Underwater swim

Dawn · August 8th, 2007, 11:15 PM

Hi all,

Unfortunately the video for this is not ready yet, but earlier today I sent a write up to my friend Kell explaining the technique of the UW swim as we coached it to our swimmers. I have copied this write-up below.

Some people do a version of pull and kick at the same time, which works too but is not as overall efficient as the method below. You always have forward momentum with the breastroke pullout method, and you are maximimizing each movement of the body. One could pull and kick at the same time, then kick again as you recover your hands, but you are kicking and using the larger muscle groups twice as much (which you want to avoid) and they have shown that the slight gain of the extra kick during the pull is outweighed by the energy expended. blah, blah, blah

Maybe this will help a little for those of you who want to work on the UW swim right away. I know a visual aid will help, and I'll have this soon, but in meantime...

--------------------------------------------------
Out of the water (in your home and not on the pooldeck to avoid stares), stand up straight with your arms pointing above your head (streamline position), hand on top of the other, arms tucked behind your ears and chin tucked. You should look like a crayon

Pull your arms down like you are making the shape of an oldstyle keyhole. So, as you start to pull down, you are also angling out until you get just past your shoulders (try to keep the pull within shoulder-width). Just after you go past your shoulders, angle the pull in until your hands are side by side, completing the pull with a fast downward sweep.

Recover your hands by sliding them back into streamline (the original position you started in), keeping the hands close together and close to the body.

By keeping the pull 'within' the body, you are minimizing any excess drag.

At the same time you start to recover, you do a breaststroke kick. At the end of the recover, you are back in streamline, so make the most of the kick and position and get a little more glide before starting the next pull (Note: as we tell our swimmers "Pull, glide, kick, glide" - the arm recovery is also happening during the kick. You are either gliding with your arms straight down and flat against your body, or your arms straight out ahead of you and streamlined)

Nxt, try it in the water :-) Remember to keep it slow and relaxed.

They use the same technique in breaststroke starts and turns - called "underwater pullout". You may be able to find a video of this already up on youtube to get an idea. Only difference is they can only do one underwater pull in a start or turn for breaststroke.

SparticleBrane · August 9th, 2007, 11:12 PM

Kinda looks like this:
www4.ncsu.edu/~chfranci/underwaterswim.rm

It's a Real Media file, sorry...great technique though. Guy gets across a 25-yard pool with a pushoff and 3 arm pulls.

vid · August 10th, 2007, 11:02 AM

thanks folks for the explanation and the video - that looks a lot more effective (with a little practice

)

vid

lamont · August 11th, 2007, 04:25 AM

i don't glide anywhere near as far as that guy goes with just a pushoff... my head alone probably has twice the cross section of that guy's entire body...

SparticleBrane · August 12th, 2007, 05:04 AM

Slow and relaxed, with good technique...

I can usually glide about 1/3 the way across the pool with a decent pushoff. It's all about technique and hydrodynamics -- keep your head tucked down to your chest, hands out in front of you together, legs together with your toes pointed. Try to make yourself as torpedo-like as possible...

limeyx · August 12th, 2007, 09:14 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by SparticleBrane)

Slow and relaxed, with good technique...

I can usually glide about 1/3 the way across the pool with a decent pushoff. It's all about technique and hydrodynamics -- keep your head tucked down to your chest, hands out in front of you together, legs together with your toes pointed. Try to make yourself as torpedo-like as possible...

Pushoffs are all very good, except GUE doesn't allow them for the swimtest

try pushing off in the middle of the cenote!

Lou · August 12th, 2007, 11:57 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by limeyx)

Pushoffs are all very good, except GUE doesn't allow them for the swimtest

try pushing off in the middle of the cenote!

Why would you be breath-holding for 15m in the middle of a cenote?

**MartyC** · August 12th, 2007, 12:07 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Lou)

Why would you be breath-holding for 15m in the middle of a cenote?

Big cenote and being really flash by doing your GUE course in Mexico

limeyx · August 12th, 2007, 04:25 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by MartyC)

Big cenote and being really flash by doing your GUE course in Mexico

Ha, or really chicken and fearing the flow and depth in Florida!

Kevin · August 14th, 2007, 12:26 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by limeyx)

Pushoffs are all very good, except GUE doesn't allow them for the swimtest

try pushing off in the middle of the cenote!

Our instructor didn't say anything about pushoffs one way or the other. considering we started from the stone steps at Ponderosa, we all pretty much pushed off.

Same for fundies.

