Engaging The Core with Extension
Below is a tutorial on how we want to ‘engage the core’ of the body in the freestyle stroke…
Core Muscles and Extension
Learn how to engage the core and support the extension (lengthening) of the body line.
Lesson for Form Streamline Shape
In the first freestyle fundamental lesson we work on Forming Streamline Shape.
This lesson will help you establish the second of our Four Essential Features of the freestyle stroke which encompass lengthening, balance and streamline skills.
Below is the outline of the drills and attention cues, with links to video demonstrations of the drills. The following lists of activities and the lists of cues may contain more items than you experienced in your lesson. The instructor will watch the time and your pace of learning and choose a certain sequence of activities and the few most relevant cues for you to work with.
Skills
- To maintain Build The Frame skills and…
- Hold long, straight, firm Streamline, from fingers to ankle
- Hold low, stable rotation angle
You want to feel long, straight, sleek and stable at a low-rotation angle in Streamline Position. Along with the sensations from Build The Frame skills, you want to see that you can slide parallel to the line on the bottom of the pool and slide farther, more easily, the more streamlined and stable your body is. Sliding in Streamline for 6 seconds with these positive feedback signs is a good goal to work towards.
Drills
- Standing rehearsal for Streamline Position (aka Skate Position)
- Scapula Side Position To Streamline Position
- Streamline To Streamline (aka Streamline > 1 Stroke > Streamline)
- Streamline > 2 Strokes >, Streamline
- Streamline plus 3 Strokes with Pauses
- Streamline plus 3 Strokes without Pauses
Cues
To help you pay attention, interpret, and send commands to particular parts of your body your instructor gave you a selection of cues in each drill. There are more cues on the lists below than you were given in your lesson, as the instructor chose a few to get you going, without overwhelming you with too many details. You may be able to figure out the meaning of the others you were not originally exposed to.
- Cues for Scapula Slide Position and…
- Scapula of lead arm stays slide forward
- Lead Arm stays on Wide Track
- Head Stays Anchored (it does not turn with torso)
- Back hand tucked deep into pocket (keep arm underwater)
- Low Rotation Angle (rotate just off your stomach)
- Upper shoulder blade touches the air
- Lower shoulder blade just below the surface
- Light flutter of the feet (if necessary to prolong time in drill)