This was my science talk to my group today.
What is white water? White water is bubbles, which is air in the water.
I use the example of standing on a skateboard and I waive my hands back and forth. I ask the swimmers how far and fast am I going to go. They all realize that I am not going to move very far. So, pushing against air doesn't move you forward very well, so why push against air while underwater. That is what they are doing when there are bubbles on their hands during the pull. So, bubbles and white water on the hands during the pull is not good.
On the other hand, we want white water on the kick for freestyle. I use the example of jumping into a pool that has no waves in it; it is "glass." Kids realize that jumping into this water hurts more than if there is movement in the water. I explain that when you hit still water it slows you down faster, so it hurts. When you disrupt the surface and create white water; the feet can now move quicker on the surface. I also use the example of watching diving on the Olympics, and the water that sprays out from under the board. The divers dive into this area because it is not still, so they go through the surface easier, and allows for a cleaner entry when a dive is performed well.
So, we want white water on the freestyle kick, and we don't want white water on the pull.
After some 200's freestyle focusing on this, some swimmers recognize how to get the bubbles off the hand after hand entry. They explain it, and then I repeat to the group (as I am louder). Glide on the front arm with arm and hand downhill. It allows the bubbles on the palm to move back, and the bubles on the top to move up the top of the arm, therefore not getting in the way of the portion of the arm creating the propulsion.
Does this help the kids with their swimming? It helps some, as some like to know the scientific reason why something is going to make them faster. It gives more motivation to focus on it besides, the coach told me so.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Response from Parent Ed
From my last parent ed newsletter I send out to my swim team I got a lot of feedback from the various articles I included. The one I heard the most feedback was a simple statistic that I got from USA Swimming. It was showing the current Top 16 for 17 & 18 groups and the percentage for them that were Top 16 in other age groups in the past. Here are the stats:
Ranked Top 16 as a:10 & Under Still Ranked as 17-18 = 11%11-12 Still Ranked as 17-18 = 21%13-14 Still Ranked as 17-18 = 36%15-16 Still Ranked as 17-18 = 48%
The conclusion is that a swimmer doesn't have to be ranked at the early ages to end up being the elite swimmers in the nation. The 48% at the 15 - 16 correlating into the 17 - 18 was the surprising one for me. I have always known that 10 and under and 11 - 12 Top 16 don't always still at the top, but 15 - 16 to 17 - 18 was surprising.
The 10 and under being the biggest one I talk about, as the percent is so low. Fast 10 and unders get caught. They actually don't even get passed up, but by them getting frustrated with less growth as others around them they lose desire to train and/or end up leaving the sport altogether. This is why USA Swimming really pushes the idea of not comparing swimmers with each other. This includes the fast swimmers being compared to swimmers who were once slower than they were.
As I have noted in prior blog posts. Swimming is a roller coaster ride, and no one path will be the same. Enjoy the great sport and all that the swimmer can gain from it.
Ranked Top 16 as a:10 & Under Still Ranked as 17-18 = 11%11-12 Still Ranked as 17-18 = 21%13-14 Still Ranked as 17-18 = 36%15-16 Still Ranked as 17-18 = 48%
The conclusion is that a swimmer doesn't have to be ranked at the early ages to end up being the elite swimmers in the nation. The 48% at the 15 - 16 correlating into the 17 - 18 was the surprising one for me. I have always known that 10 and under and 11 - 12 Top 16 don't always still at the top, but 15 - 16 to 17 - 18 was surprising.
The 10 and under being the biggest one I talk about, as the percent is so low. Fast 10 and unders get caught. They actually don't even get passed up, but by them getting frustrated with less growth as others around them they lose desire to train and/or end up leaving the sport altogether. This is why USA Swimming really pushes the idea of not comparing swimmers with each other. This includes the fast swimmers being compared to swimmers who were once slower than they were.
As I have noted in prior blog posts. Swimming is a roller coaster ride, and no one path will be the same. Enjoy the great sport and all that the swimmer can gain from it.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Breaststroke recovery
So this has been a thing that has bothered me for awhile in coaching. It is the perceived idea that the hands come out of the water for breaststroke recovery. This is not an indicator of a fast breaststroker.
The pull of breaststroke is mainly dependent on the out press portion of the pull. The in press is not that significant in propulsion. As the hands sweep in the body continues to rise. Concentration is on the shoulder rising, not the hands. In rising the shoulders though the swimmer should try to keep their hips near the surface of the water. Drag from the lower part of the torso is going to slow a swimmer down more than their fingers slicing through water.
Young kids do not normally have the core muscles to lift their bodies enough to get their hands out of the water without dropping the hips, or excessively rising the hands. To rise the hands too much delays the kick which is the largest part of propulsion in breaststroke. Lift the hands does not propel the body forward, so the swimmer actually loses speed, and thus the need to reduce drag diminishes (as the faster a swimmer is moving the more reducing drag is beneficial. Reducing drag does create propulsion.)
Lifting the hands also has swimmers bring the hands closer to the chest, and many times allowing the shoulders to roll back; creating a body position so uphill, it takes a long time for the swimmer to get to a downhill position. Younger kids normally will just stay uphill and not take the time to get downhill after getting such a steep body angle. You may see this as they begin ok, but after one or two times lifting their hands too high, they positioned their body so uphill they aren't able to get downhill without a super long glide. They instead swim uphill the rest of the way.
Older, stronger, and more experienced swimmers get their hands up, but not everyone can get up high like Amanda Beard. Most males hands stay low, and if you'd like to see a really fast female not get her hands up really high, check out a video of Liesel Jones.
Get rid of the idea that the kids need to get their hands out of the water for breaststroke recovery. Yes, it makes sense it reduces drag, but what speed are they giving up to do that. Or how much drag are you adding with their body position (which is a bigger aspect to total drag). Remember that little kids can't swim like older kids, and not everyone's stroke is the same.
The pull of breaststroke is mainly dependent on the out press portion of the pull. The in press is not that significant in propulsion. As the hands sweep in the body continues to rise. Concentration is on the shoulder rising, not the hands. In rising the shoulders though the swimmer should try to keep their hips near the surface of the water. Drag from the lower part of the torso is going to slow a swimmer down more than their fingers slicing through water.
Young kids do not normally have the core muscles to lift their bodies enough to get their hands out of the water without dropping the hips, or excessively rising the hands. To rise the hands too much delays the kick which is the largest part of propulsion in breaststroke. Lift the hands does not propel the body forward, so the swimmer actually loses speed, and thus the need to reduce drag diminishes (as the faster a swimmer is moving the more reducing drag is beneficial. Reducing drag does create propulsion.)
Lifting the hands also has swimmers bring the hands closer to the chest, and many times allowing the shoulders to roll back; creating a body position so uphill, it takes a long time for the swimmer to get to a downhill position. Younger kids normally will just stay uphill and not take the time to get downhill after getting such a steep body angle. You may see this as they begin ok, but after one or two times lifting their hands too high, they positioned their body so uphill they aren't able to get downhill without a super long glide. They instead swim uphill the rest of the way.
Older, stronger, and more experienced swimmers get their hands up, but not everyone can get up high like Amanda Beard. Most males hands stay low, and if you'd like to see a really fast female not get her hands up really high, check out a video of Liesel Jones.
Get rid of the idea that the kids need to get their hands out of the water for breaststroke recovery. Yes, it makes sense it reduces drag, but what speed are they giving up to do that. Or how much drag are you adding with their body position (which is a bigger aspect to total drag). Remember that little kids can't swim like older kids, and not everyone's stroke is the same.
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