The Abacus Analogy

I teach that on breaststroke that my swimmers need to swim downhill. I use the phrase, "Lean on the Lungs" a lot. I also talk about "Tipping the Body." This works a lot. I have used various ways to portray and give visual pictures of this concept. Tonight as I was referring to this position, I decided to use a different analogy.

I had them picture an abacus. First, I asked if everyone knew what an abacus was. They all seem to know what an abacus is, which worked out for me. I asked the simple question of, " What would happen if I tipped the abacus over slightly towards one end of the abacus? They said that they beads would slide to the other side. "Yes," I responded, "the weight of the beads moved over when I tipped the abacus. On breaststroke we want to take the weight of our hips and slide the weight towards our head, so the oxygen in the lungs will help keep the hips afloat."

Amazing! It worked. Not for all, but it definitely got a good amount of the kids.

This is not something I use regularly. Offering something new to think about the same concept is a good way to try to get to others who aren't grasping the phrases I use regularly. I'll probably refer to the abacus a few more times, and relate it directly to the phrases I normally use. Hopefully make a connection, and get some good muscle memory going through the sets.

Just another tool I can use again later down the line, when I come up with the same problem with a different group of kids who aren't understanding the concept that I teach it, when I begin my seasons. With experience you gain tools, remember them, and you become better because you can deal with problems that may arise. Use any of the tools I mention, I hope I can help you build a tool belt faster than I built my own.