Problem 1:
Entry too deep... The deep entry has caused the whole arm to be pierced straight into the water downwards and causing the frontal area to be sooo much bigger with the front of your arms that you’re coming to a complete stop each time you do an entry…
Aim for-
Wrist deep entry, then extend arm fully just 10cm beneathe the surface and keep it there until catch starts. Be BRUTALLY HONEST with yourself during practice and DO NOT DO ONE PRACTICE WITHOUT CHECKING REALTIME as you do.. It is the only way to practice.
Problem 2:
Left arm drops down or skates to the side when breathing on the right...
Aim for-
Keep the shoulder and upper arm in contact with the side of your head when you breathe
Problem 3:
Kick got a lot of knee bend...
Aim for-
Keep legs straight and kick from the hip flexor and glutes. Remember your flutter kicks on the dry land.
Special note for Jassss baby:
Competitiveness is GOOD. Be competitive in your stroke. OUTDO ME. That's your aim by end of year. I started swimming 4 yrs back and I learnt by catch 4 weeks back. You started swimming when 10 yrs back. Should be an easy feat eh? Come on... PUMP IT UP!!!
Ebnu:
Problem 1.1:
Late entry, extended arm before entering water caused forearm pressing down on the water upon entering water
Problem 1.2:
This is compounded by problem 1… because of the late entry (after the extension of arm above water), you’re not able to make use of the pressing down of chest with the extension of the arm in the water.
Aim for-
Entry immediately once the hand passes the forehead. Extension occurs only after wrist is in the water, i.e. the elbow is still flexed when the wrist is in the water already.
Problem 2:
Scissors kick, caused by not connecting the torso and the thighs as a plank when twisting the hip.
Aim for-
Move the torso and the legs as one entity using the hip to coordinate and synchronize. This can be done also with a better and continuous flutter kick instead of a 2 beat kick.. however I will not recommend the continuous flutter kick option because then you’re avoiding the root problem of not being able to control the torso and legs together at the same time.
Special note for Ebnu:
The entry problem is your only hindrance to a smooth and really good stroke now Ebnu… If you can iron that out with short laps and very VERY honest and conscious awareness, you will definitely become a better than average swimmer after getting this corrected. You seem to understand the deeper meaning of swimming that I’ve been sharing and it has shown in your swim progress, I am truly impressed tonight for how far you’ve came by despite the busy work schedules.. keep it up!
Musaic:
Problem 1.1:
Late entry, extended arm before entering water caused forearm pressing down on the water upon entering water
Problem 1.2:
This is compounded by problem 1… because of the late entry (after the extension of arm above water), you’re not able to make use of the pressing down of chest with the extension of the arm in the water.
Aim for-
Entry immediately once the hand passes the forehead. Extension occurs only after wrist is in the water, i.e. the elbow is still flexed when the wrist is in the water already.
Special note for Mu:
Your problem is kind of more serious than your daddy because you always seem to be swimming at a higher intensity/speed/power than normal due to the lack of pacing experience. As spoken, you need to work more diligently on the front part of the stroke!
Calvin:
Problem 1:
Shoulder flexibility is the number 1 barrier.. You dropped your head down all the time because of 1, the tension on your neck and lower back if you keep it up and also the shoulder’s tension that makes recovery a tad more difficult than you thought it should be. Correct me if I’m wrong… that is just an observation from myself and also my shifu that china lifeguard who clocks 1:10 something for his 100m… :P
Aim for-
Google for pectoral stretches and shoulder stretches and follow religiously everyday. The Health requirement for general population in terms of flexibility is to stretch EVERY DAY holding each stretch for 30to60seconds. Now, we’re athletes, shouldn’t we do more than that?
Special note for Cal:
Your catch, fast push and glide has been working out really well! I guess the ability to stay on your side and glide and your patience to do those things slowly (or slacker instinct ? :P) have been really really helpful!
Samantha:
Problem 1:
Recovery was not with high elbow.
Aim for-
As you recover, bring your elbow out of water first instead of your hand/fingers, dragging the thumb alongside your body.. very close.. like when you flare out your thumb, it should glide on your body. Drop the wrist into the water just in front of the forehead.
Problem 2:
Hip twist is not sharp enough to coordinate with your fast push.
Aim for-
Sharper hip twist and more core work. You know what to do smart coach girl.
Special note for Samsam:
The catch was well performed and at certain times of the swim, you’ve shown pretty good glimpse of a Kenneth-ish glide strokes especially in those where you delayed the catch to get a good hold and push back hard with a well timed hip twist. Keep up the good work and keep thinking when you swim!
Genevieve:
Problem 1:
Didn’t allow enough time for the forward movement in water to work to its potential. Not gliding enough?
