Land Exercises and Water Drills
Land Exercises:
Shrink Neck, Shrink Spine –
Lay on back, knees up, feet on floor, arms at sides, back arched. Grow the Neck, extend head up through the monkey bump (protruding part of the back of the head), and Grow the Spine, flatten the back, pull bellybutton in towards spine, bring ribs in and up, keep shoulders back. Then try to straighten legs and maintain the Integrity of the Line. Do not press heels into ground … ifyou do that you are using the wrong muscles, and when transferred to the water you will not be able to kick! Then try to bring arms straight up and maintain the Integrity of the Line. If you try to move one arm at a time, it simulates free and back. If you try to move both arms at the same time, it simulates fly.
Core Swimming Posture –
Lay on front with arms folded, elbows out, forehead resting on hands. Grow the Neck, Grow the Spine, and flutter kick. Press sternum into ground. Next extend arms, lift forehead 1 inch off the ground, move arms and legs up and down to simulate freestyle. Maintain the Integrity of the Line from the monkey bump through the tailbone. Next move arms and legs in and out to the sides to simulate breaststroke. Try 3 sets of 1Os on, I Os off.
Water Drills:
Tuck Float-
Curl into as tight a ball as possible. This demonstrates the buoyancy of the lungs.
Dead Man Float –
Natural “hanging” position. Keep air in lungs. This will show individual differences in buoyancy. Next, bring arms to surface slowly to help hips and legs rise. Then try to establish The Line by playing with buoyancy…press chest into water. Arms are balancing tools first, then used for energy transfer and propulsion.
Pencil Float-
Arms in the saddles, down and tight. Grow the Neck, Grow the Spine! If you tilt forward, bring the head in line. If you tilt backwards, bring the’I’ibs in and think flat back. Tiny kicking is ok only if necessary to breathe. Next, try to bring arms up…slide them slowly up stomach and chest and extend straight up into the air over shoulder. Then try to alternate bringing one arm up at a time. At all times try to maintain the Integrity of the Line!
Add kicking, small and fast from the hip flexor. Grow the Neck, Grow the Spine, bring the ribs in, and think flat back. Try three sets of 1Os on, 1Os off with good posture! Advanced progression: Take from vertical to horizontal maintaining the Integrity of Line… from vertical, lean forwards, backwards, and sideways and try to take it to The Line.
Better swimming.
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