Gain the comfort and confidence to swim free!
The Beaver State – Oregon’s official title – is aptly named as there are many waterways in this beautifully green region. With special thanks to Cyndi Werhane for commissioning esteemed swimming historian, Elaine K. Howley to document Oregon’s Open Water history.
Try floating on your back and gently kicking, do your knees pop up over the surface of the water? If so, you’re trying to run or ride a bike in th
e pool. This can wear you out and sap valuable energy!
Continue practicing in a back float, bend your knees back, slightly, towards the bottom of the pool. Then allow your ankle to be loose and drive a pointed toe forward so that it touches the surface of the water. As this toe comes up allow your hip to rise while the other leg is bending back towards the bottom of the pool. Repeat.
Rather than focusing on hinging at the knee, think of kicking from your hips or core.
Now flip on your stomach and try the same thing. Your knee will bend slightly, but only enough to engage you hip and drive a pointed toe down to the bottom, thus achieving optimum propul
sion.
Rotation is key! If your hips are square to the bottom of the pool, consider shaking at the waist and really allowing your core to rotate in an exaggerated motion. Kicking is not a robotic motion only engaging your legs, get your whole body into it!
Unsure whether you’re getting the most propulsion out of your kick? Send us a video, or come over for some video capture and technique analysis today!
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As the leaves start to fall in Southern Oregon and the crisp air lasts well into late morning before the sun shines bright to warm things up, the idea of an open water swim is less and less appealing. Where we live, it is down right hard to swim in the open water this time of year. Our local reservoirs have been busy all summer w
atering the orchards and the vineyards, as well as the local farms and pastures. There isn’t much water left in our local swimming hole. (But we still swim sometimes!)
So for me, without a clear goal in focus, the workouts get shorter, as just getting in the water seems like enough. And I have to remind myself that this is technique season. Not a time to abandon the water altogether, but a time to focus on my stroke and be grateful that I’m not pushing for yet more yards.
Since you asked, you want me to put my hand where? I say, shoulder width apart. And flat palm. If you started swimming in the days of the S pull (like I did!), you may have an inclination to face your palm toward the wall, this actually sets yo
u up to sweep outside of your shoulder, which can stress your rotator cuff. So, flat palm, shoulder width apart, focus on this for your hand entry this month. Not sure how or where your hand enters the water? Send us a video of you swimming, or sign up for a technique critique session today to get a 1-2 minute video of yourself swimming from 5 different angles.
In this season where clear goals are not in focus, rest assured that the planning for 2019 has commenced, and what a season it will be!
If you’d like some training tips to get you through technique season, sign up for a private lesson or coaching session today! We can’t wait to go swimming with you!
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