swimming and breathing

[Torrilin]

*nods* Getting the other side down is the easy part. Using both sides is the part where I had trouble. Now most of the time I alternate automatically.

[Lise]

thanks guys! I .... drum roll..... went swimming today. Haven't in years, forgot how much I love it. I have a crink on the right side of my neck but it was easy to breath left. Never got back to the right side but feels good to swim.

Can it be long before Trek signs up for a triathlon?

It's good to read this thread. I swim pretty well breathing to my left, but look like I'm drowning (OK, feel like I'm drowning, I have no idea how I look) when I try to breathe to the right. As a consequence, I swam way off course two times last year in an open water tri when the bouys were to my right.

I also realized that my arms do two different things in the water. Left arm pulls down, across my body, like it's supposed to, right arm goes straight down through the water. Hence, I'm pulling myself off to the left in open water, and breathing to the left...you get the picture! Off I go to the left! In a pool I can stay on track, of course.

I'm doing a sprint tri in one month. It's an OWS, and they just won't post a picture of the swim course on the website. I emailed them, and they did say it's a triangle from the beach. I know the lake; I've done an Oly tri there, in which we swam across the lake. But a triangle...if we sight to the left, I'm golden. If we sight to the right, I'll do a lot of breaststroke. I haven't invested the time this year to learn how to swim right! I'm swimming today, though, and I'll try the triangle idea.

Happy swimming to all! Lise

[eclectic]

Mekira
A few years back I totally revamped my crawl stroke and changed how I was breathing.
The first thing that needs to be done is get your correct body position. If you are patient and willing to do it the best way is to invest in a swimmers snorkel and zoomer fins. Then do lap after lap of drills where you simply maintain the proper head and torso position. Let me know if you are interested and I will describe how to do them. The fins help w/ momentum and keep your legs floating a bit better and the snorkel helps so you aren't worrying about needing to breathe.

Once you have the proper head postion and body roll down when you remove the snorkel the breathing is automatic and you can easily do it from either side.

It is not something learned in a week (I did drills only 3x per week for 3 months) but I highly recommend it in the long run because your stroke will be much more efficient and you will be able to do the distance much easier.
I went from doing a 1700 yd varied workout in an hour wearing long fins and a snorkel to doing 2300 -2500 yds in an hour w/ no added equipment

[mekira]

Swimming is going a bit better. I can do 1.5 lengths and then I need to side swim LOL I'm trying to find my pace and right now I breathe on both sides (every 3rd stroke - breathe on the 4th stroke)

Electic - yes I'd like to know how to do the drills if you don't mind

[eclectic]

Swimming is going a bit better. I can do 1.5 lengths and then I need to side swim LOL I'm trying to find my pace and right now I breathe on both sides (every 3rd stroke - breathe on the 4th stroke)

Electic - yes I'd like to know how to do the drills if you don't mind

First of all you need to have a snorkel and fins (otherwise you will feel like you aren't getting anywhere and your feet will sink. )
I wear a noseplug - I never did get the hang of a snorkel w/o one.
If the fins give you blisters buy waterproof stretchy athletic tape and wrap your toes (all of them at once - not individually) or wear thin footie type socks in them - I have done both and prefer the tape
If you watch the competitive swimmers they are all sitting pretty high in the water and their bodies are aligned, to get your feet up you need to get your head down. Also watch their hips and arm rotation - it looks smooth but actually if you really watch it there is a "snap" as they rotate and catch the side glide.

Drill #1

Using a kick board just kick up and back a few laps to get used to breathing through the snorkel.
Keep your head down facing the bottom.
At first over emphasize it by tucking your chin into your chest, push your chest toward the bottom of the pool.
think of having a laser beam on the top of your head always pointing at a target at the end of the pool.
Don't worry about running into the wall, you can see the cross bar on the lane line warning you it is coming and the kick board will hit it first.

