You work so hard, but can’t seem to find that speed you want in the water. You’re still dragging, gasping, and not seeing much return from your investments. It’s time to use the water and not let use you.
Swimming doesn’t have to be so hard. Today we break it down in the simplest terms and make the swim stroke easy. We dive into the reach/entry, catch along with early vertical forearm, a solid pull, and powerful finish. Have your mind ready when you get back in the pool!
Listen to this Full Podcast –
Summary:
- When your hand hits the water, it needs to be preparing to work. No gliding, get the catch.
- Reach as far as you possibly can. This is within reason. Your ability to reach long and move as much water as you can backwards is the key.
- When you enter the water early and think about a high elbow out of the water, it forces you to shorten stroke. Finish the back end of the stroke to keep momentum.
- Running and riding a bike come natural for most, but swimming isn’t something we do a lot. It will always be a challenge to understand your body in space while in water. More exposure (ie… more swimming) is the best solution to finding comfortability.
- Early vertical forearm while IN the water is the key. The sooner you can turn your forearm into a water-moving-paddle, the better.
- Swimming is simple: Swimming square and staying in your box. Stand up, reach both hands as high as you can. Now move them down (backwards) as far as you can. That is all you need to think about.
- What your arm should look like out of the water? We believe this doesn’t matter. You don’t have to be pretty, just get a good finish to your stroke then get that hand as far as you can in front. How looks getting there doesn’t matter.
- 3 Different parts of the box – The catch, the pull, the finish.
- Body position and staying high in the water. Stay higher in the water with a strong catch and pull. You press down at the beginning of your stroke and this pushes you up. With a good catch it will keep you high. Also try keeping your chin down, which naturally raises the butt. Don’t “over tuck” the chin, though. just naturally.
- Where the stroke breaks down and gives you nothing – When you enter the water, you want to get an early vertical forearm and start pulling that water backwards before you eventually continue to push it backwards. If you’re not pulling or pushing, you have a dead spot. The more you gain swim fitness, the less dead spots you will have.
- Pressure on forearms – You want a FEEL for the water and you want most of that feeling on your forearms because they are bigger than your hands. Try swimming with your hands in a fist to understand this feeling.
- How to build REAL swim fitness – You don’t get faster and stronger by swimming easy 2000’s. You have to work hard with 25’s and 50’s. And, of course, swim at least 3 times a week.
- Most of us swim the “easiest way” and taking the path of easiest resistance – Challenging yourself in the pool is usually harder than on the bike or run. Push yourself with hard sets using adequate rest. Find your swim zones.
- Pressure and fatigue means you’re working – If you get out of every session feeling fresh, you didn’t work to improve your swim. Feel the pressure of the water against your forearms and push till you feel fatigue.
- Developing different gears in the water – Again, find your zones. Find the ability to pick up the pace for a while in case you get into a scrum. Then understand how you can get back into a cruising speed to conserve your energy.
- How to not go anaerobic in a race – One of the simplest ways to make sure this doesn’t happen is concentrate on breathing correctly. More specifically a full exhale while your head is in the water. If you don’t empty the lungs, there is no room for more air.
- Why your kick could be slowing you down – Kicking the wrong way makes things worse. We don’t advocate kicking other than rhythm or balance kicks. Kicking is not worth the energy you burn. Relax and let your legs chill before you grind them on the bike and run.
- The competitor in you . . . be excited to jump in … game’s on – We want you to feel excited about the swim, not scared. Get dedicated to swim training. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations with 25s and 50s. Be ready and calm for the swim.
- Fitness in swimming is a domino effect – If you’re not in good swim shape and get out of the water gassed, you will suffer on the bike, then suffer on the run. Or at the very least not reach your potential. The swim takes way more out of us than most people think.
- Just because your arm is in the water doesn’t mean it’s doing anything – Sort of back to the top. Make sure you are feeling pressure on your arms and they are working in the water. It takes time to build this fitness, but don’t cheat your stroke because it’s easier.
- You can work so hard . . . and get nowhere. Sinking… gasping… swimming slow.
If you’re interested in a Custom Swim Analysis, view how it works here or contact Coach Robbie directly: [email protected]
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