Posts Tagged ‘stroke efficiency’
Freestyle Whole Stroke Timing and Coordination for Improved Efficiency
Whole stroke timing and coordination in freestyle is where the swimmer should achieve a sense of power and propulsion with ease. It feels awesome, and will increase the enjoyment of your swims 10 fold and more!
Swimmers who call us for help with their strokes are getting the idea that efficiency counts! It’s a bit of swimming buzz word as more and more adults take up swimming as a life long pursuit.
We can coach and help you through a learning progression that will move you towards correct timing and coordination – the route to better swimming.
The results……
- Stroke length will begin to reduce to optimal, as efficiency increases.
- Effort level will reduce as the swimmer uses inertia, weight shift (gravity) to propel, and moves away from using force and effort to overcome drag. These are challenging concepts to grasp if there’s been decades of swimming with force, effort and trying to get swimming ‘fit’!
- The mechanic is scalable, and can be swum at slow tempo’s and quicker tempo’s with obvious changes at higher tempo’s eg. shorter strokes, quicker roll into ‘catch’ position, lighter catch. Hence the swimmer can achieve a sense of swimming fast, rather than hard – a more sustainable, non deteriorating pace.
As humans, 97% of our efforts (horsepower) are lost to drag when we try to move in water. That is a dismal statistic – we are 3 % efficient. Is it any wonder the term ‘swimming fitness’ a bit of a misnomer!! We need encourage the idea of decreasing energy waste instead of increasing energy supply.
Here are a few points to observe in the whole stroke timing and coordination clip, watch how the swimmer…..
- maintains a long, relaxed lead arm, (under the water); this lead arm, acts as a kind of axel, giving a solid stable platform, on which to establish clean precise moves – there is still ness in the the body
- starts the stroke from the lead arm catch….. and ends the stroke with the entry to extension – back at the same point, one fluid movement
- rotates the torso, helped by the lead arm, that allows the ball and socket joint of the shoulder the freedom to work in the same plane (not internal or external rotation stressing the shoulder)
- does not ‘pull’ passed or beyond the hip, the catch finishes early almost under the body
- searches for that sweet spot or switch point, where the entering arm and torso shift ‘downwards’, sets the tempo and timing of each stroke
If you enjoyed this video and want to learn more about swimming improvement join the
Total Immersion Level 1.0 Effortless Endurance Program – is it right for me?
The Total Immersion Level 1.0 Effortless Endurance program is our most popular and transformative freestyle program. It is a stroke building program, that aims to deconstruct and then reconstruct new muscle memory and optimal movement patterns that abide by the laws of physics (of the human body in water).
It helps a wide range of ability from early progressive swimmers able to swim a minimum of 50m before needing to rest, to experienced high skilled open water swimmers looking for improved performance and enjoyment.
We guide the swimmer through stroke analysis, correction and development based on 4 main modules
- Body balance and Core Stability
- Streamlining
- Arm Recovery and Entry
- Seamless Breathing
One of the primary objectives is to educate swimmers about the positive effects of drag reduction on their swimming efficiency, and introduce the concept of effortless propulsion through inertia, weight shift and gravitational forces.
The program needs limited ‘fitness’, as it’s skill based, the distance’s swum are short, and in shallow water.
Whether you’re a triathlete or open water swimmer, looking to improve your performance or want to learn more about the benefits of adding swimming to your active lifestyle – the Total Immersion Level 1.0 program is a great choice.
Who is the Effortless Endurance workshop for?
- You’re a swimmer who wants cutting-edge stroke correction
- You’re a swimmer who wants to improve your efficiency for more enjoyable and sustainable swimming
- You’re a triathlete or ocean swimmer who wishes to improve your technical expertise
- You’re a swimmer looking to learn new drills, enhance skills and challenge your “swimming brain”
- You’re a recreational swimmer who wants to swim with less effort, for longer distances
- You want to build on the swim basics and learn how to swim with more confidence and ease
What you will learn in the Effortless Endurance workshop?
