EVF - video of progress over 2 years

[RadSwim]

Here is a series of video clips that show my progress in adding a high-elbow catch/early vertical forearm to my TI freestyle.

I will stipulate in advance that:
1. My left arm is more vertical than my right.
2. I do a weird thumb down/finger spread thing with my left hand. My coach wants me to fix this.

Today - EVF is better- April 8, 2009

Side view
http://www.floswimming.org/videos/pl...2009-side-view

Frontal view
http://www.floswimming.org/videos/pl...2009-head-view

Last Summer - working on EVF but not satisfied - August 3, 2008
http://www.floswimming.org/videos/pl...hop-in-houston

Winter 2007 - before work on EVF - January 13, 2007
http://www.floswimming.org/videos/pl...51-jan-13-2007

These video clips are currently public and viewable by anyone. I will leave them PUBLIC through Sunday, April 12, 2009. After that time, they will be viewable by my friends and team mates on floswimming.org

I hope that those interested in EVF in TI will find these clips educational. Of course, I invite constructive comments.

Clark

[terry]

Clark
You're definitely doing EVF earlier and more "assertively/decisively" than previously.
At the same time these videos also illustrate how subtle and elusive this technique can be. I have no doubt that you've devoted many dozens of hours, and much brainpower -- via narrow and intense focus to a vanishingly brief moment of the stroke -- on making this improvement. Likewise I suspect that the difference in sensation it produces is significant. Even so, it requires careful examination by a viewer to distinguish the actual change in timing and elbow-elevation.
I wish we could see a surface view to learn how you transition from what you describe in the "rag doll" thread as a flat recovery, to entry and extension. One clue I can draw is that your arm position prior to the upper-arm-rotation that leads to EVF is much flatter than mine as shown in the Easy Freestyle DVD.
Your next Kaizen opportunity, if you can do so without impingement, could be to spear to Catch at a steeper angle. This would result in applying backward pressure from hand and forearm, from the very first moment, rather than passing through a brief period of pressure applied in some other direction.
However I suspect that you keep the initial period of pressure as light as possible, as you've likely discovered this is essential to the elbow elevation that results in EVF.

It would be most enlightening if you could post some details on the process you followed over the last two years to achieve this improvement, and what focal points or sensations guide you now in keeping it tuned up and consistent.

[mjm]

Clark: excellent technique! Nice two-beat kick. However, when you breathe to your right you tend to drift a little to your left.

Mark Russell on Floswimming discusses freestyle breathing. Mark believes in a quick, early breath, like Michael Phelps, where the head is back aligned with the body BEFORE the left arm begins to stroke--not the head moving with the right shoulder. Phelps swims in such a straight line. See from :29 to :36

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax77_...om=PL&index=35

Mark Russell also discusses having an open mind concerning the evolution of freestyle technique--words I'm sure we both agree with strongly.

--mjm

[shuumai]

Originally Posted by RadSwim

Today - EVF is better- April 8, 2009

Looks excellent. I think you are a Clark-Thorpe now.

[RadSwim]

Originally Posted by terry

Clark
You're definitely doing EVF earlier and more "assertively/decisively" than previously.

It would be most enlightening if you could post some details on the process you followed over the last two years to achieve this improvement, and what focal points or sensations guide you now in keeping it tuned up and consistent.

Terry-

Thanks for your comments and suggestion. I posted a longer message on the Rag Doll thread.

I have written about EVF periodically throughout my journey, both on the old forum and on this one. If I can find the time, I will put my thoughts together into an article.

Look for some above-the-water video in this thread sometime over the weekend.

Clark

[Ghul]

Clark - interesting videos. Have your times improved after working on your catch?

Terry - I can see the logic of spearing down at an angle so the arm is in catch position. On most videos of elite athletes, though, they appear to hold their arms parallel to the surface before moving to the catch. Do you think this is because they have superior flexibility etc to us ordinary mortals?

[daveblt]

Looking good ! It looks like you tuned down your roll a bit from the first video where you were rolling almost 90 degrees !


Dave

[RadSwim]

Here is the URL for surface video. The camera was set on wide angle and there were water drops on the housing, so image quality is not as good as the underwater shots. I have used digital zoom to improve visibility. The side views are presented first as a full screen clip followed immediately by a digitally zoomed view of the same clip.

http://www.floswimming.org/videos/pl...8-2009-surface

Thanks to mjm, shuumai, Ghul and Dave for your encouragement.

I have gotten much faster over the past 2 years. My cruise pace for long swims (15 minute) has dropped from 2:15 to 1:45 per 100 yd. My pace for shorter intervals has dropped from 1:55 - 2:10 to 1:25 - 1:40. My top speed is currently just under 1:15 per 100.

I made some still images from the underwater clips. I couldn't be happier with my left catch, but my right is more diagonal than vertical -- it's OK but presents an opportunity for improvement.

I also notice that my right entry is not as wide as my left -- another opportunity.

Any advice on the most efficient way to post a sequence of still images? I'd be happy to post some stills and make a few additional technical comments.

Clark

[Richardsk]

Hi Clark

That's certainly impressive improvement and very enouraging. It is quite noticeable how much less you are rotating now than before and your kick looks very compact and forceful. I can't say I understand the principle of the Birmingham feather but it looks OK and obviously doesn't prejudice the catch. Your catch before seemed quite effective but was more of a straight-arm catch I think, so probably some of the effort was wasted in pushing down and pushing up. I was interested in the notion put forward by Dr Weisenthal that right-handers ought to breathe to the right. I'm not sure I agree. I am right-handed but have always breathed to the left and find it quite difficult to breathe to the right. I can do it if I concentrate. I understand the arguments for breathing both sides but don't really think there is a convincing argument for mandatory right-side breathing for right-handers.

[terry]

Clark
Thanks for posting the surface video. What it shows is that you're doing essentially what we advocate.
What I consider to be the most critical aspects of recovery/entry are:
1) Hand-forearm-elbow enter in that order, and at an angle.
2) Hand follows a nearly-straight path from exit to entry.
3) Elbow also follows a nearly-straight path, remaining outside or wider than the plane of the torso.
4) Forearm and hand are relaxed (this is the rag doll aspect).
Your video shows nearly all of that.
Possible improvements I can see from the video include:
1) More consistently keep the right hand on its Track at entry. (sometimes strays inside)
2) More fully relax forearm-wrist-hand.
3) Minimize clearance between fingertips and surface.

Neither should increase the possibility of impingement.

I think your concerns about rag doll emphasis possibly increasing danger of impingement came from conflating the aims of the ZSwitch drills, with the whole-stroke outcome they are designed to produce. In ZSwitch we do emphasize having the elbow lead the wrist for as long as possible, but I believe our emphasis on having the suspended arm be about as far from the body as your humerus allows -- along with the emphasis on softening the arm -- eliminates risk of impingement for most people.
In OverSwitch and whole stroke, the elbow-leading emphasis of ZSwitch should result naturally in a relaxed recovery with fingertips barely above the surface -- about as relaxed and healthy a movement as possible.

Your progress in cruise times is impressive and that focus is suitable for improving your distance swimming. Have you stated your goals anywhere on this Forum?