Giving Your Age-Group Swimmer a STROKE.

AFTER MANY YEARS OF association with age-group and YMCA swimming as a parent and volunteer coach, I have developed a program that maximizes the teaching of stroke and the basic key known as "streamlining."

Streamlining is a fundamental part of every stroke, every workout, and every race:

It is simply a firm push from the wall or a dive from the blocks, plus the underwater glide. It provides the forward surge at the start and the completion of a turn.

It moves the body through the water faster than it can swim. Swimmers who can streamline properly during a race will sharply reduce their times.

The body position can be described as "straight as an arrow" with the arms and legs extended, head down (in the backstroke, head back) and toes pointed. To be more effective, the body should be completely submerged.

In the freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly, the kick (flutter or dolphin) begins almost instantly after the initial forward surge. In the breaststroke, the initial surge or glide is followed by a double-arm pull followed by another glide, followed by a kick and glide to the surface.

There are two theories on the preferred position of the hands in the glide. The one taught most often consists of placing one hand firmly over the other to form a traditional bow of a boat. I prefer to position the hands side-by-side, palms down (palms up in the backstroke) causing a hydro dynamic flow similar to the action of air to the wings of an airplane, that results in a lift and forward propulsion.

The incorporation of stroke and conditioning into your workout will lead to improvement, which becomes a great motivational factor.

Elements of a Quality Stroke

1. Cover all four strokes (freestyle, breast, back, and butterfly) in every workout.

The swimmer shouldn't spend too much time on his (her) best stroke. It will inhibit his opportunity to improve the other strokes. Each swimmer will usually succeed in the part of the workout that includes his best stroke. It will usually lift the swimmer's spirit for the entire workout.

2. Workouts should be short, snappy, and simple. Make sure to give yourself enough time to cover every skill.

3. Schedule frequent workouts. The more frequent the workouts, the more likely you will be to retain the skills learned from the previous workout. Stress the correct mechanics in every workout.

4. Design the workouts for rhythmic continuity and flow (one skill leading into another). For example, streamlining with the flutter kick.

5. Cover the same basic skills every workout. It will accelerate learning and retention of the skills. The younger the swimmer, the more likely he will be to digress from good basic skills.

6. The distance and length of the workouts will depend on the age and abilities of the group. Start with 25 yards per segment and increase the distance as the group progresses. Avoid increasing distance too soon.

7. The workouts should be consistent. Use the same progression with each stroke to help assure consistency and use the same starting techniques for each segment -- that is, streamlining with the flutter kick, getting air when needed for one length. Pause, take your mark, pause, beep. (Use on the first swimmer in each group.) Use the same starting commands for your class of competition.

8. For better results, limit each group to five or six swimmers per lane. The length of the workouts in time and distance will depend on the number of lanes you have. With a six-lane pool with six swimmers in each lane, you can cover 1,000-1,200 yards in 45 minutes to an hour.

9. Good environment: Water temperature 78-80 degrees, clear water, properly chlorinated, with lane lines and backstroke flags. Check the blocks for safety at every workout and be aware of the proper pool depths (see rule book).

10. Equipment: Goggles, kick boards, fins, hand paddles, and flotation for legs used only sparingly.

11. Use fun activities (relays, water polo, and life-saving techniques) as motivators.

FREESTYLE:

1. Warm up: flutter kick with board (25-50 yards).

2. Prone push off glide (streamlining) with flutter kick (25-50 yards), get air when necessary.

3. Streamlining with flutter kick, using right-arm touch swimming and breathing on the right side (25-50 yards).

4. Streamlining with flutter kick, using left-arm touch swimming and breathing on the left side (25-50 yards).

5. Streamlining with flutter kick, using both arms and breathing on the right side every second stroke (25-50 yards).

6. Streamlining with flutter kick, using both arms and breathing on the left side every second stroke (25-50 yards).

7. Streamlining with flutter kick, using both arms and breathing alternately every third stroke (right-stroke-stroke-left, 25-50 yards). Add turns.

8. Streamlining with flutter kick and sprint, using arms without breathing (20-40 feet).

9. Streamlining with flutter kick and sprint, using arms alternately and breathing when necessary (25 yards).

10. Dive from deck, streamlining with flutter kick and sprint, alternately breathing when necessary. Add diving from blocks when ready.

Points to emphasize:

1. Use long supple kick.

2. Use long slow arm strokes.

3. Always start with push-off, glide, and kick, streamlining.

4. When arms are tired, think "long and slow."

5. Finish last few feet with head down and drive to the wall. Work on touching the end of the pool or pad for finish.

6. One of the problems of young swimmers: losing the synchronization of arms in the kick -- emphasize this in practice.

7. Be able to screen the sprinters from the distance swimmers -- size, strength, type of kick, et., all are keys.

8. Use training paddles sparingly.

9. Stress a slight roll to each side in the arm stroke. This will help lengthen the stroke.

10. You can obtain more pulling surface by bending the arm at the elbow at the start of each stroke.