Drill #2
Now that you have mastered using the snorkel and fins time to start the "real" drills. This one is the most important.
-Hold a kick board extended out in your right hand
- Left hand is down by your side
- Head is down facing the bottom directly under you w/ the "laser" pointing to the "target" on the end of the pool.
- Key point Tuck your nose over into your right armpit (Not all the way in of course As you do this your torso should rotate to the left from your hips because the top of your head is still on the target. Push your chest out.
- your kick should be relaxed and flexible from your hips, some bend in your knees but not kicking from the knees - the fins will keep your toes pointed.
- kick all the way down this way (you will be surprised how fast you go)
- on the return do the opposite, hold the kickboard in your left hand and tuck your nose into your left armpit w/ the right arm by your side.

Lap after lap after lap after boring lap of these until your body has the muscle memory and your head stays down and your body feels the rotation (have the lifeguard check your alignment)

Drill #2
Now you are ready to let go of the kick board and start moving your arms
-start in position as above right arm out, left arm down
-Count your kicks 1,2,3,4,5,6
- On 6 do 1 full arm stroke and snap your torso over so left arm is out, right arm is down, and from the hips your torso is facing right. Head is still looking down, laser is on the target. You move your torso not your head.

lap after lap after boring lap of this one

then shorten it to 4 kicks then eventually 2 kicks and you should be "swimming" (you still have the snorkel on however)
Keep going back to the 6 kicks everytime you swim to get the feel again

Drill #3
Don't do this one until you have your body alignment down well.
this is called "catch up" It's purpose is to get the proper rhythm of your arm stroke. As I mentioned your torso snaps and there is a pause in the arm stroke, too many beginner swimmers are "windmills" with their arms going constantly. All the power for a swim stroke comes from your torso rotation not your arms, and with proper timing you catch the "glide" while turned on your side.

to do this do Drill #2 every 2 kicks but now you have to let both hands meet at the top
A really good way to practice is get a 10 inch dowel or similar, and you have to switch hands while they are outstretched before pulling back. The dowel always stays in the outstretched hand in front of you.
Feel yourself get in a rhythm of snap your torso, grab the stick, snap your torso grab the stick there should be a pause at the top of the stroke as you switch hands.
(I still have a hard time doing this one if I don't have fins and a snorkel on - it makes you work)

The competitive swimmers look smooth just because they are doing it much faster and have taken it to:

Drill #4 Hesitation
you actually have already done something similar when you did the switchover on 2 kicks.
It is the same as catchup but now your aren't pausing as long at the top but really feel your self glide before moving to the next arm stroke
It should feel like an arm out 1,2, snap arm back, rotate torso, 1,2, snap arm back, rotate torso, 1,2
THIS is the position and rhythm you should be swimming in. Head is down, torso is snapping from the hips, chest is out. body is aligned

GRADUATION!
Leave the fins on but now take the snorkel off.
Do hesitation but now allow your head to roll w/ your torso putting your ear where your nose was (on the side your aren't breathing on your nose is still in your armpit)
PITFALLS! you will be tempted to lift your head up forward or twist your neck to breath. NO, NO, NO! ! !

Let your head roll naturally and inline w/ your body - you do not twist your neck at all. Your ear and cheek will always stay in the water.
As soon as you take a breath and rotate back start exhaling so you have room for the next breath.
Start w/ single side breathing first so you don't lose head postion.
Left or right side is irrelevent, I breathe left others breathe right - do what is comfortable.
Once you have that down then you can start other drills for bilateral breathing and better arm efficiency.

Hope this helps - It is a lengthy process but well worth it in the end.
I compare it to me learning to run this year. I started out as a totally none runner and have just had to get out there and do hour after hour of paced runs just to build up my endurance. I am looking at it as something that will take me at least a year to build up. It isn't until then that I plan on introducing speed work.
Swimming is the same way, if you introduce speed work now you will destroy your stroke, you will not get faster in the long run and you will be expending a lot more energy and not getting anywhere.
Clean up your stroke and you can go a long ways faster w/ very little effort.

Hope this helps and Keep me posted on your progress!