Giving your Age-Group Swimmer a STROKE, PART 2.

In the introduction to this article last month, we covered the elements of a quality stroke and its relevancy in Freestyle. To continue:

BREASTSTROKE:

1. Warm up: Whip kick and glide with board (25-50 yards).

2. Prone push off underwater: Glide, pull (both arms) glide, whip kick, and glide to surface, streamlining with legal breaststroke start. (2040 feet).

3. Streamlining with legal breaststroke start: Use three kicks to one pull and breathe (25-50 yards), two-hand touch and legal turns.

4. Streamlining with legal breaststroke start: Two kicks to one pull and breathe (25-50 yards) two-hand touch and legal turn.

5. Streamlining with legal breaststroke start: Use legal breaststroke start and stroke (25-50 yards), two-hand touch and legal turn.

6. Dive, streamlining, sprint, using legal breaststroke start and stroke (dive from deck first) using two-hand finish.

Points to emphasize:

1. Keep knees close together on kick.

2. Turn toes outward while driving the feet backward. As feet come together, extend the legs and point the toes (streamlining).

3. Emphasize streamlining.

4. Pull up the hill and breathe kick and slide down the hill.

5. Start the arm pull with an outward motion, bending the arms at elbows as they move toward the body. Prior to the recovery, keep the elbows close to or touching the ribs. In the underwater recovery, place the hands side-by-side, palms down as they extend (streamlining). Emphasize a short, quick pull.

6. Emphasize a two-hand touch for finishes and turns.

Many outstanding breaststrokers cannot master all of the other competitive strokes. In order to compete in the individual medley, they must put m more work on their weaker strokes. The freestylers, backstrokers, and butterflyers may have to make adjustments in their breaststroke (in the breathing pattern and arm pull) as they prepare for the IM.

Everyone can't be a top breaststroker. Try to recognize the potential specialists -- the swimmers who walk with their toes pointed out (like a duck).

BACKSTROKE:

1. Push off on back and glide and flutter kick (dolphin kick optional) with arms extended as in prone glide (streamlining, 20-40 feet).

2. Streamlining with flutter kick on back (dolphin kick optional) with arms extended (25 yards). Use board if too difficult and progress to arms extended.

3. Streamlining with flutter kick on back, using right arm (exaggerate 1-2-3 count), then left arm (exaggerate 1-2-3 count) with a slight roll to each side.

4. Streamlining with flutter kick on back, using arms (three kicks to each arm stroke), count strokes after passing flags to wall. Introduce turn.

5. Streamlining - sprinting with hand touch to finish.

Points to emphasize and stress:

1. Long, supple kick.

2. Long, slow arms.

3. As in the freestyle, stress a slight roll to each side. This will help lengthen the stroke.

4. As in the freestyle, you may obtain more pulling surface by bending the arm at the elbow at the beginning of each stroke.

5. Work on synchronizing kick to arms.

6. Count the number of strokes after passing the flags and before hitting wall. (Bumping the head at the end discourages young backstrokers.)

7. Always push off, streamlining with kick before using arms. Use dolphin kick on starts as an option.

BUTTERFLY:

1. Prone push off glide and dolphin kick (streamlining, 20-40 feet).

2. Streamlining with dolphin kick getting air when needed (using breaststroke pull to get air, 25-50 yards).

3. Streamlining with dolphin kick, using the right arm and breathing on the right side (25 yards).

4. Streamlining with dolphin kick, using the left arm and breathing on the left side (25 yards).

5. Streamlining with dolphin kick, using two kicks to one arm pull (both arms, 25-50 yards). Breathe when necessary.

6. Streamlining with dolphin kick, using two kicks to one arm pull (both arms) - breathing every other stroke - (breathing to fight, left, center options), 25-50 yards, two-hand touch.

7. Streamlining with dolphin kick, using two kicks to one arm pull (both arms) and breathing with every arm pull.

Points to emphasize and stress:

1. Long, slow arms. After the catch, start the arms with a downward pull, bending the arms at the (high) elbows. Bring arms closer together under the body and continue to complete the pull. As the arms near the end of the pull, swing them outward and into the recovery.

2. Two kicks with long slow arms.

3. Work on synchronizing the two kicks to one stroke, getting air when needed will help.

4. Emphasize two-hand touch for finishes and turns.

TURNS:

Use opened and closed turns when swimming more than one length. Use flip turn lead up, such as front and back somersaults in pike positions. It is sometimes helpful in the freestyle turn to introduce the 1/2 twist before doing the turn - i.e., reverse the backstroke turn - prone to back before turn.

In executing the turn, it is essential to maintain the maximum forward momentum. This will produce a hard, smooth, push-off and glide. Read the rules pertaining to the turns; that is, approaching, touches, and body position.

STARTS:

Let the swimmers use the blocks as a diving fun activity. When they become accustomed to the blocks they can use the racing starts with all strokes. Use the appropriate starting commands and emphasize that the feet/foot should be in contact with the starting block until the final push off.

WARM UPS:

Set aside time for a warm-up period. Let the swimmers start with water play and gradually guide them into using that time to swim lengths.

A warm-up and a cool-down can be included in the workout whenever the coach feels that the swimmers are ready: 100-200-yd. IM for the warm-up and 100-200-yd. freestyle for the cool-down.

Tips for coaches/parents on preventing burn-out:

1. Provide structured and pleasant workouts and let the motivation come from the swimmer.

2. Be positive about personal best times. Explain the phenomenon of plateauing.

3. Develop team spirit.

4. Avoid comparisons with other swimmers.

5. If you can't say something positive, squelch the impulse to be negative.

6. Make the meets a pleasant experience.

7. Mistakes should be a learning experience for both swimmers and coaches, avoid harsh criticism.

8. Set realistic goals and expectations.

9. Make your stroke corrections (using eye contact) after each segment of practice. Be brief and positive, i.e., "Your kick is very good, but try to make your arms longer." Reminders can be made during the swim ("kick harder" or "glide").

Practice in a competitive swimming program should be a satisfying, enjoyable, and educationally sound experience. Every kid should be given a chance to be successful -- whether it is for an Olympic gold medal or just a spot on the team.

CIRCLE PATTERN OF WORKOUTS

The swimmers stay in the water for the entire workout, six swimmers per lane, except for diving drills. Each swimmer is given a number from 1 to 6, with the fastest swimmer going first and the slowest swimmer going last.

The instructions for each drill are given to the whole group; i.e., "Streamlining with flutter kick for 25 yards." The first swimmer (#1) in each group begins at a signal and the others follow at 10-second intervals.

They always swim on the right-hand side of their lane to avoid collisions when swimming multiple lengths.