That is very true and I feel like you must have insight into our next week video already. Haha. That's exactly the topic I'll be discussing next week. Thank you for bringing light to this. As a side note, as a coach, I'm not a huge fan of kickboards. They put the body in a terrible, unnatural position. I would rather my swimmers get stronger without them and struggle for a bit then use them and not develop as strong a kick or get into bad habits with their body positions.

@@BetweenTheLaps I completely agree. I am not an actual "Coach", but I raised and "Coached" two swimmers, both of whom went on to swim in college. They are still swimming in their mid 20's, and the youngest (son) is an actual Coach. I started swimming again after a 31 year hiatus, and I am now in Week 35 of my journey. I essentially had to start over, which meant that I had to begin from the beginning. Very humbling, but what I knew as a swimmer, and as a "Coach" for my kids has served me well in my newfound practical application as it applies to me. And having my son critique and direct me is a juxtaposition that is utterly mind blowing.... but fun as heck... Later gator vs

There are several options to do that. The easiest is to use a smart phone. If you have access to a GoPro, then those are amazing for underwater views. But not necessary.

@@BetweenTheLaps, I will try it for sure. Thank you so much, Coach Chris.

Glad you found it helpful. I can’t wait to hear this changes your swimming.

@@BetweenTheLaps@BetweenTheLaps Surely. I will. I have dyspraxia, and it took me 10 (on and off) years to be able to swim. Actually, it took me more to be able to move in the water than to swim. :-)) Now I am 53 years old. Finally, since June 1st, I have started swimming in open water without any technique but consistency! I started swimming in the pool by teaching myself techniques every day for at least an hour, an average of 1.45 minutes or more. Yesterday, I won my first medal as a number one in 25m in 29 seconds. That made me even more encouraged to do better. Hopefully, after recording myself the way you describe or buying a camera, I will send it to you and see how we could work together. I know I am too old to learn to swim correctly and so passionately, but I can't help it. There is a fire in me. Even if I don't want to swim, sometimes that fire drives me to the pool every day.

@@DylanTurner-w3x hi.

When in a pool use the black T at the bottom to sight your turn. This will help you maintain that extra speed going into the wall and then follow the steps I mentioned in the video to make your turn fast and efficient. Watch that 22 minute come down to 20 or less. Thanks for watching.

@@BetweenTheLaps thank You!!!

You are very welcome. Thank you for tuning in.

You aren’t alone. Without seeing any footage of your strokes, my guess would be that you had two things going. One was you were utilizing the two beat kick so just enough to balance yourself and probably trying to kick from the leg/knee instead of from the core. The second thing, which I don’t cover in this video, is ankle flexibility. There is a good chance that your toes were pointed down rather than away from the body. With our toes pointing down due to tight ankles then it prevents us from getting that forward propulsion. Does that all make sense?

@@BetweenTheLaps it does for sure; thanks a lot. i used to hate lengths of kicking only with the board. i ended up having to do half the lengths using breastroke kick with my legs. thanks again

That is understandable. I see that a lot with swimmers I work with early on, but once we get the fundamentals of kicking from their hips in that "mail slot" style while keeping their feet pointed away rather than down, that no longer becomes a problem.

Yes. Slightly open will increase your surface area giving you a larger “paddle” to work with as you anchor in and begin your pull.

In short distances like your final 10-15 meters, that is definitely true. You would want to finish strong with that head down and plow into the wall. A lot of Olympians this year, I think were forced to do shorter underwaters due to the lack of depth in the pool. For breathing, you still saw zero or minimal breaths in the 50s and it went up from there. That’s pretty common. Thank you for watching and discussing.

@@BetweenTheLaps thank you! that explains a lot!!!

Most swimmers are pretty good, but they just need a little extra to be come great and reach their goals.

Mirrors can be really helpful. Especially if you don't have access to a waterproof camera for recording.

@@BetweenTheLaps you have inspired me to discuss that with my coach and to start recording) thank you🤩

Happy to review any recordings you end up getting.

@@BetweenTheLaps@BetweenTheLaps Oh, wow, That is very generous of you, Coach Chris; thank you very much.

Glad you like them!

@@BetweenTheLaps I struggle with high elbow position during recovery. Of course we do some drills like touching water with fingertips. But also my coach insists on swimming butterfly a lot to fix this, lifting arms higher above the water. And it seems that it helps!)

If you are struggling with high elbow position during the recovery, it could be that you aren't getting enough rotation from your core. When swimming freestyle or back, you are looking to get roughly a 45 degree rotation. Then if you lead the recovery from your elbow, rather than your hand, when it comes to the arm, you should be very relaxed and in a good position to have that high elbow recovery with ease.

