Problem with AAUS swim requirement

[lowviz]

@ g1138:

AhHa!!! OK, I'll come clean. National Aquarium in Baltimore.

 

[g1138]

@ g1138:

AhHa!!! OK, I'll come clean. National Aquarium in Baltimore.

An equally fun group. I don't have any inside jokes with those folks yet, sadly.

 

[lowviz]

An equally fun group.

OMG, words fail me!

I don't have any inside jokes with those folks yet, sadly.

Yeah, you do.

If I get in, tell them you sent me. :shocked2:

---------- Post added November 21st, 2015 at 09:46 PM ----------

... Giant push off the wall to start, streamline glide. First stroke it just hands, long pull. ...//...

Got that, but then elementary breast stroke or whipkick? My problem is that either a whip or scissors feels "right".

 

[Michael Guerrero]

Back when I played waterpolo we had to do a 50 yd single-breath, underwater swim with shoes on as part of hell week. To train for it, we tried swimming 50 yards underwater on a single breath.

My best advice is to get a strong push off the wall, strong pulls and frog kicks (it's basically breast stroke underwater), glide as streamlined as possible, and swim slowly, smoothly, but with purpose (i.e., there is such a thing as too slow).

 

[lowviz]

...//... frog kicks (it's basically breast stroke underwater), glide as streamlined as possible, and swim slowly, smoothly, but with purpose (i.e., there is such a thing as too slow).

I see that and I'm getting close. I know that I'll get it before the end of January, but I really want to nail it soon (now).

It seems to me that if I do the slightest thing wrong on a breast-stroke kick (whip kick) I immediately kill my forward glide. If I "cheat" with a scissors kick then I'm not as powerful, but timing mistakes are better forgiven. Yeah, I know, you just have to make it across the pool. But I want to "nail it".

Really struggling with this.

 

[Rooster59]

No scissor kicks, your hips stay level and the kick is symmetrical. I looked around youtube and this vid of kick seems about right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJj9z4n0STk

But your arms are doing a long stroke all the way to your hips, not cut short like top water breast stroke arms. Get your instructors to show you the proper kick and I'm sure it will click. Once you get the motions, try this: Push off the wall, and see how far you can go with an arm pull and 3 perfect strokes. Come up for air, back to the wall, try again. Beat your distance, try again. If that's comfortable, go to push off wall, arm pull, 4 perfect strokes. Ratchet up till you can go wall to wall. Just don't hyperventilate before you make an attempt, I think that's how you trigger shallow water blackout.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

Yeah, like rooster said, long pull, to max extension of your arms. It's been a while since I did it, but you load your arms and legs simultaneously for the next kick and pull.

This guy does it but does some crazy dolphin kick stuff as part of it which I have never seen anyone else do, and wouldn't do myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVcAKbTkIXQ

So you load the kick against the wall with your arms straight out in front of you, hands together at a point, with your chin tucked toward your chest. Your shoulders should be above your head. This is the streamlined position. Execute your kick and glide as long as possible. When your kick glide is almost done, do your arm pull, bringing your hands all the way to your thighs. When that glide is almost done, load your arms and legs at the same time back to their original position. Your forward momentum at this point will be almost completely arrested. Arms are in front of you, with hands together in a point, head tucked, legs loaded for the kick. Kick with arms in front and glide, then pull with arms when you start slowing down. Repeat until you bang your head on the other end of the pool.

If you're having difficulty with your kick you can get on a kick board and do a million laps back and forth just kicking. You shouldn't have a kick problem after that.

And I learned something new today. I've never heard anyone call it a whipkick. I've only heard frog and breast stroke kick .

For this particular exercise, slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

 

[lowviz]

The first step in solving any problem is to clearly define the problem.

... I guarantee your swim mechanics suck ...

OK, now for step two.

... I looked around youtube and this vid of kick seems about right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJj9z4n0STk ...

I missed that particular one. Yeah, I like that vid too.

Yeah, like rooster said, long pull, to max extension of your arms. It's been a while since I did it, but you load your arms and legs simultaneously for the next kick and pull.

This guy does it but does some crazy dolphin kick stuff as part of it which I have never seen anyone else do, and wouldn't do myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVcAKbTkIXQ ...

Never saw a dolphin kick used that way either. However, that could be really useful if my final glide stalls a foot or two short of the wall.

... If you're having difficulty with your kick you can get on a kick board and do a million laps back and forth just kicking. You shouldn't have a kick problem after that. ...

This is precisely where I am now.

I've been putting everything into the arm stroke as I find it easy and powerful. My instructors just put an end to that. Now I get immediate feedback on each kick as I make my painfully slow progress across the pool. Worst part is, much of my strength is in my legs. I never knew just how bad my whipkick was until now.

Thanks to all! Any other tips are always welcome, but I think I now know where my problem is.

 

[Rooster59]

I've been putting everything into the arm stroke as I find it easy and powerful. My instructors just put an end to that. Now I get immediate feedback on each kick as I make my painfully slow progress across the pool. Worst part is, much of my strength is in my legs. I never knew just how bad my whipkick was until now.
.

One other thought on a frogkick. Your heels should come up to your butt, then the kick starts. If you bring your legs up really wrong, your legs will act like brakes and totally kill your momentum. Bringing your knees to your chest, or spreading your legs way out are examples of really wrong. Your power stroke from your kick may be great, but you may be killing the momentum you get from the arm pull / previous kick by bringing your feet up wrong. This is my guess without seeing your stroke. A really good frogkick articulates your feet and ankles in ways that aren't very natural at first. Watch how to use the soles of your feet as your legs snap back together.

 

[seeker242]

Excellent real world advice. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! Seriously, I mean that.

I'm going with the "Zen" approach. My Australian swim instructor will love it.

The "zen" approach is what freedivers use. Specifically the relaxation exercises that are done just before a dive. It's called "breathing up". There are some good threads over on spearboard about it. If you aren't doing something similar already, it might help.