swimming downhill (great for aqua noobs)
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484 days
TryScott posted 33 weeks ago.
I've been trying to "swim downhill" since 2 months ago when I saw my first swim coach ever. I've focusing putting my chin closer to my chest, lowering my chest, raising my abs/hips, but nothing has made a noticable difference. In fact, I'm slower. I'll try the pressing my armpit down thing today for a few laps and see if that clicks.
Thanks for sharing what worked for you.
687
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319 days
jsk85 posted 33 weeks ago.
yeah, I've been having difficulty really feeling any sort of gliding, but I like your perspective as a new way of thinking about it. Thanks for the input
134
Member
1271 days
zcowgirl3 posted 33 weeks ago.
Okay, I'll be the dork here and say that I've never heard of that ever. Maybe I have but wow. That is technical. I'm not a swimmer, I had to teach myself and have to say I'm not that bad. I've never had a swim coach/my TNT coach look at my swim style yet so can't determine that. I'm going to try this next time and hope to not swallow tons of water or something. Sounds very interesting.
Thanks for the tip!
139
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1141 days
NotAsFast posted 33 weeks ago.
Swimming downhill is more like getting your back end up and more level in the water. Most of us including myself drag our feet in the water and never really get that efficient streamlined body we constantly get told about. Now, I was swimming last year with someone who obviously was a great swimmer. They showed me a drill that has changed my whole swim stroke and body position. Very basic, easy to do and does not induce hypoxic breathing like a lot of drills I have been given.
Take a kick board and place it between your legs like a bull buoy with the main part of the board sticking up like a shark fin. Purposfully reach long on your catch pull the water all the way through to the end of your stroke (Think Long), reach back and touch the kick board with your finger tips, then drag your thumb all the way up your side (Cut your nails first) till you reach the point you have to go back to the catch again. He called them board tap drills. Now I used to take over 26 stroke for one length (25 yards) and averaged 2:15 per 100 yds with the drill initially. I have reduced my strokes to 13 and now average about 1:45 per 100yds.
Not bad for just over 6 months with the same amount of swim training as the previous 2 years.
The proof of the whole thing was my first Tri swim two weeks ago. 500 yd pool swim. Last year 9:55. This year 8:30 and I was able to get out of the pool without that whole which way is up or down feeling.
I attribute my whole body position, roll and catch to using this drill. Of course I do other drills, but this has been the catalyst to me swimming a lot better this year.
93
Member
456 days
max ping posted 33 weeks ago.
notasfast,
yep the goal by pressing down the armpit and essentially to swim downhill is to raise your lower body. sounds like two methods or ideologies to achieve the same results! also, my times have decreased almost exactly in line with yours.
zcowgirl,
im no swimmer either. well, i wasn't. i would like to go to the much advised(on this forum) master swim classes but cant rationalize the drive time and overall time commitment it would take to get to the nearest one.
134
Member
1271 days
zcowgirl3 posted 33 weeks ago.
Wow.
NotAsFast, I could only imaging what that looks like but i sounds like it helps. I guess I should be paying more attention to the technique fator than what I have been. My TNT coach gave us drills and they're easy ones...I stink at them big time.
Max,
I hear you on that comment. I wish I could afford/get the proper help needed but I have what I can for the mean time. This summer for me is to work on what is needed for competeing next year. After this post I have to work on swimming for sure. (lol)
93
Member
456 days
max ping posted 33 weeks ago.
during my endurance swim today i had an hour to feel my new found skill. one thing that i noticed is that when i'm in the groove i rock side to side. it kinda feels like the up side is the boat and the lower the keel... as if the lower has to find its center to go through the water.
what im trying to say is that if i go with the rock/twisting motion it practically makes me get hydrodynamic.
BTW zcowgirl, are you really a cowgirl?
just before my first race recently (see below) i was told about "swimming downhill" by the high school swim coach here. i was only able to practice this once, and i had immediate results.
previous to this i tried counting strokes but i was NEVER able to decrease them... not even by a half stroke. i was staying flat in the water and so i couldn't glide.
he said to concentrate on pressing my armpit down on every stroke and twisting as much as possible with each as well.
i found on that one practice session that by touching my chin to my extended shoulder basically put me into the best position (best i say, because i could actually feel the glide).
in 2002 i remember going around saying "man i wish i had found cycling earlier in my life"(sometimes i still say it). since starting to swim (for tri's) last september, i now say the same thing about swimming! it's so cool that its so technical.
hope the above helps another noob begin to get a better feel for the swim!