Ask Ande

[SwiminONandON]

My strengths and weakness are not great for IM right now. I am working on those weakness. Basically ... right now I am a stronger flyer and freer. My backstroke is probably next best but needs a total overhaul and I am working on getting my breaststroke better (that is where I have the most room for improvement for sure).

I have GREAT coaches that are very knowledgable are aware of my goals and of my abilities. I was told my the head coach that it is in relam of possibility to get my 200 IM time down around there. I'm thinking it's going to take a lot of improvement in all four strokes as well as a lot of endurance. I love that race. At our state meet I was happy with three of the four legs. I took the back too easy. I needed to push a bit harder on that one. I've gone out too hard on the fly and back before and it wasn't a pretty last half, was actually ready to get out after the first 25 breast.

Thanks again!

[SwiminONandON]

Plantar flexion ... fancy words for toe point or ankle flexion/flexability

[ande]

I would assume plantar flexion is having flexible feet that make a good toe point and kicking surface.

fast kickers begin each kick cycle from the hip then follow through with the quads,
here's a little rhyme

your feet, calves and shins
should act as fins.

you should learn to press water on the up kick as well as the down. This notion is more important in fly, but it helps in flutter kicking.

Work on improving your distance per kick.
Count how many kicks it takes you to get across the pool
You have feel-for-the-water with your hands and arms,
improve your feel for the water with your feet, shins and calves.

Ande

Originally posted by 69gscal
What'd you call me? Plantar Flexion?
Can you explain a bit, I'm lost.

Anyone know of any good videos on the web that show proper flutter kick technique?

[ande]

On body roll
Look at what great swimmers do and copy them.
Do what feels right for you

I know I roll when I swim but I'm not sure how much.

I sometimes do drills where I roll my hips to point at the bottom.

as the right hand exits
my left hip is down or right hip is up

as the left hand exits
my right hip is down or left hip is up

experiment and find what's best for you

ande

Originally posted by 330man
Oops! I guess I should not be posting answers since my name is not Ande. Might as well ask a question since I am here.

Body Roll. How much is enough? Should I be rotating 90 degrees each direction as TImmersion tends to teach? I currently have enough roll to prevent my elbows from moving beyond the plane of my back during recovery but I have often wondered if more rotation might give me more endurance while taking away some speed. Any thoughts?

[ande]

but What are your current times?

I say focus on improving your weakest stroke and up your conditioning. Be able to swim a good 500 free.

For me my waekness was breastroke.
Last year I'd be lucky to split 36 or 37
this year I got it down to 34.6

ande

Originally posted by SwiminONandON
My strengths and weakness are not great for IM right now. I am working on those weakness. Basically ... right now I am a stronger flyer and freer. My backstroke is probably next best but needs a total overhaul and I am working on getting my breaststroke better (that is where I have the most room for improvement for sure).

I have GREAT coaches that are very knowledgable are aware of my goals and of my abilities. I was told my the head coach that it is in relam of possibility to get my 200 IM time down around there. I'm thinking it's going to take a lot of improvement in all four strokes as well as a lot of endurance. I love that race. At our state meet I was happy with three of the four legs. I took the back too easy. I needed to push a bit harder on that one. I've gone out too hard on the fly and back before and it wasn't a pretty last half, was actually ready to get out after the first 25 breast.

Thanks again!

[SwiminONandON]

Ande, sent you an email about the 200 IM - thanks!

[Fishgrrl]

Just to get this out there - I worship anyone who can do (and actually likes to do) an IM of any length.

To me, IMers are like the decathalon athletes of track and field. I can only stick to the anything freestyle 200 and up and I can't sprint my way out of a paper bag but oh well! We can't have it all...

So that being said - here's my question to you, Ande - I went to a start/turn clinic this weekend and saw myself on video (yuk) and my turns look pathetic. I turn too slow, I come up too soon, but what freaks me out is that I feel like I'm doing it fast! What I also noticed is that my head is really high - how do I concentrate on keeping my head down, and what's all this I hear about "pressing your chest" into the water - I've been hearing that for years and no one's explained it to me yet...

Thanks ahead of time!