Aim for-
0.5 Seconds more glide in each arm stroke. Stretching your arm forward for that extra inch each time you enter the water will help get you that 0.5seconds. Reason is when you accelerate in the water with the push, your body will move forward at a surge (peak speed) for a short period of time before slowing down. However short that period of time before slowing down is, you’re not allowing the body to move forward with that speed for long enough and you’re rushing to start the next stroke which will start with a deceleration phase.
Special note for gen:
Work on shoulder flexibility and better recovery posture. Shoulder injury is soon on its way again if you keep swimming that way and combines it with running or badminton.
Yukari San:
Problem 1:
Fingers are opened when you pull….. grrrr…. :P
Aim for-
Use rubber bands to tie your fingers together and swim! Haha.. kidding la.. remember to feel if your fingers are touching each other side by side… If they’re not, close them together! =)
Problem 2:
Recovery is too outward swinging, made it look a little like butterfly! This means time wasted on the recovery because the hand takes a longer time (longer distance when its in an arc) to get back to the front and it also mean that the arm will be chopping in from the side instead of slicing through from the forehead onwards.
Aim for-
As you recover, bring your elbow out of water first instead of your hand/fingers, dragging the thumb alongside your body.. very close.. like when you flare out your thumb, it should glide on your body. Drop the wrist into the water just in front of the forehead.
Special note for Yukari:
Very fast and very smooth swim overall! Maybe it’s the swimmer background, but I credit it to your ability to understand and apply what you learnt into practice! Loads of gliding and I can see you’re really feeling the catch and resistance at the front of the pull and your accelerated push is really getting you to thrust forward quite a fair bit! You were just 1 body length behind me in that last lap! I sense a threat and I must work harder~~~ =pppp
Saori Chan:
Problem 1:
I don’t see any problem with your strokes…………. Except when you breathe, your right arm tend not to push until it is straighten… that’s why left arm pull glide more than right arm pull… need to make them same same okay? =)
Aim for-
Make sure you straighten that right arm pull as you take in your breathe… and… Keep up the good work my dear. =)
Special note for “SOURY” san:
It is my honour to have a student like you… You’ve came very far with what you had initially in the class with Kei… I remembered you had problem understanding what I was talking about.. even until now which makes this feat of yours (being able to swim so well with a stroke that makes SOO many of them adults go WOOWWW…) very applausible! *Clap clap clap*.. I hope you will always continue swimming and reach greater heights in swim and triathlon! =)
Benjamin:
Problem 1:
Left arm is not doing what the right arm is able to do. The catch is a little screwed, the recovery was a little messed up and the push lacks a little bit of power compared to the right. Since swimming needs you to propel with both arms, this imbalance has caused your stroke to go out of rhythm each time you swim longer laps (more than 50).
Aim for-
Put more HONEST and CONSCIOUS attention everytime you do your left arm ENTRY to END OF PUSH. To make things easier to learn, you have to slow down your swim on your own before you start to swim faster again.
Problem 2:
You keep your head very high above the water when you’re doing a moderate effort swim. To make matter worst, your kick is not firing at all when you keep a high head position when you’re doing a moderate effort swim, that high head position doomed your hip position and your legs are just dragging like 16inches underneath the surface.
Aim for-
The ears and back of your head should feel submerged when doing slow swim. When you look in front, you have to put in MORE effort to press your chest down so your whole head is still submerged.
Special note for Ben:
I see a very very bright future in you doing sprint events if you can swallow that urge to go fast and powerful right now and work on your finesse. Your skills are the one that will bring you far, the stronger you get without a good position in the water, you’re only going to become more hindrance to your own power because of the density of water. I hope you do more slow swim making sure your bottom is ALWAYS on the surface on all laps. Do not slack for even 1 lap for the bottom to drop and you do it with lesser kicks, not more.
Teck Beng:
Problem 1:
Your persistent work on the technique aspect of the stroke at slow speed has hindered your transition to fast stroking. The coordination is just very rusty because of the lack of speed work.
Aim for-
As the saying goes, if you want to be fast, you have to practice fast. As you can see from my very own production, it is not smooth at all because I was just not used to doing such high rep pulls and kicks for a prolonged period of time. And that in itself is a flaw to our highly precise piece of work. As spoken, build in speed sets of 25 or 50m once in awhile.. do 20x50 and mix and match a barrage of 25 or 50m fast swim reps while ensuring stroke integrity. As long as you inject enough rest (active or stationary doesn’t matter), you will be fine.
Problem 2:
Your long armS tend to be lazy on the push and didn’t straight all the way. It is vital to have a good follow through so that the force can be exerted backwards fully without any restrictions from your own movement.
Aim for-
Straighten your arms fully at the power phase.. Do not rush to exit and recover. =)
Problem 3:
Your left arm catch tend to have a dropped elbow.
