Why am I slower than the guy next to me ?

Don't you sometimes wonder when you push off the wall at the same time as the dude next to you , he/she is just way ahead of you ?

Pretty simple answer actually, STREAMLINING !!

Streamlining is the most basic when it comes to swimming but sometimes we tend to forget this important element ! It is the foundation/ building blocks of all the strokes . Regardless of whether you are swimming backstroke, breaststroke, free or fly , you will have to streamline !

So how to achieve streamlining ?
3 key phrases !

- Arms behind ears ( not beside )
- Stand as tall as you can ( Stretch )
- Imagine yourself squeezing through a small hole

Example 1 : Michael Phelps

Can you picture him going through a small hole ? :)



Example 2 : Ryan Lochte

Amazing streamlining and control , I think he is a fish .

Example 3 : Swimmer 1 negative example (During the kick off from the wall)

ie : didnt extend his body enough , arms not stretched far out and arms not behind the ears.

Example 4 : Swimmer 2 negative example (During the kick off from the wall)

premature first pull, again arms not stretch out and not behind the ears, head above the water , causing great deal of resistance , common beginners problem

So remember the 3 key phrases !

you can practise this everytime you kick off the wall . In order to see the diff:

- Push off once with your normal push off and see far you go,
- Now push off with the 3 key phrases in mind and see how far you go.

Notice the difference ?
You should be able to glide further now and faster . However , you might feel that you are losing balance ( body swaying left , right ) but thats OK , All you need to do is practise ..

How did Paul Biedermann Improve 4 seconds in about a year time ?!

Hello ,

It is not a question where I can answer , its more like an exclamation ! If you know , Paul Biedermann recently crushed Michael Phelps in the 200m LC freestlye at the Rome World Championship, clocking 1:42:00 , breaking Phelps record set in Beijing . Phelps record was 1:42:96 .

Out of interest ,
I went to search for the 200m Beijing Clip and found Paul to be in the final as well, clocking 1:46:00 , so Paul Biedermann improves 4 seconds in just about a year ?! wtf ? Anyway, in Beijing , Paul did not wear the full suit , in Rome World Champ this year, He wore a full suit , hmmmmmmmmmm ....

Beijing 200m Olympics.

If you are interested to see how far has Paul improved , pause the video at 4:22 and you will see over the year , he has improved about 3 and a half body length for 200meters , (Paul is in lane 2 )


200m World Champ Rome (Paul Biedermann beats Phelps )
2008 World Champ (Click link to see the video )



I am very interested to see the next race between Phelps and Biedermann. Btw, these ultra fast suits will be banned next year.

cheers,
Darren