Rolling your body during freestyle (turning shoulder down toward the bottom of pool and hip to same) is one of those things seasoned freestyle swimmers do without much thought, but novices must learn through practice. A good roll can enhance your streamline profile and thus speed your way through the water. But what makes for a good roll? Is it possible to have too much of a roll?
Yesterday I was doing my laps and someone one lane over was doing the same. I noticed his roll seemed to be fairly extreme. When I do the roll I go only so far that my arm can extend as deep as possible. This swimmer was rolling so far that his arm was being forced away from the optimal depth. A little further and he could have rolled over onto his back. By going too far with the roll (past the optimal arm depth point) he was wasting energy and time when he could be getting through his stroke.
So when you are doing freestyle, be sure to roll, reach as deep as possible before going into your "S" pull, but don't over-roll - that's just self-defeating.
I do a good bit of lap swimming (see goals - lower left) so I have lots of time to think about it. I routinely see athletic folks who can't swim, or swim poorly + often wonder why I find it so easy - I'm not particularly athletic. This blog is about what I'm learning about swimming dynamics + some fun stuff too.
For your safety, all posts + comments are musings + tips that have worked for me - opinion only. For the record, I strongly suggest following Red Cross swim-safety protocols.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
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