Little disability

[WFEGb]

Hello,

a (to me) well known nearly 80year old lady, swims BS just for fun several times and asked me for some hints to put in a lap FS here and there. (Proud because she asked me although I told her not being a coach immediately.) So we agreed to meet next week for some SGs and skate hints.

Unfortunately, she has a small handicap. She is not hamped in her daily life but it may have some influence in her FS: She has a small hump and her neck is pointing some degrees more forward related to spine than mostly.

Think "problems" may start with LaserLead head. So what should I tell her and how shall I give her support? I guess relaxation very first and "mounting the laser" a little more to her backhead? And how shall she rotate to breath? More rotation, hollow back? Bending the whole body seems the worst way from my actual point of view...

Thanks for any hints!

Best regards,
Werner

[borate]

Snorkel? Less stress on the spine.

[sclim]

My first thought would be that likely her neck rotation will likely be limited. However, on further thinking, it can't be any worse than the limitation in lifting her head to breathe in her current breast stroke position resulting from her habitual hunched back position!

My non-expert guess would be that some trial-and-error experimentation would eventually be required to find out what would be the most convenient way of getting air; it may even require a total body roll if she has very little natural spine and neck rotation so that her mouth clears the waterline at the side.

In any case, I am reminded of the early stages of my IT introduction -- superman glides and skate glides in the shallow end, and when I needed to breathe, just stand up. I did this for ever, it seems, before starting to think about breathing in whole stroke, but I had faith in the process. You will have to be very persuasive to reassure her that learning to breath is really not important for now -- only the ability to feel balance and to achieve balance.

[Zenturtle]

get a feel for the long axis movements in backstroke? Get used to the kicking from hips etc
For livelong breaststrokers rolling around the other axis feels very awkward.
If she is able to roll from the kick up, half the battle is won already.

[WFEGb]

Thank you very much for the fast answers!

@Borate, I'll have the snorkel in mind. Think it may complicate things if we'd start with it. (In her question she said: You're never using other things -fins. kickboards, pullbuoys... than the little blackbox on backhead -my iPod used as TT...)

@Sclim, at least I've to look what and how it will turn out. I told her, we've to go into shallow water first and breathing is one of the last skills. For now I only saw her BS (angled fairly down). We'll see how more or less rotation will effect her. Yes, stand up for breathing has to be our very first option...

@Zenturtle, will ask her for BK. Never saw it. And I'll be aware in kicking from hips. (Will be not too difficult, because it's one of my weak points when becoming tired. And these I realize first, when looking at other strokes...)

Thanks again with best regards,
Werner

[WFEGb]

Hello,

we met two times and spent half an hour, started with SGs and Torpedo and first Skate experiments. She unexpectedly had no problems where I feared. Torpedo and SGs nearly worked at once. Her shoulder blades are a little more above surface than usual but head/neck relaxed in line and when she watches the tiles backhead just breakes the surface....

But I don't know how to teach her Skateposition. She's extremely stable when flat in Topedo or SG. If I guide her arm, hip or shoulders she can not hold it and falls flat when I let go at once. Tracking her on hand or pushing her feet has to be nearly rough to hold skate for some seconds.

She can rotate relative fast to her back (right and left) with help of one (half) arm stroke starting with SG... But only with broken long axis at hip and it seems not possible to stop that rotation before on back.

So I have to ask for some microskills which will lead us to Skate. Think I'll learn a lot, because I've never realized that Skateposition might be a problem by itself...

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and hints.

To all readers and your families and friends Merry Christmas with some relaxing days (with or without pool time...)

Best regards,
Werner

[IngeA]

I think, it's a thing to try out with which arm position in Skateposition she can glide stabile with just cleared the shoulder.
Moving the arm on the x-axis to or over the mid bodyline turns you over, having the arm to far outside the bodyline makes a flat position.

[WFEGb]

Hello IngeA,

thanks for your suggestion. We tried it even leading her hand/arm with additional pull, but shoulder-hip-body following the arm in a rotaional movement around spine seems to be a/the problem.

Best regards,
Werner

[CoachStuartMcDougal]

Hi Werner,

Just adding to IngeA's response. In the shallow zone, position your body on her left side for left side skate and on right side for right side skate.

1. When she moves from SG to left skate, hold her left arm parallel to the body as you rotate her body from the shoulder, i.e. your left arm aligns her left extended skate arm as you rotate her body from her right shoulder with your right hand until her (right) shoulder just clears the water above surface; 2. adjust head position back to neutral (usually the head wants to follow the high side shoulder as body rotatates); 3. adjust recovery arm such that it is molded to the front of body arm is mostly below the surface - hand on front of thigh.

Then give her a gentle push and see if she can maintain the (correct) skate position for 3-5 seconds. Have her repeat without the "helping hands"

Very thoughtful of you to help her with her swimming, great stuff.

And back at you - wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season, Happy New Year and Happy Laps!

Stuart

[WFEGb]

Hello Stuart,

thank you very much! We'll try the combination at our next meeting. Hand/arm and shoulder was not in my mind. It was an either or till now. We'll look forward!

Thanks for your good wishes too.

Best regards,
Werner