Superman glide vs. Streamlined glide

[westyswoods]

No I was able to get pictures with narrative. Try going directly to their sight and opening.

Swim Silent and Be Well
Westy

[solothesailor]

Originally Posted by TIJoe

When I open this link, no pictures are displayed in my browser (all red crosses). You guys don't have the same problem?

Maybe it's that ... in the link. The full address is
http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1645&Alias=Rainbow&Lang =en&mid=702&ItemId=700

[terry]

Returning to Joe's original question, here are a couple of relatively simple thoughts about the difference tween Superman and Streamlined Glides.

While swimming in a pool, you use Streamlined Glide only briefly, only underwater, and only when not stroking. I.E. on the pushoff. The rest of the length you really are in a modified version Superman Glide position, alternating one arm forward then the other, but with each in the same position relative to head and spine as they were during SG.

Also, when practicing Superman Glide, you are consciously focused on relaxing muscles and releasing tension.

When practicing Streamline Glide you are consciously focused on tensing muscles.

Which would you rather imprint as a habit?

[TIJoe]

Originally Posted by terry

...
Also, when practicing Superman Glide, you are consciously focused on relaxing muscles and releasing tension.

When practicing Streamline Glide you are consciously focused on tensing muscles.

Which would you rather imprint as a habit?

Thanks Terry. I think this is a very important distinction. For the past couple of weeks I have restarted the superman glide practice with a focus on relaxing arm muscles and as a result, I got my bottom floating up fairly easily. Unfortunately, I am still not able to keep it there for long. In a few seconds, my legs start to sink and I get all tensed up.

On a related note, I find it a bit difficult to swim relaxed yet with a core tension. I have no problem swimming relaxed at slow speed, but then my whole body feels floppy. If I straighten my core, the my arms get the tension as well.

[solothesailor]

Originally Posted by TIJoe

Not sure how you reached such a conclusion. I thought it was because Terry was trying to demonstrate how to spear steeper to get better balance in his teaching video. But when he swims in his normal stroke in open water, he spears a lot flatter. Same with Shinji in his most popular youtube video, many on this forum have commented he did not seem to spear that deep.

Firstly, salt water (also river/lake water) is denser than pool water so you float more. Take it to the extreme, you'd float on sand ie can't sink; and the other extreme you'd sink in air ie can't float.

I think that Terry is a bit less float-y than his daughter or Shinji so even in the pool it seems Terry needed (or demonstrated that many sinkers would need) to spear more deeply to help weigh the front down and pivot/see-saw the back half up. That's why he asked us to experiment for ourselves. His daughter and Shinji being more of a floatie seems clearly to need the lead hand in a more horizontal position for their proper balance. When swimming in open water Terry, and everyone else especially when wearing wetsuits, floats more therefore needs to spear more shallowly.

Also as you can see in Easy Freestyle Superman glide and particularly laser lead, legs can/will sink unless you use flutter kick which in this case is not much to do with speed but with the crosswise vector force of pushing down on the water to help float the back half up.

Anyway, this is just my view so far -after a lot of thoughts trying to understand the how's and why's. Cheers