Dear team,
We had a good group for our 1st Oct workout,
and those there decided on a name for our group. A number of names were
considered, but the consensus settled on:
REFUSE TO SINK, the
RTs or RTS however one wishes to say it. I think the name reflects all
of us who refuse to give up on exercise and water sports as we age, no
matter how old or young we are now.
Remember,
Linda has some laminated workouts at the pool desk; I'm still working on
a folder holder for the wall outside the pool. For those Morganton
swimmers, I will soon send you a copy which you can print and take to
the other pools, or take with you on trips/vacation. Also, remember that
Linda offers a stroke clinic every Friday morning for those interested. I am hoping that she will also soon offer a Sat morning clinic (fees charged for that one).
NEXT PRACTICE: OCT 20 @ 530pm.
Attached PDF about gym workouts & injury prevention. Below is Article from USMS online magazine. hope these help all.
See you on deck,
Ed
The Three H's of Backstroke
Your hips, hands, and head make or break your backstroke
James Poe | October 3, 2014
In
high school, I ran track and field, and my coach once told my team that
in running, there were three H’s to remember: hips, hands, and knees
(insert chuckle). However, in swimming backstroke, there really are three H’s to remember.
Hips
Have
you ever heard your coach mention that you need to use your core when
you swim backstroke, or that you have a disconnect? This can be a
confusing concept to learn.
When
your arms and your legs are moving independently of each other, there
is a disconnect. You can get across the pool this way, but you lose a
lot of efficiency. What your coach would like to see is you using your
core to help you pull and kick, because when you get everything working
together, you’ll find a much stronger pull and other pieces fall into
place.
“How do I achieve this?” you ask. Hips! An easy way to
think about this is to focus on the timing of your hip rotation. If your
shoulders rotate before your hips do, you will have a disconnect. But
when you focus on rotating your hips first, you’ll find your
shoulders don’t actually follow, but they move at the same time. Just
remember the words of the wise Shakira, “Your Hips Don’t Lie.” Lead with
the hips, and your arms and legs will be working together! (Rotating
your hips does not mean moving them side-to-side, which is a common
misconception. Keep your torso tall. Read Step 3 “Head” to avoid
swinging your hips like a snake in the water.)
Hands
It’s
amazing how many people just move their hands through the water without
thinking about how or why they’re doing it. Swimming is simply defined
as anchoring your hand in the water, and pulling yourself past it
(similar to pulling on the lane line, but nobody does that, right?). If
the palms of your hands aren’t facing your feet, chances are you’re not
anchoring your hand well, and are sacrificing how far you can pull
yourself through the water.
When you enter your hand above
your head to catch the water (the beginning of your arm pull) you need
to think, “Is my palm facing the lane rope or my feet?” If your palm is
facing the lane rope, you will be directing water towards the lane rope,
which won’t get you very far. If you point your palm towards your feet,
you have taken your first step to an efficient pull.
The next
step is pulling. A lot of people get the first step down but as they
pull, their hand doesn’t change, and they end up losing the water they
caught because now their fingers are pointing toward their feet. They
have made their wrist too rigid.
To avoid this, stand in front of a mirror and brag about “your three nephews.” Your first nephew is the tallest “He is this tall” (arm extended above head and palm facing floor). Your second nephew is only this tall (arm level with shoulder, elbow pointing backward, palm facing floor). And your third nephew is this
tall (arm extended straight down at side, palm facing floor). This is a
good example of how you can have a strong wrist, while adapting to
where you are in your stroke.
Head
The third step is
the hardest for new swimmers. A good head position will lead to a good
body position. A bad head position, such as swimming with your chin
tucked, can cause your hips to drop and throw off your whole body
position. (If you can see your feet, you’re tucking your chin.) Swim
backstroke lying flat on your back with head and neck extended—this is
known as “swimming tall.”
Did you ever stand back to back with
a sibling or friend and see who was taller? Can you remember how you
stretched your body and neck to get every last inch? (This is after one
of you was called out for standing on your tippy toes.) That’s how you
need to feel when you swim backstroke. A flat bodyline will reduce drag
and help you with Step 1, hip rotation.
Once you’re able to
put all three of these steps together, you’ll be swimming backstroke
more efficiently and you’ll take some of the stress off your shoulders.
About the Author—James Poe
Dustin
Poe is the head Masters coach for First Colony Masters Swimming, in
Sugar Land, Texas. He's been coaching USAS with First Colony Swim Team
for three years, and this is his first year coaching Masters. He
currently serves on the USMS Coaches Committee
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