Thanks

Hmm…I’m unaware of that turn. I’ll have to check it out.

Thank you so much! Will do.

You’d be amazed how many swimmers may have been told that over and over again but never understood why they should do it that way.

I appreciate that. Thank you.

Thank you for the clarification. It's still a good example of the rule being violated in the same way that Alex did it at the Olympics.

You are very welcome! What would you consider is your biggest struggle in Breaststroke? I would love the chance to help you even further.

@@BetweenTheLaps my breast kick

@@helenwang6940is it the power of the kick or the motion?

@@BetweenTheLaps both

@@helenwang6940let’s schedule a free coaching call so we can chat more and I can provide you with some specific advice - calendly.com/betweenthelaps/discovery

If only that was true. However, in this case, it was a blatant violation of the rules so I’m glad to see the officials doing there job. But if you look back on other races, the other girls in that heat have also made that turn violation as well, but officials never called it in those races. So I would like to see consistency.

That’s great. The big thing with parachute training though is that while you are building strength, you must remember to focus on body position as you will fatigue faster than you normally would so extra care and attention to your body position during this training goes along way.

Resistance bands and parachutes are amazing additions. I use parachutes either my athletes regularly. Depending on our goals I’ll add a second chute for added resistance.

Glad you like it!

😊👍🏼

Absolutely! Think about pressing your hips up to the sky. Your head should be back and flat. Your kick should be small and fast. Again think about kicking from your hips. Not from your knees.

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll keep that in mind for future vids.

@@BetweenTheLaps no worries good luck with your channel

Much appreciated

That's great. A lot of coaches don't talk about the hip rotation, but I find with my swimmers that when they think about the rotation of the hip before the shoulder, it helps to reduce the lag at the finish allowing them to get into that next stroke faster and more efficiently.

Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind for future projects as well.

Wow. Thank you so much. I’m honored you watched. I’ll continue to share my knowledge and experiences with you.

@@BetweenTheLaps Thank you, Coach.

@shakiedirisinghe1420 You are very welcome.

Thank you for that. In our newer videos, I’m trying to show more in water examples for each topic and will continue to try and give more visual detail.

Thank you 🙏 👍 very much 👍 ​@@BetweenTheLaps

No problem! Just doing my part to keep the internet filled with gratitude-one thank you at a time!

Thank you. I'm always trying to give the best explanations I can.

Thanks ❤

@@shaunflood5066 you still want to release your air but at a much slower rate.

You definitely want to get the palm perpendicular to the bottom of the pool but you can achieve this through the high elbow position and body rotation, rather than breaking the wrist from its alignment with the forearm. True that there might be slight movement in the wrist. I’m mostly referring to those that keep their wrist completely bent through out the entire stroke phase. I’ve seen that a lot from swimmers that come to me needing assistance with their stroke. They basically enter the water with their fingers already perpendicular to the bottom on entry.

❤

That’s a great follow up. If you think about it, by the time you get to the hip, the high elbow should be leading and exiting the water to start the recovery, so you don’t quite go parallel. It is the weakest part of your stroke for sure, but if you lead the high elbow before you totally lay out you actually transfer the power into the next stroke rather than pushing it up. It goes past the hip towards the toes.

This could differ for a sprint stroke vs. an endurance stroke. In sprinting, lifting the elbow soon makes sense. With an endurance stroke, we go a bit longer. I find that I get decent power at the end of an endurance stroke as it’s the point of fastest hand motion, accelerating from catch to the end of the stroke.

True. The stroke is longer, but at the same time you don't want to wash out. You still want to hold that water for as long as you can. Any bend in the wrist, even at the back of the pull can reduce your power. Whether your swimming fast freestyle using the shoulder-drive method or a longer freestyle using the hip-driven method, you want to keep that wrist inline with the forearm to maximize power and efficiency.

I can see where you are coming from, but if you think of your arm like a paddle, the elbow flexion is where you are really starting to apply the pressure and anchoring yourself in. If you are bending the wrist then you are neglecting the forearm as you would be making too much of a boxed shape. The fingertips should be slightly down true, but that's not from a bend in the wrist. To generate the most power, you want that high elbow then forearm to hand/fingers are more of a straight line. It also allows you to apply equal pressure from your fingertips up. If you bend then the pressure is distributed in an uneven manner. Does that make sense? One out of the water drill you can try is to lay down on the pool deck with one arm hanging out over the water. Then try your Freestyle pull. Try it with the bent wrist and without and see which applies more equalized pressure and power. Another option is to get out of the water completed and with a partner holding a kickboard by your side, take a pull. Your goal is to hit the board with your entire forearm and hand at the same time. If you bend your wrist, you won't be able to achieve this. Try out these options and let me know your thoughts.

