Request for your suggestion on my videos

[Rajan]

Dear All,

I am attaching my videos on swimming. Please do comment:

Swing Drill -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq9TgOuiMhk

First time I tried two beat kick technique to rotate. Although I I splashed during the two beat kick, it helped me to rotate. Here are the videos.

Video - 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjALG-fN6_Q


Video- 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPBBZZaiRuQ

Video - 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZuVVAHG-lw

Video - 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2LTe1apiOs

Please do comment.

sorry for posting the videos in parts as I don't know how to combine all these videos.

Regards

Rajan

[Rajan]

Dear All,

Please comment.

[Richardsk]

Hi Rajan

The main thing I notice is that you do not seem to be pointing your toes and as a result your kick is not very propulsive. I think you should do more superman glide practice and concentrate on pointing your toes. Then go to superman glide with a small flutter kick.

Your arm strokes also seem excessively slow and gentle, which provides almost no propulsion. I'm not suggesting that you should rip at the water but your switch (the change from one side to the other) should be brisk.

Perhaps more skilled TI people than I am will also comment.

[CoachToddE]

Rajan, I've put comments after each video segment below.

Originally Posted by Rajan

Dear All,

I am attaching my videos on swimming. Please do comment:

Swing Drill -

Swing Drill looks like you've done a lot of work on it--very good. Some fine points as Richardsk mentioned, point your toes but I'd try and relax the power of the kick to a smaller lighter kick meant only to keep your feet at the surface and not worry about propulsion with this kick. The other point to focus on is when you retract the arm back to your side watch that you put the arm in the pocket/front side position with the arm fully extended--so you don't have the elbow bent upward. You look very relaxed.


First time I tried two beat kick technique to rotate. Although I I splashed during the two beat kick, it helped me to rotate. Here are the videos.

Video - 1

Again I see good improvement. You are holding your skate edge really well until you spear to switch sides. Your kick appears to be timed for the opposite leg and arm, however, because you are continually kicking it is difficult to feel the true effect of the 2 beat kick. Again same as above, relax the kick more, point your toes so the feet are not at a 90 degree angle, and then stop your kick completely right before you are going to spear/switch and only kick with that opposite foot.


Video- 2

You are doing a good job on keeping your wide tracks on spearing and the angle appears to be correct.

Video - 3

Looks good. Nice pool where is it?

Video - 4

Didn't catch it in the other videos but noticed that you appear to be more patient in keeping the lead arm out longer when the right arm is extended then on the left side.

Looks like you have been working hard. Keep it up.

[WFEGb]

Hi Rajan,

just CoachToddE wrote an answer which is undoubtedly far more valuabel than my 2ct. But now I wrote it and you shall get it...

1) Seems to me you're doing the drill in quiet serenity. That's very good. But to get a feel for a good grip there has to be a little more action as Richardsk wrote.

2) Maybe the refraction of light in water, but seems to me that you're spearing a little bit too wide. It seems off your shoulders. But CoachToddE says it's Ok, so it should be.

3) Same as in (2), but it looks as if you're not always straight at your hips. Maybe there's a 2°-5° angle which causes sometimes your large scissored kick to counteract (or strengthen) your rotation.

Regards from an other one trying to swim the TI-way,
Werner

[Rajan]

Dear Coach Todd, Richard and Werner,

Thanks for your comments. I have noted the mistakes that you have highlighted in my stroke.

Coach Todd - That pool is in Delhi. you have appreciated me in your comments and that encouraged me to continue my swim practice with full efforts.

Regards

Rajan

[marry]

hi , i am a new member here .your video is very interesting and help me a lot to know about swimming .you have done a great job and can you give some tips about what to eat before or after swim .
thanks!

[azamy]

Rajan Jee,

Good and hard work so far. I would suggest that you add a few laps of whole stroke in your practice sessions beside working on the drills. It might sound weird but I learned TI freestyle mostly doing the whole stroke, maybe because I was too impatient to do countless laps of drills :D so I put all the pressure I could on my brain and muscles to fix everything in the whole stroke.

I would not suggest my method to others as one size doesn't fit all so keep up with your drills and add a few laps of whole stroke. Enjoy!

Good luck

P.S I like that pool too ;)

[Rajan]

Thanks for your advice. Will implement in my swimming.

Hearing "jee" from a person living in Afghanistan gave smile on my face.

Regards

Rajan

Originally Posted by azamy

Rajan Jee,

Good and hard work so far. I would suggest that you add a few laps of whole stroke in your practice sessions beside working on the drills. It might sound weird but I learned TI freestyle mostly doing the whole stroke, maybe because I was to impatient to do countless laps of drills :D so I put all the pressure I could on my brain and muscles to fix everything in the whole stroke.

I would not suggest my method to others as one size doesn't fit all so keep up with your drills and add a few laps of whole stroke. Enjoy!

Good luck

P.S I like that pool too ;)

[CoachGaryF]

My thoughts on video 1: I prefer being a bit more rotated on "swing" drills, as it helps me stay more stable. Otherwise I feel like I'm fighting gravity, trying not to fall to a flat position. I'm fine with exaggerating rotation in drills with the understanding that I don't rotate that much when I swim. At the end of the clip you were clearly exhaling almost the whole time. I prefer to lightly hold my breath when in an extended face down position. I can stay there longer, it eliminates feeling anxious for air (empty lungs crave air) and eventually the air you dump will affect your buoyancy.

Clip 2: I would put a bit more 'pop' into the completion of your exchanges. Doing the drill so slowly has its benefits, but also its drawbacks. I doubt that you are experiencing a dynamic weight shift on your exchanges. Practicing movement as choreography has its place. So does incorporating rhythm, flow and, for lack of a better word, intensity.

Clip 3: If you pause at the 25 second mark you'll see the position of the trailing arm is elevated (elbow bent) and above your body. Let it trail next to your torso as both a resting point and the place that you want to initiate the recovery. I feel the underside of my bicep lightly next to my pectoral muscle, the only place my arm makes contact with my body. You'll be a bit more stable and the initial swing movement will more closely mimic what you're after in whole stroke swimming.

Clip 4: Your exchange from left arm forward to right seems exaggerated, more on the order of catch up drill. You're spearing first and stroking/spearing second. Try to initiate and FINISH those two movements at about the same time--hit peak extension in front as your stroking arm arrives in the back. Yours could be synchronized a little better. Waiting as you do also short circuits the benefit of the weight shift, like the pendulum on a clock stopping at the number 6. You've stopped in a flat belly position, and will now have to exert more energy to get to a rotated position on the 'new' side.

I don't know where you are in the learning process (if this is all pretty new, what your movements looked like prior to studying TI) but you're doing a nice job with the basic mechanics. Don't be shy about being a bit more dynamic during the exchange moment. From the time I initiate the exchange to the time I finish it (meaning I have a new 'lead' arm and a new 'trailing' arm) takes less than 1 full second. Your "switch" beginning around the :30 second mark takes about 3 seconds to complete, from the first spear movement with the left arm to the completion of the stroke with the right.

Hope that's reasonably clear and maybe helpful.