Swim Lesson #1.
My pool is roughly 30 feet short and it takes 88 laps (down & back is one lap) to swim a mile. Of course I haven’t done that yet because I haven’t found an ample supply of air in the water.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Swimming is not my most favorite thing to do. I am 100% totally unnatural in the water. Be prepared for some really scary close ups. And yes, I know my neck looks fat. And yes, I am still working on the quality. Any ideas on that would be appreciated too.
Are you thinking of doing a tri??? For some bizarre reason I am too. Did I say that out loud?
EXTREME CLOSE UP SUSAN IZ IN THE HOUSE!!!
(fishy fishy) ((is michael gonna do the tri with you???))
OK, here are my three cents worth:
Make sure you are pulling all the way through. Your arm should be FULLY extended – I mean your shoulders should even be rotating a bit..you need to REACH with your entire arm (I’m trying to simulate at my computer to make sure I say this right).
Next, pull all the way through. At the end of your stroke your hand should be all the way down to your hips.
Then, on your recovery your arm should be bent at the elbow, almost to a 90 degree angle. Like Michael said, your arm is so flat, that there is no space for you to get a breath.
Finally, have your hand enter the water BEFORE you are fully extended. You want to reach out just below the surface of that water and then pull back. Are you doing an S curve with your your arms when you pull? Think of outlining a nice Rubenesque woman when you pull. 😉
Lastly, I wouldn’t breathe every stroke if I were you…tends to get you in a rut sometimes. If you can get comfortable breathing on both sides, I would recommend breathing every three strokes.
FINALLY, something I can understand!! SWIMMING! I don’t get anything you people say about running!
First thing first…get a swim cap so your hair stays out of your face and your goggle strap doesn’t rip your hair out.
You seem to be laying your hand down in the water rather than pulling the water with your hand to propel you through the water. Extend your body through the reach as your hand enters the water, pull down hard and flick your thumb against your thigh to keep your arm moving through the full stroke (then your arm should come out higher over the water). Also, work to roate your body as you reach, rather than staying flat on the water. You have a good starting point for your stroke- I think you’ll improve quickly with the right instruction.
I’ve got no advise…I’m just awestruck that you’re considering doing 88 laps in a 30 foot pool. I’d lose count!
I cannot swim at ALL, so I’d say you’re doing great. In fact, it’s the take-your-face-out-of-the-water-and-breathe-thing that just totally gets me!!!!!
“but i didn’t breathe” made me crack up.
Oh, Susan. I don’t know what to say except that what you’re being told here is everything my swim coach says not to do. He calls that full extension out of the water “painting the rainbow” and we don’t want to do that. It’s more efficient and powerful to you pull your arm up to where it’s like an angle (or shark fin) next to your goggle line and then you extend straight into the water. Here’s a video that describes it and kind of show s the difference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-NE8_1OG3w
Of course, I have no idea what I’m talking about. I just listen to my coach. I just started in the last couple of years turning to the coach for help because I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.
That said, I LOVE your pool. And your taste in shoes. And I’m drinking a nice, chunky Cab in a long stemmed glass and thinking of you. My boy and I bought this bottle a long time ago and it’s fun drinking something “old.”
were you asking for video quality suggestions or swim stroke suggestions?
if you’re asking for video quality, one thing i’ve noticed is that no matter how high the quality of the video i upload to youtube, it will reduce the quality [in some cases, it will include a link on the video for the ‘high quality’ version, but even then it’s still lower quality than the original]. google may do the same thing, but it isn’t as noticeable as youtube. the ideal solution would be to host the videos yourself and put a flash player in your post pointing to your own server. no ideas on which embedded flash player to use, but i’m sure if you google around, you’ll find something.
Picture quality? I think it’s the auto-compression that youtube uses. The quality is good enough. For sound quality, you could turn off the fountain 😉
Michael is doing well as a coach! I can see how you have to remember to breathe in a 88-lap per mile pool. ‘A Fishlike Freestyle’ would be my tip for a swimming technique book.
Do you always sip maragaritas during swimming lessons?!
Enjoying adult beverages while working out? You must be training for that race in Ohio where you down a beer at every mile!
ok, i watched the second video first. and then this one. and what heather said. you need a coach who knows what he’s talking about! (No offense to whatshisname). but seriously, he’s teaching you bad things.
🙂
betty betty!!!!
That pool’s too nice to actually spend time swimming laps in it!