General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming Rss Feed  
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2004-04-17 3:36 AM

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Singapore
Subject: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
I am learning how to swim freestyle since 15 March 2004 and have the following video clip of myself swimming. Can anyone please give me advice on how to improve or correct my freestyle swimming technique.Any advice, help or constructive criticism would be welcomed.
legs sinking hand movement wrong?one hand starts to pull before the other hand extends straight etc...

Each .mov video file(use apple quicktime viewer to view video) is 3275KB insize so it would take quite a while for the page to be displayed properly.
Freestyle video clip 1 at
http://tri2swim1.tripod.com

Freestyle video clip 2 at
http://tri2swim2.tripod.com

Breaststroke video clip 1 at
http://tri2swim3.tripod.com

Breaststroke video clip 2 at
http://tri2swim4.tripod.com


2004-04-17 5:18 AM
in reply to: #19000

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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Don,t know why tripod removed my web page without warning anyway the video clip are now at the following

Freestyle video clip 1 is now at
http://tri2swim11.tripod.com

Freestyle video clip 2 is now at
http://tri2swim12.tripod.com

2004-04-17 5:43 AM
in reply to: #19006

Veteran
111
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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
And for the video clip for breaststroke remains unchanged at

Breaststroke video clip 1 at
http://tri2swim3.tripod.com

Breaststroke video clip 2 at
http://tri2swim4.tripod.com

Let me know if you have problems viewing the web site...
2004-04-17 6:40 PM
in reply to: #19000

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Pro
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Broomfield, Colorado
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Hey there. Wasn't able to open the freestyle (I did not try the breaststroke). Of course my computer is ancient.......

Hope someone can help!
2004-04-17 7:08 PM
in reply to: #19000

Champion
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Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Same here. All of the clips show up as "file not there"
2004-04-17 7:58 PM
in reply to: #19000

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Sydney
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Well the second post of links worked yesterday, perhaps they removed your site if you infringed on the "Tripod Terms of Service"? Maybe they didnt approve of you in your speedo's?!


2004-04-17 9:26 PM
in reply to: #19112

Veteran
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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
ha! ha! very funny.... :-) it worked ok yesterday right ? Don,t know why they removed it didn,t seem to infringed on the "Tripod Terms of Service"? Maybe it just took too long and use up too much of it's bandwidth so they just removed it. What is so frustrating is that they did it without giving you any warning or email.......It's free and they have every legal right to do so......

It was just a simple web page with a video clip embedded in it.
Anyway I,ll post the video clip(.avi format DivX codec) on sony's www.imagestation.com for download and you can post your comments there as well. I,ll post the links later...

Pro Rider, you've seen the clips any advice on how to improve my swimming or what I did wrong?
2004-04-17 9:31 PM
in reply to: #19000

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Sydney
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
hehe, nah, not from me... a drowning donkey could give better advice on swimming. strictly running and riding atm. you could try some other web publishing sites like geocities or netfirms.com...

.::aidan::.
2004-04-18 7:40 PM
in reply to: #19109

Veteran
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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
The swimming video clips is at the following
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4287129529&code=9227039&mode=...
The password is itri
Each of the 4 video clip(.mpg) about 3Mb.
Just download and run.
I take about 26 cycles or 52 strokes just to swim 50m, very inefficient.
Please give me your feedback or ways to improve my swimming technique. Thanks.
2004-04-18 10:16 PM
in reply to: #19000

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Central Louisiana
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
I looked at your video and based on the clip the one thing that I see that might be a problem is at the end of your stroke.  I looked like to me that you were giving up on your stroke.  It appeared that you could be losing some power by ending your stroke to early.  It is hard to tell from a short video clip.  Just my two cents.

Edited by Michael 2004-04-18 10:19 PM
2004-04-18 10:26 PM
in reply to: #19000

Member
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Portland, Oregon
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Steven,

Not being an expert swimmer myself (I jumped into the pool for the first time 2 months ago), I recently purchased a freestyle DVD from www.totalimmersion.net. It has been tremendous. Just after practicing the first set of drills on balance, I have already taken 5 strokes off of a 25 meter distance. From your video, it looks like your head is too high out of the water, especially when you are breathing. Hope this helps and happy laps :-)


2004-04-18 10:27 PM
in reply to: #19924

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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
you are refering to the 2 freestyle video clip right.Could you please explain what you mean by "ending your stroke too early" do you mean that I should glide more on the side? stay in the position of one hand extended staight and the other hand just coming out of the water at the back of the head......does anyone know of any free video clips of good swimmers available online?
2004-04-18 10:37 PM
in reply to: #19925

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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
I have got the total immersion book from the local library but I think you have to get coaching from a good TI coach in order to do it correctly. It is also very expensive and cost $$$ for me to attend the two day totalimmersion workshop...
Yes my head is way too high out of the water, especially when I am breathing.
I tried not too and tilt just enough for me to breathe at the side but after a while I end up drinking a lot of water and out of breathe...how to complete 1500m???
Breaststroke is a lot easier when it comes to breathing cause your whole head is out of the water when breathing.
2004-04-18 10:48 PM
in reply to: #19927

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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Swimming would be so much more enjoyable if we can just breathe underwater like a fish......
2004-04-18 10:51 PM
in reply to: #19927

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Central Louisiana
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Imagine your self bending over doing a tricep kickback.  You would extend your forearm straight back until you forearm was level with your tricep.  On your stroke it looked like from the angle of the camera that you are not extending your stroke until your arm was all the way back.  I don't really know alot about TI, but my swim coach told me to think of the end of the stroke just like a tricep kick back.  Does that make sense?  I am by no means a swim coach and probably some of the swimmers on the board can give their input,
2004-04-18 11:02 PM
in reply to: #19934

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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
So what you're saying is I did not pull my hand all the way back when my hand is in the water..
I did a frame by frame viewing of my freestyle swimming and I don,t see it. but anyway thanks for the advice I,ll keep it in mind the next time I swim.