- How to swim with whole body synchronised movements
- How to balance, stabilise and streamline your body
- Understand how to utilise ‘weight shift’ to improve propulsion
- How to practice for biggest gains in swimming efficency
- A series of drills that directly link to every aspect of your stroke
What will you take away?
- Know what great swimming looks and feels like
- Know which aspects of your stroke are going well
- Know which aspects of your stroke are opportunities for improvement
- Know what to practice and how to practice for the highest gains
- Be able to practice independently and understand the next steps in your swimming development
Total Immersion™ Ultra Efficient Freestyle
Course dates:
Tuesdays, 6.15 – 7.45 pm, NCIE Redfern
Tues 7, 14, 21, 28 August, 2018
Improve your swimming technique and develop efficient sustainable freestyle with the Total Immersionâ„¢ Ultra Efficient Freestyle program. This is a freestyle program for swimmers who want to correct their stroke for better efficiency and performance. Learn how to balance, streamline and propel the smart way! Â TI programs will leave you with greater skills, a higher swimming IQ and, most important, a specific plan to make ongoing improvements.
Total Immersion™ Ultra Efficient Freestyle
Course dates:
Thursday’s, 6.15 – 7.45 pm, NCIE Redfern
Thur 2, 9, 16, 23 August 2018
Improve your swimming technique and develop efficient sustainable freestyle with the Total Immersion™ Ultra Efficient Freestyle program. This is a freestyle program for swimmers who want to correct their stroke for better efficiency and performance. Learn how to balance, streamline and propel the smart way! TI programs will leave you with greater skills, a higher swimming IQ and, most important, a specific plan to make ongoing improvements.
Total Immersion™ Ultra Efficient Freestyle
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 July, NCIE Redfern
Session 1 Saturday 1.30 – 5.30 pm
Sessions 2 Sunday 10.30 – 2.30 pm
TI Master Coach Iain Walters
Improve your swimming technique and develop efficient sustainable freestyle with the Total Immersion™ Effortless Endurance Freestyle Program. This is a freestyle program for swimmers who want to correct their stroke for better efficiency and performance through balance, streamlining and propulsion. Effortless Endurance will leave you with greater skills, a higher swimming IQ and, most important, a specific plan to make ongoing improvements.
Total Immersion™ Level 1.0 Freestyle FULL
Total Immersion Effortless Endurance Course dates:
Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 June, NCIE Redfern
Session 1 Saturday 1.30 – 5.30 pm
Sessions 2 Sunday 10.30 – 2.30 pm
TI Master Coach Iain Walters
Improve your swimming technique and develop efficient sustainable freestyle with the Total Immersion™ Effortless Endurance Freestyle Program. This is a freestyle program for swimmers who want to correct their stroke for better efficiency and performance through balance, streamlining and propulsion. Effortless Endurance will leave you with greater skills, a higher swimming IQ and, most important, a specific plan to make ongoing improvements.
Total Immersion™ Level 1.0 Freestyle FULL
Total Immersion Effortless Endurance Course dates:
Tuesdays, 6.15 – 7.45 pm, NCIE Redfern
Tues 1, 8, 15, 22 May, 2018
4 x 90 min session, pool and classroom
Improve your swimming technique and develop efficient sustainable freestyle with the Total Immersion™ Effortless Endurance Freestyle Program. This is a freestyle program for swimmers who want to correct their stroke for better efficiency and performance through balance, streamlining and propulsion. Effortless Endurance will leave you with greater skills, a higher swimming IQ and, most important, a specific plan to make ongoing improvements.
Total Immersion™ Level 1.0 Freestyle FULL
Total Immersion Effortless Endurance Course dates: Saturdays, Waverley College
Sat 3, 10, 17, 24 March
Session 1 and 4 10.45 am – 12.45 pm, pool and classroom
Session 2 and 3 10.45 am – 12 pm, pool
Improve your swimming technique and develop efficient sustainable freestyle with the Total Immersion™ Effortless Endurance Freestyle Program. This is a freestyle program for swimmers who want to correct their stroke for better efficiency and performance through balance, streamlining and propulsion. Effortless Endurance will leave you with greater skills, a higher swimming IQ and, most important, a specific plan to make ongoing improvements.