As you know swimming is all about form. But what happens to most beginners when they are pushed to swim too hard too early?
When pushed too hard two things:
1) The form completely breaks down until they look like wet golden retriever doing the doggy paddle to fetch a stick and/or 2) they have to make frequent trips to the bathroom.
And just so we're very clear about this, we don’t really have to go to the bathroom for a whiz, we just need a break.
So today we thought it would be handy for us to review 5 tips to a faster swim time.
Wes Hobson, a former long-time pro and ITU champion, has some great swim tips. But we’ll let him explain. Below is his take on what it takes to have great swim form. You can learn more by visiting his web site HERE.
Top 5 tips to a faster swim time 101 by Wes Hobson
The main points I stress to individuals for swimming:
1. Don't cross the midline of your body. This is from straight above the head where your hand enters all the way down your body. Once the midline swimming is understood, then you work on rotating from the "barge" to the "speedboat" with help from rotating the hip.
2. High elbow recovery. This helps the body be streamlined moving forward. A lack of high elbows has a tendency to throw the hips side to side, crossing the midline, that causes the body to wiggle through the water. A lack of high elbows also causes the muscles of the arm to be contracted during recovery and not able to relax. When entering, have the fingers enter the water first, followed by the wrist and then elbow.
3. Get rid of the S shaped sculling motion upon entering the water. This wastes time. Enter the water and start to pull, thinking about the area between your fingers and the elbow as a wrought iron bar that doesn't bend. Keeping your elbow bent at approximately 90-110 degrees prevents the arm from crossing the midline and gives you the best power of pushing through the water (which is 1100 times more dense than air).
4. Short, little kicks. Too much bending at the knee causes a braking motion. Your kick should really be within an 8-14 inch range from all the way up to all the way down. Kicking may only be 20-30% of the propulsion forward, but training your kick can make it have better economy to your energy system.
5. Head position. There is no set place to put it. Rather, it depends on the individual. Too high and the butt may sink. Too low and the head is more like an anchor in the water.
