|
Body Parts
Better Swim Strokes
by Maurine Sullivan of BodyBusiness
|
Gliding through the chilly, crisp waters of Barton Springs, euphoria takes over as I find the rhythm of my stroke and regularity of my breath. The roll of my body, easy cadence of my kick and long reach of my arm blend in perfect time, lulling me into a zone unlike any other. Swimming brings more into my life than good health and physical fitness ... it provides opportunity for mental “quiet” time and meditative movement.
Learning to swim can be achieved at any age given time and effort in practice. Three common strokes are the freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke.
Freestyle — (Front crawl)
This stroke requires the arms to work unilaterally with a flutter kick (picture A right). Imagine a rod running down the longitudinal axis of your body, of which your hips and torso rotate as you reach the leading arm. Rotation of the body allows easier breathing, requiring only slight cervical rotation as you breathe to the side (B right). Swim as if you’re gliding through a tunnel just larger in diameter than your body. Press your chest down toward the pool bottom, kicking at or just below the surface. Strengthen the latissimus, triceps, deltoids, core and gluteals to enhance your stroke.
Backstroke
This stroke is similar to freestyle, but you’ll be lying on your back. As if you are lying on the face of a clock with your head at 12, reach the leading arm for 11 or 2 o’clock. Unilateral motion of the arms pulls you through the water with the body rotating and the legs flutter kicking. On the arm’s pull phase, imagine throwing a ball at your foot before straightening the arm for the reach phase, with a locked elbow, pinky entering the water first. If you experience neck fatigue, relax your shoulders and press your head back into the water. Strengthen the back, shoulders and core and increase shoulder flexibility to greatly enhance your ability in this stroke.
Breastroke
Here, the arms will work in unison rather than alternately as in the former strokes. Lying with your body facing down, press your arms slightly downward before creating a circular motion (A right), then extend them directly overhead into a glide on the water’s surface (B right). The whip kick begins by flexing the knee, moving your feet toward the posterior (from picture A to B). Bring the lower legs apart (C), snap together quickly and simultaneously move into the glide position (from picture D to A again). Breathe during the power phase of the stroke, just before the arms glide forward. Chest, inner thighs, gluteals and lats will be utilized in this stroke.
Maurine Sullivan has taught swimming for the past 14 years. She has worked with many beginner swimmers, many for their first triathlon experience. She is the current education director and coach for annual triathlon training programs at BodyBusiness. She can be reached at (512) 459-1053 or moe@bodybusinessfitness.com.
|
