The Good
Hugo has a fairly good balance in the sense that he is not too uncomfortable in the water and his swim stroke is not extremely poor in anyway . He will develop well with his swimming if he works on a good foundation and technique changes while he is a younger athlete and does more easy klm’s in the pool to give him time to slow down and work on technique fundamentals .
Issues & Technique fundamentals are outlined below.
Note: We will put some videos on the website over the next week on drills and explanations of how the drills work as it will also be good for understanding the How’s and the Why’s
* Balance – Fore and Aft balance – Causing legs sinking more than they should
Hugo needs to get his balance right in the water horizontally, he swims with his legs slightly lower than they should be.
Drill 1 – Seal Drill – Arms by side kicking (flippers can be used if needed) breathing as normal every 6 to 10 kicks , pushing down more from the front with chest and keeping butt and legs higher in the water.
Drill 2 – LLL Drill – Lower Legs Lift – Pool Bouy just above ankles with band around ankles, swimming deeper from the front ( good hip rotation and timing with hand entry is important) make sure the stroke is a deeper stroke and legs are high, remember, strong hip rotation to avoid zig zagging action.
Lots of Pull Bouy swimming to get use to the position in the water, focus on hip control as well
* Hip rotation timing with Hugo’s hand entry – causing zig zagging
Hugo needs to use his hips more when swimming, getting use to a dynamic rotation movement with each stroke, the hip needs to move in timing with the hand hitting the water at the front of the stroke. No sooner, no later.
Drill1 – 3 Stroke Side kick – 3 fast strokes followed by kick on the side for 6 to 10 kicks with leading arm out front and one arm by side with the kick and alternating of course
Drill 2 – kick hip drops with kick board – Kick board kicking with flippers dropping the hip every 10 to kicks or so (kick 10 kicks, drop right hip towards the bottom of the pool, 10 kicks left hip towards the bottom of the pool, keep legs together and kicking the whole drill.
Drill 3 – Hip Emphasis –Â Exaggerate Hip movement fro 25m/25m relaxed
* Stabilizing the shoulders – removing shoulder drop through the placement and pull phase of stroke
Hugo needs to keep shoulders high and level to the surface of the water while going through the catch phase rather than rotating them under the surface , in the leading arrow arm through the touching the water and pull phase the shoulders must be settled, less movement on a side to side point of view and more extention and reach for the pull phase, keep the elbow high on the catch phase in the water as well.
Drill 1 – Speed Catch Up –Â Catch up without the delay , take a stroke when your recovery arm/hand gets out in front with the leading arm concentrating on keeping shoulders higher in the water and making sure you are not rushing and working on good stroke length at the front as well
Drill 2 – kick with no board – Flippers can be used – Arms out in front sculling, keeping shoulders high eg; 25kick NB / 25 Swim
* Breathing Bilateral – Hugo needs to work on more bilateral breathing , This will create more balance in his swim stroke as he progresses
Technique is so crucial in swimming as you can imagine, the water is a completely different environment, working on drills and slowing down to feel the water is crucial. Hugo can do lots of pull bouy swimming with band around ankles, also some with paddles added.
Any questions do not hesitate to contact us, Thank you
Chip & Rina