[ande]

Fast turns are all about transferring your forward momentum into rotation then rebound off the wall.

TUrns are really hard to write about because
there's so many little details.

It's better to watch someone with great turns and copy them.
Or have them work with you in the pool.
watch them from above and under water.
perfect the details

also What kinds of turns?
there's
fly
back
breast
Free
IM fly to back,
IM back to breast, and
IM breast to free


Here's a few fast turn concepts

BALL UP
the shorter the radius the faster the rotation

Hit the wall just right

In freestyle don't set up for the turn, just roll into it,

Don't slow down going into the wall

Learn to move your arms underwater to accellerate your rotation and set up your streamline

rebound off the wall in streamline position

concentrate on fast turns in practice
race people from the flags to the wall and back out to the flags.

hope this helps,

Ande

Originally posted by Fishgrrl
Just to get this out there - I worship anyone who can do (and actually likes to do) an IM of any length.

To me, IMers are like the decathalon athletes of track and field. I can only stick to the anything freestyle 200 and up and I can't sprint my way out of a paper bag but oh well! We can't have it all...

So that being said - here's my question to you, Ande - I went to a start/turn clinic this weekend and saw myself on video (yuk) and my turns look pathetic. I turn too slow, I come up too soon, but what freaks me out is that I feel like I'm doing it fast! What I also noticed is that my head is really high - how do I concentrate on keeping my head down, and what's all this I hear about "pressing your chest" into the water - I've been hearing that for years and no one's explained it to me yet...

Thanks ahead of time!

[SwiminONandON]

Kari - as far as pressing your chest down goes - I've read about that, too. It makes the most sense (at least to me) in fly and breast. I actually physically think of pushing my chest down into the water on fly and breast it gets your hips up. This is also true on free of course. I think it's more about getting your hips up than actually getting your chest down. This is also sometimes referred to as swimming downhill vs. swimming uphill. Ever see those people that swim backstroke or free and they look like they are swimming uphill and dragging their legs? Not good.

That is my understanding anyway ... and thanks for the IM props. IM is so fun! I give you distance props. I have a teammate that I can beat in free in anything that is 200 or less after tha she kicks my butt inside out. She can hang on with the best of them.

[Fishgrrl]

Heather and Ande - thanks for the feedback. OK - ball up, keep the momentum going, don't slow down into the turn....

Repeat...

I saw myself underwater at the camp I attended in early March and underwater I do OK - the coach said that my streamline looked really good, but because of where my feet were planted on the wall, I sunk and had to struggle to get to the surface, hence the head up position....HEY - looks like I'm answering my own question!

Heather - the chest press thing makes sense to me too on butterfly and back - I've actually tried it doing backstroke and that feels much more natural than trying to do it freestyle. On free, I just have to keep my dang head down.

Ande - since I don't race IMs, I tend to not practice any IM turns. However, I've recently taken on a different philosophy and that is that even though I don't do those races, I must not slack off in practice because I believe that I will be a better swimmer if I focus and concentrate on EVERYTHING the coach tells me to do in workout, instead of doing my usual grumble of.....".....yuk...another IM set???"

[marlenb]

Ande,
I have been working as a swim instructor for the last year, so I am becoming much more conscious of my imperfect technique, particularly on my backstroke. I am getting better, but I am not always able to keep a straight path on my back. Is it more a function of rolling more to one side than the other, or because my hand is catching the water at the wrong point on one side?

[ande]

Melissa,

there could be several reasons why you wiggle in backstroke

I'd have to watch you to see what you're doing and figure out the cause.
It could be your kick,
It could be your body position
It could be what you do with your hands and arms

Do you tend to veer a particular direction?

try pulling on the lane rope when you swim backstroke
that might straighten you out
if you do it a lot, it might get you used to swimming straight,

If you swim indoors you might be able to gage where you are in the lane from looking at the ceiling

Maybe you can gage from your periferal vision

I think people who swim backstroke a lot just know where they are in the lane and make micro adjustments if they happen to be off. It also comes from having a balanced even stroke.

