Things I’m working on for my swim technique this year

Short version of what I’m focusing on for swim technique this year:

- Touch my toes and knees together during the kick to streamline my body.

- Proper body rotation that streamlines my body and creates a propulsion platform in my core.

- Not crossing the centerline with my arms.

- Pulling back with my arms instead of pushing down.

- More swim volume than last year to minimize the impact of a hard swim on my bike and run.

- Lastly, “rolling over the barrel” during the pull phase.

- Someday, I’ll work on bilateral breathing!

I’ve been swimming laps for at least 30 years now (wow! It feels weird to say that!). Starting just last year, I decided I need to take a look at my form to see where I can improve. Until last year, I just plugged away at 1:30 – 1:40 per 100 yards freestyle, pulling through the water with brute force and a fair amount of endurance. Then my shoulder started hurting. Thus, my desire to make some changes. I’m surprised it took that long for the pain to show up.

So, two years ago, I took a video of me swimming 750 yards in the pool during a spring sprint triathlon here in Pocatello. Two things popped out immediately: I “snake” terribly and I have a nasty crossover in both arms. And, my left foot swings really far out when I breathe. A picture is worth a thousand words. A video is worth ten thousand words.

Then I found Mr Swim Smooth and started reading the articles there. I signed up for the weekly e-mails, most of which are informative. The one thing that stood out was a tip to keep your toes and knees nearly touching each other during the kick; this should help keep you streamlined.

The swim smooth tip for keeping the legs together was the item that brought it all together. When I concentrate on that, I’m much more streamlined, which then takes away most of the snake and the crossover. Concentrating on not crossing over the center line might be preventing the snaking, too.

In just the third week of training this year, I think I’m successfully instilling new technique habits that streamline my body much better. This requires retraining my muscle memory, and also training new muscles to some extent. It isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, but it does require some patience and focus during each workout. I can feel significant improvements in streamlining, and it shows up in my times. This year, I’m starting at an average of 1:30/100yds, versus normally starting at 1:40-1:45. I think I can realistically get myself down to 1:10/100yds this year, which puts me right around 20 minutes for a 1500m swim in good conditions with a wet suit. Last year I was at about 1:15-1:20 per 100 yards average during my swim workouts in the pool.