HUGE swim breakthrough!

[Becky]

GLC, thanks for the info. I'll definitely check out those videos when I get home. I've also heard good things about FF, so that's on my list to explore further. I've gleaned some good insights from swimsmooth.com as well.

Last night, my first ~2 laps of whole stroke (after some form drills) were awesome....even my breathing and kicking were good. And then it all sort of fell apart. But it was nice while it lasted!

[Bike Chick]

I've gleaned some good insights from swimsmooth.com as well.

Swimsmooth has been a great help for me.

[GLC1968]

I like swim smooth too. My husband has gotten a ton out of that site (he bought one of the DVD's). GREAT for visualization and the survey to learn your 'type' was spot on (even though it surprized me at the time).

CC - I haven't done any land-based exercises that are swim specific, but I am working on my core which I can tell needs work (both when I swim and when I am in aero on my bike).

Becky - I used to have the same problem...I could do a few laps close to perfect and then things would fall apart. I actually kind of used that point as a stopping point for awhile. I just swam more often but for shorter times. My thought process was that I didn't want to 'learn' the wrong way, so I did as much of the right way as I could and then I'd stop (or work on more drills). Each time, I could go further before it started to come apart! Now I am getting close to getting a full workout in decent form (but I'm still not quite there).

[Becky]

Good videos! In particular, I've watched the second one many times, and I think that I finally understand why kicking only the top leg would help with getting the timing down. I'm going to try that drill once the snow stops and I can make it back to the pool!

Would fins or paddles (or both) help?

[GLC1968]

Becky - I don't own paddles (though I did use them briefly in my first swim class) and I only recently got fins. I've only used them once, and mostly just to better feel my streamline position in the water. I haven't tried them since I've been actively trying to change my stroke though.

In my limited experience, I think these things are not necessary. At least, not until you've mastered the basics. I *thought* I was doing pretty well with the basic stroek and that I was ready to start using some tools to tweak things, but it turns out that I was still missing some major points to my stroke.

The exception to this (again, in my limited experience) is a pull-buoy because it can really help with understanding proper body position. My husband uses his periodically throughout his workout to 'remind' his body of how it feels to swim more balanced. He also used it quite extensively in the very beginning as he was learning to breathe properly because it gave him the confidence he needed. Now he tries to limit his use so as not to get dependent on it!

[Becky]

I tried the "kicking the top leg" thing last night. Wow! That is such a powerful drill for feeling the timing of a 2-beat kick. I did more 2-beat kicking last night than I've ever done! I'm still not doing it consistently, but this was a major improvement. Thanks for sharing this drill!

I also worked on rotating more from my hips than from my shoulders, and it became apparent that I'm not engaging my core enough to properly and fully rotate. It also identified that my lower body position stinks. I guess it's time to learn to use a pull buoy until I can internalize that position.

Baby steps, right?

[GLC1968]

Excellent to hear! Yes, baby steps, definitely. Great job!

I'm kind of kicking myself that I spent the winter just swimming without really working on anything and wasted all that time...but eh. At least I'm making progress now.