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