August 8th, 2007, 11:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
Dawn(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 153	Underwater swim Hi all, Unfortunately the video for this is not ready yet, but earlier today I sent a write up to my friend Kell explaining the technique of the UW swim as we coached it to our swimmers. I have copied this write-up below. Some people do a version of pull and kick at the same time, which works too but is not as overall efficient as the method below. You always have forward momentum with the breastroke pullout method, and you are maximimizing each movement of the body. One could pull and kick at the same time, then kick again as you recover your hands, but you are kicking and using the larger muscle groups twice as much (which you want to avoid) and they have shown that the slight gain of the extra kick during the pull is outweighed by the energy expended. blah, blah, blah Maybe this will help a little for those of you who want to work on the UW swim right away. I know a visual aid will help, and I'll have this soon, but in meantime... -------------------------------------------------- Out of the water (in your home and not on the pooldeck to avoid stares), stand up straight with your arms pointing above your head (streamline position), hand on top of the other, arms tucked behind your ears and chin tucked. You should look like a crayon Pull your arms down like you are making the shape of an oldstyle keyhole. So, as you start to pull down, you are also angling out until you get just past your shoulders (try to keep the pull within shoulder-width). Just after you go past your shoulders, angle the pull in until your hands are side by side, completing the pull with a fast downward sweep. Recover your hands by sliding them back into streamline (the original position you started in), keeping the hands close together and close to the body. By keeping the pull 'within' the body, you are minimizing any excess drag. At the same time you start to recover, you do a breaststroke kick. At the end of the recover, you are back in streamline, so make the most of the kick and position and get a little more glide before starting the next pull (Note: as we tell our swimmers "Pull, glide, kick, glide" - the arm recovery is also happening during the kick. You are either gliding with your arms straight down and flat against your body, or your arms straight out ahead of you and streamlined) Nxt, try it in the water :-) Remember to keep it slow and relaxed. They use the same technique in breaststroke starts and turns - called "underwater pullout". You may be able to find a video of this already up on youtube to get an idea. Only difference is they can only do one underwater pull in a start or turn for breaststroke.

August 9th, 2007, 11:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
SparticleBrane(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 102	Kinda looks like this: www4.ncsu.edu/~chfranci/underwaterswim.rm It's a Real Media file, sorry...great technique though. Guy gets across a 25-yard pool with a pushoff and 3 arm pulls. __________________ Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, and do whatever you want all the time, you could miss it. -- Eric Cartman

August 12th, 2007, 05:04 AM	#5 (permalink)
SparticleBrane(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 102	Slow and relaxed, with good technique... I can usually glide about 1/3 the way across the pool with a decent pushoff. It's all about technique and hydrodynamics -- keep your head tucked down to your chest, hands out in front of you together, legs together with your toes pointed. Try to make yourself as torpedo-like as possible... __________________ Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, and do whatever you want all the time, you could miss it. -- Eric Cartman

August 12th, 2007, 09:14 AM	#6 (permalink)
limeyx(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 708	Quote: (Originally Posted by SparticleBrane) Slow and relaxed, with good technique... I can usually glide about 1/3 the way across the pool with a decent pushoff. It's all about technique and hydrodynamics -- keep your head tucked down to your chest, hands out in front of you together, legs together with your toes pointed. Try to make yourself as torpedo-like as possible... Pushoffs are all very good, except GUE doesn't allow them for the swimtest try pushing off in the middle of the cenote! __________________ my divelog: http://www.mydivinglife.com/limeyx

August 12th, 2007, 12:07 PM	#8 (permalink)
MartyC(Offline) DIRX Supporter Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Goathland, N Yorks. Posts: 151	Quote: (Originally Posted by Lou) Why would you be breath-holding for 15m in the middle of a cenote? Big cenote and being really flash by doing your GUE course in Mexico __________________ IF only I could think of something witty to say!

August 10th, 2007, 11:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
vid(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: london/surrey border, UK Posts: 353	thanks folks for the explanation and the video - that looks a lot more effective (with a little practice ) vid

August 11th, 2007, 04:25 AM	#4 (permalink)
lamont(Offline) APLP Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 181	i don't glide anywhere near as far as that guy goes with just a pushoff... my head alone probably has twice the cross section of that guy's entire body...

August 12th, 2007, 11:57 AM	#7 (permalink)
Lou(Offline) New Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bucks Posts: 195	Quote: (Originally Posted by limeyx) Pushoffs are all very good, except GUE doesn't allow them for the swimtest try pushing off in the middle of the cenote! Why would you be breath-holding for 15m in the middle of a cenote?

August 12th, 2007, 04:25 PM	#9 (permalink)
limeyx(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 708	Quote: (Originally Posted by MartyC) Big cenote and being really flash by doing your GUE course in Mexico Ha, or really chicken and fearing the flow and depth in Florida! __________________ my divelog: http://www.mydivinglife.com/limeyx

August 14th, 2007, 12:26 AM	#10 (permalink)
Kevin(Offline) New Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 30	Quote: (Originally Posted by limeyx) Pushoffs are all very good, except GUE doesn't allow them for the swimtest try pushing off in the middle of the cenote! Our instructor didn't say anything about pushoffs one way or the other. considering we started from the stone steps at Ponderosa, we all pretty much pushed off. Same for fundies.