequency of your leg kick with your arm movements. Work on the upbeat and the downbeat for a good flutter kick. On the contrary, what you want to do is learn to use the upbeat and the downbeat of your leg kick for better propulsion in the water. Utilizing the flexibility of your joints will be a key factor in improving your flutter kick. If the swimmer's movement is correctly initiated from the hips, the mobility and flexibility of their joints will determine the kick's efficiency.
What are some swim drills to improve breaststroke?
I want to discuss breaststroke specifically because, for many, it is the most technically difficult swim stroke to master. Many swimmers struggle with the timing in breaststroke. If you need help hitting your race pace tempo, or want to clean up your breaststroke pull strength, here are some drills for improving just that.
Breaststroke Arms with Flutter Kick
Swim 25m of regular breaststroke and 25m of breaststroke arms with flutter kick.
In-Sweep Drill
The in-sweep drill is a sculling drill and is effective at improving the timing in your breaststroke. Here is more about this drill on improving your timing and flow for breastroke.
Common swimming injuries and how to avoid them
Avoiding swim injuries and treating current injuries are vital to maintaining your ability to swim in the pool. If you don't treat injuries well or are prone to injuries because of bad stroke form, you will risk your potential. Training consistently without injuries is key to becoming a stronger swimmer.
Swimmer's Shoulder
The arm movement involved in the majority of swimming techniques can cause significant strain on rotator cuffs or shoulder muscles. Swimmer's shoulder is the most common swimming injury and often is caused by the freestyle swim stroke. Prevention -> Make sure your swim stroke technique is well developed. For freestyle, ensure that you enter all of your fingers in the water at once rather than with your hand rotated.
Neck Injuries
This is usually caused by the rotation of the head in freestyle when breathing, or the elevation of the head while breathing in breaststroke. Prevention -> Always keep your head aligned with your spine while swimming.
Breaststroke Swimmer's Knee
A breaststroker's swimmer's knee is also a common swimming injury. Breaststroke can be extreme in competitive environments. Many times, the breaststroke kick can impact the ligaments and tendons in the knee when the swimmer pushes their foot outwards.
Swimmer's Ear
Swimmer's ear is contracted after swimming in water with high bacteria levels. It ranges in varying degrees. The most common swimmer's ear symptoms are itching clogged ear canals Sensitive outer ear, muffled hearing, and more. Mild cases could grow worse if left untreated, and worse cases may cause patients to experience swelling or even a high fever. Prevention -> If you feel water is in your ear after swimming, use ear drops in each ear and let it sit for 30 seconds. This will eliminate any water that is stuck in your ear.
Training Equipment Every Swimmer Needs
Pull Buoys
Take legs out of the equation. Pull Buoys are amazing at developing your upper body portion of the swim stroke. It will condition the muscles in your shoulders and arms. You can use a Pull Buoy for all of the four major swim strokes.
Swim Fins
Swim fins allow you to build muscle strength and endurance in your lower body. It forces you to recruit more muscles in your legs due to the larger surface area of water being pushed at your feet. Using fins in your training sessions is not only challenging but fun as it increases your speed in the water.
Hand Paddles
Like swim fins, but for your hands. The use of hand paddles in your training session help increase muscle strength and endurance in your upper body. This works by forcing you to recruit more muscle fibers because you must pull a larger volume of water. This is a great way to build strength in the shoulders, upper back, and triceps.
Kickboards
The simple, but ultimate tool to increase your leg strength and stroke kicking technique. Feel the burn in your legs as you kick endlessly for yards and yards.