Video tape yourself and figure out what you're doing and
what you need to do

hope this helps,

Ande

Originally posted by marlenb
Ande,
I have been working as a swim instructor for the last year, so I am becoming much more conscious of my imperfect technique, particularly on my backstroke. I am getting better, but I am not always able to keep a straight path on my back. Is it more a function of rolling more to one side than the other, or because my hand is catching the water at the wrong point on one side?

[SwiminONandON]

At 03 worlds Natalie Coughlin smacked the lane line like crazy, I think in the medley relay. Even the pros have trouble sometimes.

Fixing this will definitely shave time off off though. Good luck!

[ande]

that's true,
each lane rope bump slows you down
definitely stay in the middle
but not in practice less you wanna smack heads

ande

Originally posted by SwiminONandON
At 03 worlds Natalie Coughlin smacked the lane line like crazy, I think in the medley relay. Even the pros have trouble sometimes.

Fixing this will definitely shave time off off though. Good luck!

[Scansy]

Originally posted by ande
that's true,
each lane rope bump slows you down
definitely stay in the middle
but not in practice less you wanna smack heads

ande

Yeah, but each lane line pull speeds me up! Of course, there is that nagging DQ issue....

[ande]

unfortunately I am only skilled at pulling on the lane rope with my left arm, I really should train my right arm as well

ande

Originally posted by Scansy
Yeah, but each lane line pull speeds me up! Of course, there is that nagging DQ issue....

[LindsayNB]

Another question for Ande,

Our club swims has three workouts a week, 55 minutes each. After two of the workouts and before the third there is a one hour public swim with a couple of lap lanes. What are the trade-offs between doing extra workouts after or before the club workouts versus doing them on the days with no workouts. The pool is a fourty minute drive one way from my place and I feel ecologically unfriendly driving all those miles by myself to go swimming. I will probably swim at least one extra day to avoid two days off, I am just wondering about the general tradeoffs, like is six hours swum on three days better or worse than five hours swum on five days? Unfortunately all the lap swims are only 55min long. Sorry for the fuzzy question.

[Scansy]

OK Ande, here's a new one.

I need to work on upper body strength - pecs, lats, etc. Time is limited and I hate weight training anyway. What can I do in the pool that will work on upper body strength? Should I use paddles?

[ande]

i think it's better to swim 5 days a week
if you choose not to do that
then do 4
if not that do a little extra when you can

it would be good for you to train a little extra
before or after practice
but don't just flop around the pool.
pick something that will help you swim faster
do drills,
do sprints,
improve your kick,
pick something,

if you decide to keep training 3 days a week
maybe pull against surgical tubing stretch cords at home or go lift weights or find a closer more covenient pool

I know you can swim faster

good luck hope this wasn't a fuzzy answer.

ande

Originally posted by LindsayNB
Another question for Ande,

Our club swims has three workouts a week, 55 minutes each. After two of the workouts and before the third there is a one hour public swim with a couple of lap lanes. What are the trade-offs between doing extra workouts after or before the club workouts versus doing them on the days with no workouts. The pool is a fourty minute drive one way from my place and I feel ecologically unfriendly driving all those miles by myself to go swimming. I will probably swim at least one extra day to avoid two days off, I am just wondering about the general tradeoffs, like is six hours swum on three days better or worse than five hours swum on five days? Unfortunately all the lap swims are only 55min long. Sorry for the fuzzy question.

[ande]

what event are you training for?

it's hard to increase your strength from just water training
I never use paddles now, though I did in high school.


weights are best, but here's a few suggestions


Do push ups, pulls ups and sit ups


use surgical tubing stretch cords
attach them to a solid object and pull on them
like you're taking a stroke

the key place to really develop your power is on the back end of your arm cycle, from where your hand is near your belly button to where it presses out by your leg.


Depending on how your pool edge is built you can also do press outs, be in the pool with your hands on the edge and press yourself out of the pool then drop back in 10 times


you can also sprint against resistance, like surgical tubing that is attached to a waistbelt that is also attached to a wall

If you increase your power, you should swim faster.

Ande

Originally posted by Scansy
OK Ande, here's a new one.
I need to work on upper body strength - pecs, lats, etc. Time is limited and I hate weight training anyway. What can I do in the pool that will work on upper body strength? Should I use paddles?