Aim for:
Bilateral breathing… Go tame that dragon. =)
Special note to TB:
It is almost there. Keep working on it. I’m working on it too. Am proud to say we have the most “textbook” strokes in the team… our left arm sucks at the same time though. Hahaha.. Mine’s improving quite a bit cos I can breathe bilaterally now… The earlier you tackle it, the faster your improvements will come. Tip on left breathing: turn your head to the sky, not the side; exhale immediately when you finish inhaling, do not hold your breathe…. Jiayou! =)
Yasmin:
Problem 1:
Your entry is always very controlled. Such that when you enter the water with your hands already, there is a jerk-extend-jerk-full extension kind of phase. It is very very jerky. This jerky recovery and entry has caused you to stop accelerating and gliding to your full potential because of the force put forward by your jerky motions.
Aim for:
Smooth and slick slicing motion. Fingers in, wrist deep, extend arm underneath the water like you’re wearing a long sleeve shirt… All in 1 slick motion. To make things even better, time the extension together with the push on the opposite arm to get a maximum glide! Again, too much control is no good, you have to work on it to make it naturally smooth!
Special note to Yas:
As far as tolerating a very irritating coach goes, you’re doing an extremely good job. I need you to do an even greater job so you can compete well in your age group. You can swim so well your physique is a great advantage over those at your age. Work diligently, for a hot bod when you grow up or for simply health reason or even bragging rights to your friends! I look forward to seeing your improvement in leaps and bounds in the upcoming lessons!
Meher:
Problem 1.1:
You’re entering with an already extended arm much like Mr Ebnu’s. Late entry, extended arm before entering water caused forearm pressing down on the water upon entering water
Problem 1.2:
This is compounded by problem 1… because of the late entry (after the extension of arm above water), you’re not able to make use of the pressing down of chest with the extension of the arm in the water.
Aim for-
Entry immediately once the hand passes the forehead. Extension occurs only after wrist is in the water, i.e. the elbow is still flexed when the wrist is in the water already.
Special note to “MyHair”:
Congratulations to your Milo Try-athlon feat! Coming up first for your age group for swim and bike then finishing bravely for 4th in your run. That is just Amazing for a kid at your age. Work on the technique part and your fitness will bring you to great heights!!! Keep the interest and passion burning… don’t let it fade! =) Uncle KK feels your excitement each time you swim with me… keep it up!=)
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Before I end the post, I’d like to share this story that a world class swim coach shared with me before in a seminar. He is currently coaching an Australian national team breaststroker. I shall not name him as I do not wish to be charged for copyrighting of any sort..
Under this coach, there was 2 girl swimmers. Both at age of 8.5 yrs old. We’ll call them girl A and girl B.
Girl A is very competitive and always training very very hard in the pool and no matter what the coach said about her techniques, she did not put into heart but continued swimming using a lot of force.
That has led her to a very very successful competitive career at the age of 10-14 years old as her forceful swim has gotten her an extremely well developed physique compared to her peers of the same age.
At the same time, Girl B was losing on every single event… at the back stage, she was working really hard with the coach to correct her techniques. Each time, she’d lose out by a fair bit because her physique are just not as well developed. However, she kept at it and by age 15, she finally had her late height spurt and her muscular features are getting more defined.
This time round, both Girl A and B have advanced from the children category to the youth category. Swimmers at this age are all more or less muscularly developed and Girl A who seemingly won all the competition in the children categories, started to lag very very far behind. Girl B, on the other hand, are starting to get podium finishes.
Feeling frustrated, Girl A worked even harder in the pool and clocked up to 75km per week in the pool. On one national competition, both of them qualified for the final heat. Girl B finished 1st, beat Girl A hands down and Girl A did not manage to even get a podium finish. Girl A burnt out at the end and stopped competing, Girl B is still winning championships right now as I typed this out.
The reason is simple. Kids develop at different ages and some develops faster while some are late bloomers. When they join competition with similar age groupers, especially the very very young ones will definitely have a very obvious advantage if they’re more physically developed.
Girl A found success with her flailing freestyle because she grew up physically faster than the rest of the same age and ignored the technique aspect of swimming.
As they grew older and advanced to the older groups, the physical advantage will be more or less balanced out and the one final aspect that will give you the true advantage will be how efficient and economical your stroke is.
Swimming, being the finesse sport that it is, if techniques are not properly imparted to the swimmers at young age with strict discipline, the bad habits are going to stay for life.
And not only does the bad habit stays, but as you get more and more obsessed with training up your power and strength and endurance while neglecting your technique, all those power will turn against you in the way of drag and resistance underwater thus compounding the situation even further.
We coaches have to be extremely responsible for these stages of maturity and development when we coach our kids...
For us adults, we have to learn that as we age gracefully, the absolute power will sooner or later be loss, it is the efficiency that will ultimately buy us our bragging rights so its better to work our ass off your stroke now than let people laugh at us when our power fail us and we look more like drowning than swimming yup. =)
Cheers
KK
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