2004-04-19 2:53 AM
in reply to: #19000

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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Came across the following website with close up videos of some of the top swimmers in action.(Grant Hackett,Thorpe etc)
Have a look at it!
www.swim.ee/videos
www.wa.swimming.org.au/html/coaching/videos/
2004-04-19 8:13 AM
in reply to: #19924

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Singapore
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Micheal I think you're right I should push more to the back or extend my arm all the way back....
2004-04-20 2:38 AM
in reply to: #19981

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Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
I have now taken a consious effort to keep one eye in the water when breathing so my head does not stick out of the water and to pull all the way back and straighten the arm like a tricep kickback before bending the elbow and stretching forward.I can only do 100m this way before I run out of breath.
I now take about 47 or 48 strokes(24 cycles) for a 50m lap.Still very slow and inefficient. Good swimmers take less than 30 strokes or so to cover 50m lap.....
There are more than 50 hits or visits to my photo album so many more must have seen it.Can any good swimmers or swim experts, please give me some advice or help or drills on how to improve my freestyle....
2004-04-20 7:23 AM
in reply to: #19000


22

Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
when i coached swimming, i noticed many newbies that rushed their stroke at the "the top," similar to you.

#1-extend your hand at the top and enter further "out"
#2-do not begin pull back at the top with one arm, until the other has reached the exact same plane length-this is one of the most important principles of efficient swimming. within a microsecond, both arms will actually be even in the water streamlining together. if you need help visualizing this, type in "ian thorpe" and watch a clip of him swimming.
2004-04-20 8:39 AM
in reply to: #19000

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Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
I took a look at it. I'm probably not very good at giving suggestions on improving form. I raced on the swim teams at school for years. Best advice from me? Just remember, the bottom line is not to "look good"...it's to "go fast". Don't spend too much time trying to emulate what you think a good swimmer should look like. It's like teaching a newbie to hit a golf ball. Sometimes they get so wrapped up in the mechanics of the swing that they forget the ultimate goal is to just hit the ball.

Max

Edited by max 2004-04-20 8:41 AM


2004-04-20 9:12 AM
in reply to: #20222

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Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
I have downloaded the swimming videos of all the top swimmers such as Thorpe. Popov and Grant Hackett in action from the links above and examining them frame by frame in slow motion. I was a bit frustrated and disappointed at swimming freestyle and not going any faster or easier. I drank a lot of pool water during the initial stages of learning how to swim freestyle I still do but not as bad now.
I am swimming twice a week with a local tri club in the hope that I would be able to do the triathlon swimming event in freestyle instead of breaststroke now to preserve my legs for the next cycling/running event.I am still triing....
2004-05-06 2:41 AM
in reply to: #20245

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Owen
Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
A few drills,

-Swim with your hands in a fist. It will help you "grab" the water with your forarms.
-Drag your finger tips on the water, will help with form
-Work on your underwater pull, you saw the clips of the good swimmers, notice how thier bodies move over thier hands. Thier arm is bent at the elbow at about a 90 degree angle and thier arms are pointing strait down towards the bottom of the pool. Your hand may be slipping in the water. Tilt your wrist down towards the bottom of the pool at the start of your pull.
-Pratice your stroke on land. Walk while doing your freestyle pull. Pratice the perfect pull and remember to rotate your hips as you walk. It looks weird to others so maby do this alone.

Oh and swimmers like Thorp/ Phelps have been swimming for years, give your self some time

Hope this helps

Edited by Minkota 2004-05-06 2:56 AM
2004-05-06 4:03 PM
in reply to: #20214

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Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
Steven,
Your right, the instructor that I'm working with stressed 12 to 15 strokes per length, when I started I was using 24, the problem is at least in my case was my arms were overpowering my overall technique, as well as not getting as much glide per stroke as I should, Two drills she had me use to change this was Drill1) with a pattern using three strokes and on the fourth roll to take a breath and in the stretched glide position maintaining the roll to the side, hold this for a count of three. I found this to be difficult so I took two breaths in the rolled position.Drill2) When in the glide positon do not start the stroke with the leading arm untill the following arm the one comming up from behind touches the hand of the arm in lead. With these drills emphisis should be placed on using the core to roll from side to side with each glide making the roll for breath effortless and doable without lifting the head out of the water.

I breath through my nose mostly but when I come up for air I make a noise through my lips, the vibration of my lips clears what little water remains around my lips for a clean breath.

Total Imersion is good but the techniques have been around for a lot longer than total imersion in fact most of the techniques use by TI were developed by Olympic Coach Bill Boomer, my point is this, most adult stroke improvement classes if taught by a certified instructor with cover the very same techniques available in TI less the cost.
2004-05-10 1:00 AM
in reply to: #23358

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Subject: RE: Swimming advice or help needed on video clip of myself swimming
roxx,
"Your right, the instructor that I'm working with stressed 12 to 15 strokes per length, when I started I was using 24"
Per length you mean 25m right or is it 50m???
I have to take 45 strokes to complete a 50m lap now.
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