100%. Bending the wrist is the first move of a superior high elbow catch.

@@davidguthrie3739actually it’s not so much bending the wrist as popping the elbow so you can create that “hugging the barrel” approach to really anchor in.

@@BetweenTheLaps tilting the wrist first helps the elbow bend naturally. When the wrist is locked we tend to press down and it is more difficult to get to the vertical forearm position early. Try it and then judge.

​​⁠trust me. No judgement here. Thanks for the input. I have found though with my swimmers over the years when we execute a high elbow earlier during the recovery and allow the forearm and wrist to be inline with the fingers slightly angled down, we get the most out of a secure and powerful catch. Llike in a lot of aspects of swimming, it really does depend on the swimmer with their reach, flexibility, and strengths/weaknesses, so if a bend in the wrist works for you then that’s great. I can only share what I’ve seen and experienced over my 20 years of swimming and my 20+ years of coaching. Possibly we are also talking about two different parts of the stroke as well. I’m talking about after the entry into the pull phase. Are you talking about the same piece or at a different point of the stroke? Just to make sure we are on the same page.

You absolutely should still be thinking about that, but that comes from the high elbow, not the wrist. If you think about it from the wrist, then you are only grabbing a can. If you do it from a high elbow position with the forearm, wrist, and hand in line with each other, you can grab a massive barrel that engages your large back muscles (lateral muscles, etc).

@@BetweenTheLaps that makes sense. Will try to do that. Thanks!

@@joejoe-lb6bw Fantastic! Can’t wait to hear how it goes for you.

@@BetweenTheLapsAmazing. That made a big difference! I thought of an analogy. Imagine an oar or paddle with an angled hinged end. That would be a negligible propulsion improvement. However, it would be a point of failure. Maybe. Fluid flow dynamics is rocket science.

@@joejoe-lb6bw it can be as complex as rocket science sometimes. But glad to hear that worked for you. I always use the concept of a canoe or kayak paddle as an analog example. It’s something everyone can relate to.

You are welcome! I'm glad you found this topic helpful.

Thank you. ❤️

Appreciate you!

Thanks 🤔

It can make a huge difference when anchoring yourself for a powerful catch.

Absolutely. As your one arm is extended and you are getting your kick in (6-beat) you are achieving your distance per stroke. Then as you grab the water with your next pull you accelerate your forward. The hand entry and position of your arm to shoulder to chin gives you a “knife” like position that allows you to cut through the water. The glide between strokes is minimal. You don’t want to just leave your arm out there. Even in longer races like the mile, you still need to have a consistent pace with your arms.

Great question! Gliding is all about finding the right balance and timing in your movements. Extending your hand first can definitely help with that!

There are many sports where overworking your shoulder can be a problem. I hope you were able to get the proper guidance and technique to prevent any long-lasting injuries.

Totally get you! I’ve messed up my form so many times. Let’s just say my shoulders have had their fair share of drama!

Thank you so much. We are striving to offer even more videos in the coming months.

I appreciate that!

You are welcome. How did this turn out for you?

Hi. Sorry for the delayed reply. Usually when coaches are talking about lengthen your stroke out, they mean the entry. This can be hard to do, especially in fly. But if you think about trying to touch the far wall every time you bring your hands in for the entry, you'll start to feel your stroke lengthen out. Even on your good days, don't rely solely on your triceps. They are great for finishing your short and will engage if you've finished your stroke past your hips, but the power still comes from the core muscles. Think about your abs, chest, and hips. This is where you can translate the most power down through your legs to your toes for a powerful kick. A couple of drills I find to be quite helpful are finger-tip drag for fly and also 1 full stroke - 2 kicks underwater. These help lengthen and generate power. If you have any further questions or would like to set up a stroke review, please reach out at betweenthelaps.com

Hi Han, thank you for taking the time to watch. To answer your question, your stroke would still be considered legal in any swimming competition without the second kick. The second kick usually comes naturally with the movement of your body. It is more important to get the flow of your stroke before focusing on the second kick. This is usually a common problem when coaching butterfly to younger swimmers because they try to do that second kick and end up with 4 kicks instead. So I introduce it as a single kick to help them figure out the timing of the kick, hips, and arms first. It makes adding the second kick a lot easier later on.

You probably are already doing the second kick without realizing it. It’s not wrong to only get the one kick in there. It’s more about power then. If you are moving the hips and the stroke is following the hips, you probably are getting the second kick. Work on some one arm drills for rhythm and also 1-up, 3 kicks under to start.