Swim Lesson #3

Kelly

Good session - you were on... I was off a little (sorry). Sounds like you did well in your first Ocean Tri - excellent! You have been a very coachable student and this is a long term work in progress for all of us. You presented in a more methodical fashion, but we will continue to work on timing of the overall stroke.

We will continue to challenge you going forward and some of it will be upside down - backstroke! I find that ANY analyzation of backstroke helps tremendously on your stomach with freestyle - the focus of our triathlon swimming.

I took 2 videos of you with my cell phone (sorry I am not too techy, but the mirrors are YOUR best friend), but they don't demonstrate too much bad.... Still helpful for you to see what I am seeing. Overall, your natural tendency to exit the water at the conclusion of your stroke (by the hip) is to launch the hand high. This is unproductive and interrupts an otherwise nice rhythm. Please continue to do plenty of fingertip drag drill and transition into full stroke as seamlessly as you can. As an add on, you can combine it with the "catch-up" drill - the catch-up drill is NEVER wrong or out of place in swimming. Catch up basically shifts the work load to your mighty core.

I also had you relax your head a bit, as this ALWAYS affects balance - the #1 and mother of all swimming LAWS. This week, I want you to use the wall ON EVERY LENGTH to push off into a long and happy streamline. Continue to feel this position and be reminded at every wall of the opportunity to get perfect again - it works!

We also focused on LAW #4 Traction. This is your ability to hold the water better so you can control it. It is simply a relaxed hand that hangs down in the water and feels some negative pressure immediately. A flat hand pushes down and only stresses you to go up. Use your new SWIMITTS to feel this position. You did VERY well with them and they will only help you adapt to the new places you are finding in the water. As with any tool, use it for as long as you can concentrate with it, remove it and swim THE SAME WAY for a very short time. FEEL the new affects taking over and the old habits going away. Repeat.

Last, we discussed sighting. The sighting skills are only partly SEEING anything, they are mostly about NOT breaking rhythm. I would rather you sight 4 times before you catch a glimpse than sight perfectly on every stroke - this can only mean you are too high and thus breaking rhythm! Your natural skills are excellent for sighting. Maintain positive pressure with your lead arm and COME UP EARLY in the process. Do not be afraid if you see nothing... Try again after a few more strokes. Most triathletes sight FAR too often. Please find another great video below of sighting perfection - NOT because he sights so well, because he breaks his rhythm so little.... Open Water Sighting demonstration Now, for your debut !