Fixing the grip

[Talvi]

Originally Posted by sclim

Life is short, and getting shorter
and art long, oh God, is it ever long
opportunity fleeting, less than an hour before my brain craps out
experience perilous, air, quick, gimme air... gulp, glug, gurgle, gasp arggh
and decision difficult. hmmm... TT fast? or SPL low? alternate breathing? or same side then switch sides every length?

LoL I think you may have discovered that Hippocrates was a swimmer! ;)

A happy new year of contented lengths to you Sclim

[Zenturtle]

These 3 videos show that getting a good grip is more than only an armpull.(but a good armpull can help)
Basically, its telling the whole story about what swimming is all about.
Pictures speak louder than words.

From advanced to beginners

advanced:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyJA...QCEDHBpOHgf-yA

intermediate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdXj...gf-yA&index=29

beginners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-ri...QCEDHBpOHgf-yA

Its not TI, but a lot of TI focal points can be seen in the advanced swimmers stroke.

[Talvi]

Originally Posted by Zenturtle

These 3 videos show that getting a good grip is more than only an armpull....

I watched the advanced one but ... can you point out what you are referring to in these thrtee clips?

[Zenturtle]

From stumbling newborns to

Total body control.

Looking at it , it seems a lot of learning swimming is simply a matter of
practice makes perfect.

Ever watched people who work with their hands? Endless repetition in itself already makes their movements gracefull, fast and efficient.
A lot of this has happened in people who swum 10 years or even more.

Being older, it takes us even more repetions to master it.
Being mindfull can help a bit.

[WFEGb]

Hello Suzanne,

long time ago, but I'll take up the thread again. Thank aouf or your answers.

Originally Posted by CoachSuzanne

Terry also has essential tremor...a fine shaking of his hands. That could be what you're seeing, OR you could be seeing the searching augmented by the ET making it appear more dramatic that what your minds eye feels it should be.
....

Can't argue with a medical doctor. And sure I took too much into it. Didn't find those fingermovements in Terry's UEF.. any more. You can see it in the front view from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC8ZZZhabp4

in 2:13 and following strokes. (BTW a medical off topic question: Will a Tremor stay visible when using the hand with some force?)

Originally Posted by CoachSuzanne

Don't flap? Add some wrist tone. This is the whole discovery of the catch. A gentle 'break' in the wrist accompanied by a gentle 'break' in the elbow will allow anyone to start forming the catch regardless of their flexibility. It's actual appearance will differ from person to person given different flexibilities.

Yes, right. But when just adding some wrist tone I'll ad some felt drag. Forming the catch in one soft movement starting at wrist without drag, as you wrote, will take some attention and focus work.

Best regards,
Werner

[WFEGb]

Hello,

back again, a longer post...

Worked last two months in getting back to former state as near as possible. Had this thread in mind and was guided from. When started again in regular pooltimes most disappointing was my lost recovery stroke which I'd found as side effect from Suzanne's FF-course last year.

So started with less than 200m repeats. At least 1000m per pool time seldom more than 2000m. Worked with TT, tried to have in mind faster SRs dealing with my SPL-gap. Swam mainly in LCM, because even if crowdy it's better to swim undisturbed.

Started with a warmup from broken (first times) to now continues 300m-500m. (Mainly to get the dayfeeling...)

TT start set was at 1,6s (first times) going down in 0.2s or 0.4s steps until upper greenzone was torned. (Always 100m because I have to breathe every two. One lap right, one left side.)

What I realized:

- The gap of two or three strokes more per lap does not appear at same times or same SPLs. (Can't find out where the differences are... But glad it seems to get smaller...)

- I'm now down at start TTs at 1,3s than down to 1,1s. (SPLs 42/43 and then 46/47) These (for me) faster SRs become a little more "swimable". And even a focus beside catching the bong becomes more often possible.

- At rates at 1,3s and faster I have to focus on not putting force into the stroke, otherwise this will be my last laps this day.

- I do need at least 30s rest time after each 100s (when below 1,3s). Glad if I have to wait a little more time to fit in the row again. Although my 100m-times are less than 2min, this will not hold in continues swims.

- Before cool down I swim two laps with start time again... That's nearly comfy and can mostly be expanded to four laps (unfortunately with one or two SPL more than at start time...)

- Focus points beside the mentioned next lines are my old friends (or should I say enemies?): Stable head as anker (no turning together with body except when breathing), relaxed neck (relaxed is a little looking forward) even when breathing, relaxed recovery arms (hard with higher TTs), alignment with spine and surface parallel legs.

- Two unwanted new points appeared: At higher TTs I find my left arm starts a right-left-motion when spearing and going to catch (can get rid of it, when focusing in wide track...) And last but not least at higher TTs my stroking arm helps to rotate the body because gravity effect seems to slow. It seems there's much work to do in adjusting hip-kick-stroke timing. FPs are infinite and don't vanish...

In my pooltimes I mostly took with me

- Suzanne's DDD
- ZT's not rip the thread - idea
- Charles' unknown child: No kick, left kick, right kick, normal stroke
- No bopping, backhead just breaking surface
- Wide tracks especially on left side
- relaxed recovery
- 2BK with long legs (nearly) unbent knee felling the kick only on the feet. (put TT's bongs to kick...)
- Getting stroke's force from body rotation not stroke's force to
body rotation
- Rattle's FP "Rhythm is it"...

Most are pretty impossible at rates below 1.3-1.2s, but it seems to improve slowly...

Sometimes just took a relaxed swim with wandering FPs without TT. Glad I've gotten a recovery back (1600m in 35min is slow, but didn't wind me up last time...)

Today even more short in time than normaly: 500m warm up, 3x200m with 1.4s (41-43SPLs) 300m with 1,4s and 42-45SPLs... So I think it's possible to find state of last year anywhere in future.

Hints, comments, critique welcome as always.

Best regards,
Werner

PS: Still have in mind put all goodies of this thread together into a small program...