Some things I've been working on since watching the videos: my hand entry is too close to the centerline. I need to get wider, reach further and go straighter. My body roll isn't really rolling as much as it should - especially the back half. And there's no way I'll be able to keep that kicking cadence for the IM swim if I want to finish the race. I kick harder to keep my legs up on top of the water (not dragging). I need to figure out how I can do this without tiring out my legs. Lastly, my pull is a little deep in the water. I'm losing power in my pull by straightening my arm out that far.
ANY AND ALL comments, criticisms, critiques, etc are greatly appreciated. If you notice I'm doing something wrong - PLEASE help me out and throw in your 2 cents. I'm not a swimmer, but I want to become one.
Thanks in advance for everyone who rips me to shreds here...
And thank you, Ed, for the tapes!
thanks for sharing, looks great! I'd say your legs are working too hard for sure! save those puppies for the next 140 miles eh! lol
ReplyDeletereach further! the body roll will come naturally when you stretch out.
kick from the hip, not from the calves.
shave your body. all of it.
thanks for sharing!
Disclaimer - I have no idea wut I'm talkin about hah! :)
Nice swimming! I'm an idiot when it comes to swimming and also critiquing the swim. Jon has a good eye for it he might spot something. Good job getting it on tape I want to do the same now, a little scared of what I might see :)
ReplyDeleteD
You have a really solid stroke! I am noticing very little up and down motion (which is good!) meaning that you are going straight through the water and not oscillating up and down like on a wave. This means you have good balance which is a strong foundation,
ReplyDeleteWhat I am noticing though is that your hips are far below the water, meaning you are swimming "uphill"....you want to be swimming "downhill". Either lowering your head or pressing your chest into water will "pop" those hips up and will get you overall higher in the water, which is less resistant.
I am noticing that your body rotation is good to your breathing side, but is MUCH flatter on your non breathing side. You want your rotation to be symmetrical. Messing with bilateral breathing will help, but also sticking a kickboard between your legs like a pull buoy is also a fun drill. It forces you to work the rotation with your hips.
This is a biggie: You aren't following through on your pull. See where you are pulling your hands out of the water? Looks like you have a pretty high stroke turnover, and this is why. By following completely through on the stroke, it will lengthen your stroke and make you more efficient (less strokes going same speed and distance). Easy fix for this! Shark Drill: Stick a kickboard between your legs like a pull buoy and on the stroke followthrough you have to tap the end of the kickboard with your hand. If you don't tap it, you are cheating. This also helps the rotation issue as well. Do LOTS of the shark drill. You want long efficient strokes.
I like your high elbow recovery.
If you did a set of 5 x 100's on 2:00, what would you be coming in on average? You look pretty speedy.
Much appreciated feedback, amigos.
ReplyDeleteTo JohnP - I only shave in season. And really only before races. I still feel weird about shaving my body...
D - Search "dicapac" on amazon. $25 for a waterproof bag to put your camera in and you can see how well it works. A great investment!
Jon - thanks for the tips. I incorporated the shark drill tonight. I'll film again in a week or 2 and see how I look. 5 x 100 on 2:00 is damn near full tilt for me. ~1:22-1:25/100yds. My last 500yd TT 2 weekends ago was 7:24. The last weekend in Feb I'm going to do a 2000yd TT and see how I do. I'll post the details.