underswitch to wholestroke??

[dgk2009]

I've been working hard on skating and underswitch and have become very comfortable with both,feeling balanced relaxed and breathing without lifting my head like on a pillow,nice wide tracks,but when I go back to wholestroke it all falls apart,trouble with keeping wide tracks and arm drop while breathing,will this click in time??any ideas would help.

[bx]

Originally Posted by dgk2009

I've been working hard on skating and underswitch and have become very comfortable with both,feeling balanced relaxed and breathing without lifting my head like on a pillow,nice wide tracks,but when I go back to wholestroke it all falls apart,trouble with keeping wide tracks and arm drop while breathing,will this click in time??any ideas would help.

I'll put my non-coach (and non-coached) tuppenceworth in on this...

Last year I spent a good 7 months on underswitch/underskate, until I could likewise manage rhythmic breathing. I thought that the transition to arm recovery over water would be an easy matter and I'd soon be swimming whole stroke.

I was wrong. The introduction of having the recovery arm out of water presents another ratcheting-up in the difficulty in maintaining lateral balance. Of course, that is why the swing skate / Zen skate drills exist!

My "advice" from someone who's just been going through this transition too would be:-

1. Forget the breathing for now.

2. Do lots of slow swing skate / zen skate / zipperswitch drills to get the lateral balance wired in. The fore/aft balance dynamic will be different too.

3. Practise swimming without breathing until this feels good.

4. For me personally, for breathing, I found UNCO one-arm freestyle drills (passive arm moulded to thigh, or held out straight at shoulder's-width) a one-shot quick fix to get breathing. It just fixed it for me in one hour. I think I had the common error of breathing too late in the recovery phase. YMMV.

Hope you get some input from others too!

[dgk2009]

yeah I just started working on one arm drills.

[helixfairweather]

I am using the PMF DVD. The first switching type drill is Spear Switch. Is that the same as what you all call "under switch". There's a lot of switches being mentioned! Could someone put together those name that are the same thing?

Thank you!
Helix Fairweather
Keizer, OR

[bx]

I knew there was a post about naming here somewhere:-

http://www.totalimmersion.net/forum/...8150#post18150

Originally Posted by helixfairweather

I am using the PMF DVD. The first switching type drill is Spear Switch. Is that the same as what you all call "under switch". There's a lot of switches being mentioned! Could someone put together those name that are the same thing?

Thank you!
Helix Fairweather
Keizer, OR

[Richardsk]

Thanks for that link,bx,

It's good to be reminded that the new names are not just different names for the same things, and that the intent of the drills is also slightly different.

[dgk2009]

yes spear switch as it is called now.

[helixfairweather]

Thank you, everyone! That's very helpful.

Helix Fairweather

[CoachSuzanne]

UNCO is such an unfortunate name for a drill. Stands for uncoordinated. The idea of course is to BE coordinated and it requires patience in the moment...and can be quickly improved upon if one is deliberate. Naming it UNCO makes it seem like it should always be a difficult drill