one arm freestyle drill from TI dvd

[terry]

Initially, as trichos related, you feel you must use 4B to 6BK. When you finally learn how to manage balance and stability when half the time you have no arm in front to help with that, it's magic. Then you can use 2BK and the lessons apply nicely to whole stroke.

[aquarius]

Thank you, Terry! Much appreciated.

[CoachGaryF]

I'm the contrarian in Florida who is not particularly wild about this single arm drill. Terry and I have talked about it a few times, and we mostly just have a different view here. Being adults we're okay with that. We'll be working together this weekend in Coral Springs, so maybe he'll convince me that I should rethink my take on the single arm drill. I've seen so many do it so horribly wrong that I've just abandoned it for simpler drills that, in my view, have a greater up side and less perilous down side. I'm looking forward to this weekend and Terry's 4-drill sequence for each of the other competitive strokes. He sounds pretty upbeat about this pared down approach, and maybe that's my aversion to the single arm drill. Complicated to get right, and my hunch is that more swimmers give up on it than find the magic in it. I'll re-post here with a Thanksgiving-sized serving of crow if Terry can win me over on this one! (I have a good friend and part-time assistant out of Atlanta who is a 2004/2008 Olympian. He hates the single arm drill--says it's one of the few things that makes him feel awkward in the water.)

[CoachSuzanne]

Gary...

I hated 1 - armed drill until Terry showed/ told me how to do it right.

I understand your aversion, but it's one of my favorite drills. . once terry set me straight that is!!

[haschu33]

What is the one-arm drill and from which DVD is it?

[azamy]

Originally Posted by haschu33

What is the one-arm drill and from which DVD is it?

It is actually "Single arm practice" from the perpetual motion freestyle DVD. Lesson 9 of the PMF practicing with one arm to maintain better balance.

I would like to add that I mostly do the single arm practice with one arm in the spear position and extended and swim with the other arm, that way I can focus on the hip drive and my 2bk. After a few sets of drills whole stroke feels so easy and exciting ;)

[CoachJohnB]

Originally Posted by CoachSuzanne

Gary...

I hated 1 - armed drill until Terry showed/ told me how to do it right.

I understand your aversion, but it's one of my favorite drills. . once terry set me straight that is!!

I still hate 1 arm freestyle drills, esp. for newer swimmers. They look like fish flopping on the ground but in the water.

I am in complete agreement with Gary and his friend in Atlanta on how this drill. In my opinion, there are more bad things a person can learn from this drill than they can gain from this drill, esp. if balance or breath timing is still an issue.

I say focus on simplier thoughts that help whole body movement.

[jenson1a]

Just out of curiosity Coach Suzanne, what types of insights did Terry offer that set you straight on the 1 arm drill?

I have not been doing it because I found it too difficult and I had bigger fish to fry (breathing, stroke rate, balance drills, TT and focal point to let legs just go along for the ride instead of the 2 beat kick).

Sherry

[CharlesCouturier]

Originally Posted by CoachJohnB

I still hate 1 arm freestyle drills, esp. for newer swimmers. They look like fish flopping on the ground but in the water.

I am in complete agreement with Gary and his friend in Atlanta on how this drill. In my opinion, there are more bad things a person can learn from this drill than they can gain from this drill, esp. if balance or breath timing is still an issue.

I say focus on simplier thoughts that help whole body movement.

There's a learning component to swimming, no doubt about this. The way I see things, there's also an adaptation component, the later being much more basic than the former. All those swimmers who begin at early age and who do swim a lot, not thinking that much are undergoing an adaptation process, which often allows them to become what they are, without necessarily understanding how this adaptation process changed them.

Single Arm drill, especially the version with the passive arm along side the body, promotes learning by necessity. The Necessity is a very strong driver for adaptation. I'm a big proponent of adapting by necessity, but in the same time I am aware that several coaches do prefer avoiding committing swimmers to drills that are far too difficult given their actual level, and it's perfectly fine too.

[CoachToddE]

I agree with Coaches Gary and John that I have seen way too many swimmers do this drill incorrectly and have often thought that they must be hurting themselves. On the other hand I like Coach Suzanne do like this drill. I think the main problem with almost all swimmers who try this drill is that they are too much in a rush and don't take the time with the drill causing the propulsion to start when the stroking arm is down before the body has had a chance to start to rotate to the opposite side. When I do this drill I am always last in the lane and really focus on the spear and rotation and breathing to the opposite side to help make sure I fully rotate and then initiate hip and shoulder rotation before I initiate the propulsion allowing myself to really achieve a EVF and effective propulsion. Patience is the key to this drill. Most swimmers swim drills at the same pace they swim full stroke and miss the point of the drills.