Teaching/Coaching Swim Exam

Kick for backstroke

"Key to backstroke swimming" - six beat flutter kick - flexible ankles

Pull pattern for backstroke

"S" shape

How much denser is water than air?

1000 times denser

Freestyle kick

6-8 beat flutter kick usually

Finishes

All strokes reach and extend the arms and hands for the finish.

Traditional Grab Start

Both feet forward and swimmer bends to grab starting block either inside or outside of the feet

Stroke with the strongest kick:

Breaststroke

The slowest stroke:

Breaststroke

Most powerful stroke:

Butterfly

Strokes whose turns use a two-hand touch

Butterfly and breaststroke

The Four Competitive Strokes:

Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle

Problem with Dropped Elbow

Causes swimmer to push down on the water, rising the body upward instead of propelling it forward. Happens in the pull.

Relay Starts

Circular movement of arms in front and sides - also called he arm swing swimming start. Single or double step down.

Turns

Depending on the stroke, a swimmer can spend between 20-39% of their time on turns - so it's important for turns to be good and fast.

3 Aspects of Limb Movement:

Direction, angle of attack, and velocity

DPS

Distance per Stroke

Fastest kick

Dolphin kick

Butterfly kick

Dolphin kick originating from the hips - generates power from the hips, knees, and ankles.

4 Basic Leg Sweeps

Downbeat, Upbeat, Outsweep, Insweep

Most Common Error in a Swimstroke

Dropped shoulder

Open Turn

Elbow your brother, call your mother.

Importance of Timing

Feel for the water integral in rhythm

Fastest of the four competitive strokes:

Freestyle

To swim faster we can:

Increase propulsive force and/or reduce drag

Outsweep (Arms)

Initial underwater sweep in the butterfly and breaststroke

Upsweep (Arms)

The final sweep of the front crawl and butterfly

Freestyle Flip Turn

Stroke into wall, no breath on last stroke. Drive hand down into water and tuck head, dolphin kicking to flip, push off wall with feet

Downsweep (Arms)

The initial underwater sweep used in the front crawl and backstroke

Hands in backstroke

Thumb out, pinkie in

Pattern used in all four arm strokes

elliptical/zig zag pattern

Pull pattern for butterfly

hour glass

Pull pattern of freestyle:

inverted/regular question marks or straight-bent-straight movement

Categories of Resistive Drag

Form/Head-On Drag, Wave Drag, and Frictional Drag

Main power faze of butterfly

downbeat

Main power faze of freestyle

downbeat

Why is butterfly not the fastest, despite being the most powerful?

Because there's a pause in the stroke

To increase propulsive force we can:

Become stronger and/or improve stroke mechanics

Backstroke Turn

Final stroke into wall - turn over onto stomach. Drive hand down, tuck head , dolphin kick to flip, push off with feet

Outsweep (Kicks)

First outward movement of the swimmer's legs in the breaststroke kick

Swimmer Shoulder

Going for power too early in the catch/push back to early in the down/outsweep can cause shoulder tendinitis.

Efficient stroke in freestyle/backstroke requires -

Good body roll

Why is freestyle the fastest

No pause in the stroke - it's continuous

4 Basic Arm Sweeps

Outsweep, Downsweep, Insweep, Upsweep

Backstroke Starts

Prep. position - feet must be submerged, drive from block with arms overhead, arched back and head back, streamlined underwater dolphin kick

Elements of a Swimming Start from a Starting Block

Preparatory position, pull, drive (streamlined), flight (streamlined), entry (clean - feet where hands enter), glide, and pull-out

Why is breaststroke slowest

Pull and recovery are both underwater

Sequence of Breaststroke

Pull, breathe, kick, glide

Form/Head-On Drag

Resistance caused by an object's shape/form as it moves through the water - minimized through streamlining/proper form

Frictional Drag

Resistance caused by an object's surface texture. Minimized by tight suits/swim caps and/or shaving

Wave Drag

Resistance caused by turbulence in the water - minimized by lane lines. Reach DEEPER

Track Start

Staggered feet - most common start used today - provides more balance

Insweep (Arms)

The 2nd sweep used in all competitive strokes

Role of Hand and Arm Acceleration in Propulsion

The best swimmers accelerate the hands from the beginning to the end of their underwater strokes

Insweep (Kicks)

The circular sweep of the legs in the breaststroke kick

The Catch

The point in the underwater arm stroke where the swimmer begins to accelerate the body forward with the arms. Hands enter the water. Apply propulsive force 1/3 of the way through the underwater stroke cycle.

Downbeat (Kicks)

The propulsive phase in the front crawl flutter, and dolphin kicks

Upbeat (Kicks)

The recovering position of front crawl flutter and dolphin kicks

Drills for Teaching Arm Sweeps

Various sculling drills

Most important thing in backstroke:

body position and kick

Main power faze of backstroke

upbeat