2018.05 Private Lesson Series Shree.ai

1. Superman Frame
2. Long, firm Skate Position
3. ‘Send Force Forward’ through the Recovery Arm Swing
4. Optimal Arm-Switch Timing

Superman and Skate Drills

• Superman
• Superman to Skate

Superman and Skate Focal Points

• Tippy Toes
• Keep arms soft (like a tree branch)
• Back hand tucked deep into pocket

Recovery Swing

1. The shoulder joint ‘opens up’, sliding parallel to the spine, to swing freely, with the least tension or internal resistance.
2. The swing of the arm builds momentum in the forward-only direction.
3. The swing of the arm is fluid, almost weightless feeling.

1. The exit – how the elbow and forearm-hand will leave the water
2. The recovery swing – how the shoulder and arm move from back to forward position
3. The entry – how the arm is position to enter the water, and the pathway it follows (we’ll focus on this during our next session)

Recovery Drills

• Skate
• One-Arm Recovery Swing (a.k.a. ‘Swing Skate’) (in slow motion)
• Two-Arm Recovery Swing (a.k.a. ‘Swing Switch’)
• Superman + 4 Strokes
• Interrupted Breathing Position (a.k.a. Sweet Spot Breathing)

Exit Focal Points

• Swing elbow wide (swing out, not up behind the back)
• Exit The Sleeve (pull forearm and hand out of water as if extracting from a jacket sleeve)
• No splash exit (the arm slips quietly out of the water)

Recovery Focal Points

• Swing hand a bit wider (create equilateral triangle shape)
• Lead with shoulder, to elbow then wrist
• Relaxed forearm and hand (‘rag doll arm’)
• Drag the knuckles (‘paint brush’)
• Elbow reaches shoulder line before wrist
• Keep fingertips in contact with surface (a.k.a. ‘dragonfly fingertips’)
• Swing the bag forward

You may view images of these standard TI drill positions on the Freestyle Drill Resources page, you may view videos for some of these drills on the Video Tutorial page, and examine other useful focal points for Recovery and Entry on the 101 Focal Points page.

Additional Notes:

• We also examined the critical point of pressure throughout the stroke cycle. The Catch and the Recovery arm should move smoothly and at the same rate. Think relaxed and continuous.
• Remember to extend the Catch arm all the way to the hip before Exiting into the Recovery Swing.
• Once you have completed the drills and focal point, repeat while exhaling drilling the drills.

Here are some helpful videos from Coach Mat that you may find useful in your understanding and application of the most recent skills we explored together.

Balance

Core Muscle and Extension

Dry-Land Stroke Rehearsals

Dry-Land Stroke Rehearsal

Entry Arm Position Rehearsal

Recovery Arm Explained

Elbow and Over Rotation

Session 5 of 6 – September 4, 2018

Arm Switch Timing (Continued…)

How To Work With Combinations

You start with paying attention to the connection of two synchronization points at a time (like AB, or BC), examining and refining them. After working with related pairs for a while, you may ‘zoom out’ to hold attention on hold three points at a time (like ABC), feeling how they all work together. In the end, you intend to have all four working in smooth synchronicity, but it will be easier to arrive at that when you work on these in pairs, rotating through the combinations.

Eventually, all the individual pieces are brought together here in the full stroke to create a smooth, powerful, synchronized, whole-body propulsive movement.

Synchronization Propulsion Combination explains more of the Arm Switch Timing we discussed that the beginning of the session.

• AB Synchronization Introduction
• AC Synchronization Introduction
• BC Synchronization Introduction

For now, we have omitted D (Foot Press).

Using a Tempo trainer for Synchronization while still working on the stroke basic positions can quickly distract our nervous system, as you saw. While learning stroke sensations, split you time between no tempo trainer and tempo trainer. The failure point, the point at which the stroke falls apart, can show as the line from which to work. Listen to your body, it will tell you.

