Swim Technique

Technique Goals

Weight to Height ratio affect on body depth during surface swimming (best applicable to freestyle and backstroke)
(note that water temperature has neglegible effect on body depth in water during surface swimming)


Ankle flexibility and ROM
"Our simulations and animations have shown that almost 90 percent of all the thrust — the propulsion — for the swimmers is coming from the part of the foot beyond the ankle."
a swimmer wants to whiplash his feet for maximum thrust
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93566627



Michael Phelps' Ankle ROM




Underwater dolphin kick

• balanced up/down wave from lower back and belly on down
  
• maximum whip-like power on down THRUST
  
• ALWAYS point feet & toes as far beyond parallel to shin as possible especially on up kicks.
• ~50deg knee bend each kick
  
• Fingers, arms, shoulders, head, upper back, through bottom of rib cage stays perfectly straight/STIFF and HORIZONTAL, PARALLEL to SURFACE at all times.
• Feet do not just kick up, the heels must also slide towards the butt to set up the next down thrust
  
• Kick wave starts under the rib cage with SMALL amplitude
• Water should feel heavy, seeming to RESIST the dolphin motion, when all other skills are performed correctly. This allows a large mass of water to be translated down the body to the tip of the feet to create a propulsive vortex. Greater mass of the vortex from fluent undulation and a stiff horizontal upper body, and the velocity of the whipping action of the toes determine the amount of propulsion created.
• Feet and legs rotated inward into a sickled position on the down thrusts and back to straight position on up swaths.
  

Freestyle

• 40-60deg knee bend each kick with my ankle flexibility
  
• Heels just break the surface with each kick
  
• About 20deg body angle from chest to hips with neck dry and parallel to surface
  
• AT MOST 5-10deg hip bend each kick, UPPER THIGH should be nearly PARALLEL to SURFACE AT ALL TIMES
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• Shoulders rotated on side until just after halfway through the pull
• Hand is deep during pull for maximum water density being
  
• Sever elbow bend (about 90degrees) at middle of pull (hand under belly button)
  
• Move hand slow enough through the catch to get the forearm VERTICAL as early as possible
• Use angular momentum at mid pull to the end of extension/push by reaching forward and backward with respective arms
  
• Vertical forearm with SEVERE elbow bend middle of pull (hand under belly button)
  
• ALWAYS point feet and toes at least parallel to shin, calves should feel resistance on upkick relative to intensity
  
• Consistent resistance "feeling" through FULL RangeOfMotion of each PULL
  
• Slight angle for underside of body (Hips to shoulder) (hips should NEVER be above shoulders
• The hand should move forward after entry if performing a "knife-like" angled hand entry.
  

Backstroke

• 40-60deg knee bend each kick
• Focus on consistent resistance through full RangeOfMotion of each pull, amount of resistance is relative to intensity
  
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• 
  
• 10-20degree body angle from chest to hips with CHEST as HIGH as POSSIBLE
  

• Pull with elbow bend like swimming through tube fingers almost pointing up
  
• outside shoulder width, pinky first entry
  
• Head as deep as possible chin tucked in slightly
  
• Feet should be deep enough to not break the surface, just slight "bubbling"
  
• Shoulder out by finish of push and DRIVE the opposite hand in DEEP
  
• Squeeze muscles along side at mid pull to add power and stretch other side out
• Pointed feet/toes inward on knee extension portion of the kick.
• ALWAYS point feet and toes, calves should feel resistance on downkick relative to intensity
• pull/push should "throw the football" down to feet.
• Hips lead rotation (Aaron's Hip Slide)
• AT MOST 5-10deg hip bend each kick, UPPER THIGH should be nearly PARALLEL to TORSO AT ALL TIMES
  
• Hand must move forward after entry and move forward after the push (slightly pausing @ each) to achieve max DPS and max pull power(heaviness), especially @ high turnover rate.
  
• 

Dive

• Rigid Entry(Angled down to slice through ONE hole)
• Deeper Dive: Greater angle off block and greater angle into water
• Shallower Dive: Shallower angle off block and shallower angle into water
  
• Block gets jerked backwards so I EXPLODE FORWARD and set up the dive angle
• Little splash
• Throw arms forward after explosively jerking myself down and forward into entry angle
  

Back Dive

• Pull up high out of water
• Toes JUST UNDER surface before start
• Explode backwards, pushing bar backwards with max power, then driving with legs
  
• Rigid Entry through one HOLE

Butterfly

• 50-80 degree knee bend on each kick with heels just breaking the surface each kick
  
• Chin stays just above surface during each breath
  
• Chest dip & body wave to get lower back/hips up (dipping just below parallel to hips)
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• NIPPLES and BELLY BUTTON almost come OUT OF THE WATER by finish of push and 2nd KICK THRUST.
• Keep thighs nearly PARALLEL to surface during "flying" until head and shoulders submerge leaving only the hands and elbows out of water
• Hands always enter before elbows to promote a deep catch with hands
  
• Let dip cause lower back to reach maximum arc and max hip bend (POP BUTT OUT)
• Neck and arms stretched up until in sweep and the down kick/hip pop is finished
  
• Sweep out pinkies over head, sweep in for pull/press
  
• Use a quick recovery to create forward momentum and minimize sink time
  
• Hands don't touch water until arms are shoulder width apart
  
• ALWAYS point feet and toes, calves should feel resistance on up-kick relative to intensity
• Head leads hands out and in (head always comes JUST BEFORE hands)
• Hands must move forward at entry (slightly pausing) to maximize DPS and pull power potential at high turnover rates. KEEP PINKIES OVER HEAD WHEN GLIDING.
  

Breaststroke

• Feet pointed out at beginning of each kick
• hide feet and knees on recovery
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• Ride the line after each dip/kick with feet/toes pointed
  
• Elbows just barely skim the surface on recovery
• 45deg knee bend for dolphin kick after hands begin to come apart
• Shins PERPENDICULAR TO SURFACE before each kick using MAX KNEE BEND
• Outsweep lasts until arms almost make a cross from above view
  
• Pull hips forward and as high in water as possible on in sweep
• Knees wide enough to allow feet to point perpendicular to body
  
• Rotate knees out through the kick to finish with feet pointed to sides of pool

Photos from Swim.ee

Turns

• Maximum power pushoff from each wall, momentum each lap is critical
• Pause for a moment on each wall to get into a tight streamline and firmly PLANT feet
• Feet up high on wall for a deep and longer underwater portion
  
• Feet down lower for horizontal pushoff and shallow underwater portion
  
• Push all the way until the toes are pointed, toes are last thing touching the wall