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Freestyle Made Easy Drill Cards:
Every Picture Tells a Story
By Terry Laughlin
Some years ago, when I was Technique Editor of Fitness Swimmer magazine reader surveys indicated the illustrated technique articles were the
most popular feature.
That experience taught me the value of great pictures complemented by a few
well-chosen words to show the difference-making details of the strokes or drills.
This all-new edition of FME Drill Cards is the first in a series of new photo-illustrated
guides on technique from TI. Dennis O’Clair the photographer for these
Cards worked with me on many of those articles, and I spent several hours doing
the drills while Dennis shot dozens of rolls of film.
After selecting the best among hundreds of pictures, I recorded in caption
form what I was concentrating on as the picture was taken. Thus these Drill
Cards illustrate how I drill and swim and what I think about to make sure I
get them right. Here’s an example:
Photo #1 shows the starting point for all ZipperSwitch drills.
After rotating to Skating Position I pause to check that my head is in line
with my spine
(taught on Page 5), that my left hand is below my head, with fingertips angled
down (taught on Page 6) and I’m balanced on my left Track (also Page
6.) When I know I’ve got that right, I begin drawing my right hand forward
underwater, softening it as I feel the water’s resistance.
In Photo #2, while
anchoring my left hand to hold onto my place in the water, I’ve drawn my right hand forward – leading
with my elbow for as long as possible. Just as it reaches my ear, I can feel
the resistance on my
hand decrease. This cues me to slice “spear” it directly to the
spot I’ve imprinted in the Skating drill. All the following are worth
observing in this pic:
- Both
hands are forward of my head – helping keep
my bodyline long.
- My
left hand is in position to hold “an armful
of water” which
will help propel me forward as I spear my right hand.
- My
right hand and shoulder are poised to benefit from my hip drive as I
spear – powerful energy that takes no work to produce.
- My
legs are minimizing drag even as they help rotate my body.
In
Photo #3 my right hand has driven to the spot I imprinted in Skating. I’ll
keep it there – cultivating the same firm grip – as
my left hand completes its stroke and begins the next Zipper
recovery. My head is remaining
aligned on the head-spine line and my left leg is completing
its downbeat at the same moment my right hand reaches full
extension – the coordination
described in my articles on the 2-beat
kick and “diagonal
power.”
Each of the 14 cards in the Drill Cards series includes
this kind of visual detail and focal point captions. As
a bonus
with your
purchase, your Drill
Cards will come with instructions for downloading a document
in which I will provide the kind of supportive details
for each card
as I have done on this
page for Drill Card #10!
So, to get the complete “self-coaching toolkit” for Total Immersion
Freestyle, order the Freestyle
Made Easy DVD along with the FME Drill Cards.
Study the DVD to see the dynamic of the movements and understand the flow of
each sequence. And complement the DVD with the FME Drill Cards so you can study
the key points as shown here – both at home, and most importantly, while
you’re in the pool practicing.
NOTE:
Items will not be shipped without proper payment
of sales tax and shipping and handling.
Allow 1-2 weeks for shipping
and handling.
International
shipping rates vary by weight and country. You
will be notified by e-mail regarding any changes
in the shipping charges.
price:
$29.95
click
here to order or call
800-609-7946 to order by phone
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