How The Catch/Hold Fits In

Let’s review the four essential features of the freestyle stroke we need to make sure are in place for you to experience the ‘magic’ of the stroke:

1. The Torpedo Frame
2. Long, firm Skate Position
3. ‘Send Force Forward’ through the Recovery Arm Swing
4. Optimal Arm-Switch Timing

In the second lesson we worked on feature #3 and touched on feature #4. In this lesson we will build another piece of #3 and then tie it back into #4.

In the last lesson we began to pull pieces of the stroke together – the recovery swing, entry and arm switch timing. When these come together they allow you to  ‘touch the magic’ – that moment you feel some acceleration in each stroke that comes from well-shaped, well-timed movements.

To build upon the arm switch timing you started to develop (indirectly) in the previous lesson, in this lesson we examined the catch (a.k.a. the underwater pull/push as it is known in the conventional swimming world). We call it the ‘catch’ and ‘hold’ because our orientation is about holding a point in the water and sliding the body forward, past that point. Our emphasis is on the body moving forward, not on pushing water backward.

This effective forward propulsion depends on the three components each doing their part and being well-synchronized with the others:

• the Catch generates a wave of force
• the Torso Rotation transfers that wave of force from the catch side to the entry/extension side of the body
• the Entry/Extension into Skate Position delivers that wave of force into forward motion

The Catch

The better you perform the catch, the bigger the wave of force you may transmit to the other side of the body.

The quality of this wave depends on:

1. The shape of your catch arm in order to get a bigger grip on the water
2. The pathway that catch action follows
3. The pressure applied – steadily, not too abrupt, not too weak but just right

The focal points below will help you create and improve these three features in your catch action.

Creating the wave with an arm is not enough – it must be tied into the torso rotation so that the torso is doing most of the work of holding the water, which mean it is transferring that force from the catch side to the skate side of the body. So, the lesson starts with a focus on only the catch arm and torso, and eventually adds the other side of the body, completing the full choreography.

Useful Imagery

During the lesson you may have been given one or both of these images/analogies to work with:

• the ‘beach ball’ of water molecules (or ‘swiss ball’, or ‘pilates ball’ if you prefer)
• the ladder under your body, parallel to the surface

Beach Ball

The beach ball of water molecules represents the pressure zone of water you create and direct with each underwater stroke. You form this pressure zone then send it under your body, especially under your hips and legs to help those ride higher in the water.

The Ladder

The ladder gives you a directional grid to set the placement and trajectory of your movements.

The two rails correspond to your two arm tracks, and your arms extend forward on that rail, and your catch holds that point on the rail; the rungs represent the point ahead where you set your catch (get a grip on the water).

The depth of the imaginary latter determines the depth of your catch, where that pressure zone is created so that your body-frame can slide over it.

The Catch Drills

• standing rehearsal with catch shape
• 1-Arm Drill (other arm tucked at the side)
• Superman to Skate (with a weighted object in lead hand)
• Swing Switch (two arms) with pause at Entry moment
• Whole Stroke

Focal Points

• Set the catch
• Hand stays on track
• Elbow slide out and upward to make shape of arm
• Touch the ball with entire forearm and palm
• Hold the ball and rotate body past it
• Press the ball straight toward the hip – hips rolls out of the way at last moment
• Press the ball straight toward the toes – send the ball of water under hip and leg
• Press on ball steadily
• Catch hand and extending hand move (on their tracks) exactly opposite to each other, at approximately the same rate of speed
• Hesitate ever so slightly after ‘Set The Catch’ in order to Load The Torso
• Pull with hip (not with shoulder)

The entry and extending arm is the main actor, while the catch arm is the supporting actor. Set a good catch and then focus upon sending force forward into your best Skate Position. The better your Entry, Extension and Skate, the farther you will slide forward on each stroke!

There are more focal points for the Catch on our 101 Focal Points page as well as some demonstration of the 1-Arm drill on the Video Tutorial page.