Ask Ande

[ande]

Rotation:

swim and concentrate on rotating all the way to your side.

swim and kick on each side for a 1, 2 or 3 count

practice rotating

make a video and watch yourself, post it to youtube, share the link & ask for feedback

HEAD:
Keep it down
look at the bottom
tape a ruler to the back of your head, if you lift your head too much the ruler will hit your back as a reminder to keep it down

[Allen Stark]

[B]Rotation:

HEAD:
tape a ruler to the back of your head, if you lift your head too much the ruler will hit your back as a reminder to keep it down

An easier way to accomplish the same thing is to take your center mount snorkel,turn the mouth piece segment around so it is facing the wrong way,now put the snorkel on upside down and backwards so the long end is running down your back.I use it this way frequently to practice keeping my head down for breaststroke,but it helps keep your head down in general too.

[ande]

An easier way to accomplish the same thing is to take your center mount snorkel,turn the mouth piece segment around so it is facing the wrong way,now put the snorkel on upside down and backwards so the long end is running down your back.I use it this way frequently to practice keeping my head down for breaststroke,but it helps keep your head down in general too.

good idea
I was kinda kidding about the ruler

[splacke]

Hello, Ande. I wrote to you a while ago and followed your suggestions (lose weight, join a workout group, work on my kick, etc). I have another question about swim caps:
How much do swim caps help during a race? I never wear one other than open water events where they are required. Does a person swim significantly faster by wearing one?

[ande]

Hello, Ande. I wrote to you a while ago and followed your suggestions
(lose weight, join a workout group, work on my kick, etc).
I have another question about swim caps:
How much do swim caps help during a race?
I never wear one other than open water events where they are required.
Does a person swim significantly faster by wearing one?

Possibly, it depends

If you have long hair, wear a cap.
If the water is cold, wear a cap.
If you want to take another step to keep your goggs from coming off during a race, wear a cap.
Caps can provide your head with a better surface than hair.
Vlieve it or not

If you are bald, don't wear a cap.
If the water is hot, don't wear a cap
if you don't like caps, don't wear one

[Bill Sive]

Ande,

Can you please explain how to do the three beat Butterfly kick? I am self coached and have managed to keep it somewhere between a Butterstruggle and a Butterfly. More Fly than Struggle.

Thank you,

[ande]

Ande,
Can you please explain how to do the three beat Butterfly kick? I am self coached and have managed to keep it somewhere between a Butterstruggle and a Butterfly. More Fly than Struggle.
Thank you,

Hey Bill,

I'm not sure there is a 3 beat butterfly stroke. The best things you can do to improve your butterfly are:

+ get one on one technique instruction from a good swimmer or coach who can see what you are doing (in and out of the water while you are swimming fly ) then suggest corrections, then watch you attempt them, then suggest more.
BUT honestly the most important part of this is to:
+ know what mistakes you are making,
+ know the corrections,
+ know how it feels to swim with correct form then
keep doing right until your new technique becomes your new habit. You gotta grind it in and
+ the ONLY way to do this is to keep reminding yourself to do it correctly, to keep concentrating and doing right, in the beginning, the moment your concentration lapses, you will go back to your old habit.
Also only focus on one two or a few things at a time

+ get someone to time you for a all out 25, 50 & 100 fly & report back to me

+ have a friend make a video of you swimming fly, put it on youtube then post a thread here with the link and ask people to offer suggestions.

+ don't swim fly slow in practice
you can do fly stroke drill slow,

+ Improve your dolphin kick, your SDK (streamline dolphin kick)
have a friend time you for a fast 25, 50 & 100 dolphin kick with and with out a board
do Help my kick is horrible

+ get in better shape, train for the 200 and 500 free

+ watch videos of the greatest butterflyers in the world and try to copy them

+ lift weights to get stronger

So Bill my bottomline is, to help you improve your butterfly technique, I need to seed you swim butterfly.

Here's links to

The Butterfly Lane

The SDK Lane

[geo123]

Hey ande, first of all I would like to thank you for motivating me to keep on swimming................ I wanted to give up swimming but your words and a part of me didn't let me quit. I haven't met my goal of swimming 24.00 in the 50 free LCM yet. But I have improved my previous best of 24.89 by a good margin( I haven't been trying hard untill recently).................... I think i can even go under 24 if i try hard(which I will). I have been doing a good amount of weight training recently. I have found out that i am actually pretty strong for my average size. After training for some time in the weight room, I tested my chin ups and Found out that I can do a full dead hang chin up with 49 kg extra weight ( two dumbbells between my legs). My improved strength is helping me in the water but I think I have some technical problems in my stroke which is not allowing me to generate higher speeds. I am submitting a clip of me swimming fast. I tried to swim as fast as I could but couldn't reach my top speed. It was pretty off. Anyway you will get a rough idea of my stroke from the clip. here is the clip ( It is not very clear as it was recorded with a mobile phone) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKXR0...ature=youtu.be

The goal is to improve my stroke so that I can swim a lot faster than I am doing currently........................ Your help will be very much appreciated. Thanx in advance.............................

[ande]

Hey ande, first of all I would like to thank you for motivating me to keep on swimming................ I wanted to give up swimming but your words and a part of me didn't let me quit. I haven't met my goal of swimming 24.00 in the 50 free LCM yet. But I have improved my previous best of 24.89 by a good margin( I haven't been trying hard untill recently).................... I think i can even go under 24 if i try hard(which I will). I have been doing a good amount of weight training recently. I have found out that i am actually pretty strong for my average size. After training for some time in the weight room, I tested my chin ups and Found out that I can do a full dead hang chin up with 49 kg extra weight ( two dumbbells between my legs). My improved strength is helping me in the water but I think I have some technical problems in my stroke which is not allowing me to generate higher speeds. I am submitting a clip of me swimming fast. I tried to swim as fast as I could but couldn't reach my top speed. It was pretty off. Anyway you will get a rough idea of my stroke from the clip. here is the clip ( It is not very clear as it was recorded with a mobile phone) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKXR0...ature=youtu.be

The goal is to improve my stroke so that I can swim a lot faster than I am doing currently........................ Your help will be very much appreciated. Thanx in advance.............................

Hi Geo,

Congratulations! You're welcome. Thank you for saying my words are a part of you.
your goal should be to go 23.99 or faster
Sounds like you're very strong & getting stronger, very fast and getting faster.

Keep working on your swimming and kicking speed.
What I like most, is when you wrote your original post in ASK ANDE
You were despondent. You were missing a mission. you were lacking passion.
which inspired me to write my response to you

But now you seem to have undergone a transformation, you're a man on a mission, passionately pursuing your dreams and goals.
I hope you reach them. You seem to be a changed young man because of your actions, attitude and results so far.
At the end of my message to you I wrote: "Hope this helps, Keep us posted. good Luck"
sounds like it has helped, thank you for keeping us posted, keep working hard and smart & now I challenge you to take your attitude, work ethic, and apply the goal achievement process to other areas of your life to make your other dreams and goals happen.

Hope this helps, Keep us posted, Good Luck

Ande

I'll take a look at your vid soon