SWIMMING SCIENCE BULLETIN

LEVEL 1

Table of Contents

Purpose
Coaching Pedagogy
Warm-up and Pool Traffic Skills
Backstroke Block 1.1
Backstroke Block 1.2
Butterfly Block 1.1
Butterfly Block 1.2
Breaststroke Block 1.1
Breaststroke Block 1.2
Crawl Stroke Block 1.1
Crawl Stroke Block 1.2

Purpose

The purpose of level 1 is to teach the following aspects of technique in the four competitive strokes: (a) streamlining, (b) the timing and action of breathing, (c) stroke length, (d) body stabilization, and (e) introduce starts and turns.

Coaching Pedagogy

Each training session will be treated primarily as a lesson, not a conditioning session. Since the emphasis will be on instruction, most repetitions will be single lengths of the pool. Only when skill execution is acceptable should repetitious activities over more than one length of the pool be considered.

Each pool session should be preceded by a lecture and discussion of what will be instructed in the lesson. This activity will reduce the amount of inactive pool time that is usually consumed by detailed explanation in a distraction-filled environment.

Coaching should emphasize individual feedback about the technique characteristics being instructed. All coaches should attempt to provide as many interactions as possible with swimmers about the technique item that is being instructed for that day. That is the thematic coaching activity for this level of swimmer.

Warm-up and Pool-traffic Skills

Swim in circles within lanes (keep pool line on left),
start and finish each repetition correctly (push off and finish with a touch),
pass a slower swimmer (slow swimmer moves to right and lets the faster swimmer pass), and
time each swim and keep track of best and slowest time for a set.

Backstroke Block 1.1

Kicking
Hands crossed behind head, arms straight (keep them underwater all the time).
Hips up, head still, ears under water, eyes straight up (head must be low and level with hips and chest).
Kick backward to drive the swimmer forward (deeper kick than that used in crawl stroke).

Arms
Straight arm recovery to enter slightly wider than the shoulders (so that there is no hip sway).
Back of hand or thumb leading most of the way.
Back of hand or hand at 45 degrees on entry.
Press water backward, DO NOT press down or wide.
Bend at the elbow as soon as possible after entering the water.
Always keep the thumb up during the pull.
Push back against the water.


Overall concepts
Propulsion - press against the water so that body moves forward.
No slippage of the hand - THE HAND DOES NOT PULL THROUGH THE WATER.
Count the number of strokes per pool length and see if the number can be reduced by anchoring the hand/arm and moving the body past it.
Revise the items already covered but in the context of the full stroke.

Turn
Teach the new forward roll turn with double leg kicking off the wall.
Perform at least six full vigorous kicks before surfacing.

Instructional Practice
Revise all the elements while swimming repetitions. Each repeat should concentrate on one of the technique items presented.
Swimming correctly should be stressed.

Backstroke Block 1.2

Revision
Review rules for swimming in the group (i.e., circles, start and finish of repetitions, the repetition times that are important).
Review technique factors in backstroke that were instructed in the first block.
Kicking with hands crossed over the head to produce the most streamlined body position possible.
Kicking backward to get more drive out of the backstroke kick than is derived in crawl stroke kicking.
Straight arm wide-of-the-shoulder entry with back of hand or 45 degrees hand entry.
Thumb always on top during the pull.
Bent elbow pull pressing against the water to propel the body forward past the hand.
Review and practice the forward roll turn.

Body Position
Flat with hips on the surface and head low in the water.
No hip sway.
Head perfectly still.

Arms
Accelerate the last part of the stroke so that the hand moves faster at the end of the stroke compared to the early part.
Bend the arm to at least 110 degrees.

Turns
Practice the double-leg underwater kick to do at least 8 every turn and push-off.

Instructional Practice
Execute short repetitions with each repeat concentrating on an aspect of technique.

Butterfly Block 1.1

Kicking
No equipment to be used.
Use double-leg tempo with rest rhythm ("kick-kick-pause").
Each kick to be same size.
Hip movement to be more than shoulders.

Arms
"Y" shaped pull.
Bend at elbows so that vertical forearms provide propulsion backward.
Enter wider than shoulders.
Pull in to under the body.
Two-arm thrust back.
Recover low and flat keeping shoulder rise as little as possible.

Overall Concepts
Propulsion - press against the water with forearm so that the body moves forward.
No slippage of the hands - THEY DO NOT PULL THROUGH THE WATER.
Count the number of strokes per pool length and see if the number can be reduced by anchoring the arms and moving the body past them.
Revise the items already covered but in the context of the full stroke.

Turn
Two-hand touch.
Tuck tightly (knees hard into the chest) to produce quick rotation.
At least three kicks underwater before surfacing when coming off the wall.


Instructional Practice
Revise all the elements while swimming short distance repetitions. Each repeat should concentrate on one of the technique items presented.
Swimming correctly should be stressed.

Butterfly Block 1.2

Revision
Revise the basic aspects of the arm pull in butterfly:


"Y" shaped hand path,
entry wider than the shoulders,
pull in to under the body,
two-arm thrust back,
propel the body forward, and
do not allow the arms to slip.

Each of the kicks in the double-kick are to be of equal size.

Arms
Flat hand-entry.
Reach out over the water (reach forward but wide).
Initiate pull so that there is no forward slide under the water.
Exit the hands by brushing the thighs with the thumbs (this will keep the pull well under the body until the very end of the stroke).

Overall Concepts
Swim flat.
Reduce vertical (up and down) movements as much as possible (DO NOT FLY OVER THE WATER).
Travel a long distance each stroke.

Instructional Practice
Execute short repetitions with each repeat concentrating on an aspect of technique.

Breaststroke Block 1.1

Kicking
No equipment to be used.
Practice kicking with hands one on top of the other and held straight in front, HEAD DOWN looking at the bottom.
Emphasize turning feet fully outward so that are at right angles to direction of swimming.
Press backward with inside of ankles and feet.
Let the legs and knees go to whatever position suits the swimmer (do not try any unnecessary restrictions such as keeping the knees close together).
Correct any exaggerated wide kick (frog kick).
Sweep the kicks to full extension.
Count the number of kicks per length attempting to reduce the number by gaining the best propulsion per kick.
Raise head to breathe as legs are drawn up to the buttocks.
Glide in maximum streamlined position after each kick (perfectly flat on the surface with head looking to bottom of pool).

Arms
Press (scull) out with long arms.
Scull in to under chin.
Streamline forward (these are the three distinct phases of the pull).
Time legs-draw to the buttocks and head rising to breathe with the inward scull.
Inhale as the hands finish the inward scull.

Overall Concept
Practice timing and streamlining.

Turn
Two-hand touch.
Tuck into tight ball to produce fast rotation.
Underwater stroke to consist of three phases:


drive off the wall in maximum streamline position,
exaggerated hour-glass arm pull to make hands cover the maximum distance possible, and
kick and stretch to surface.

Breaststroke Block 1.2

Revision
Kick back getting as much pressure on the inside ankles and feet as possible.
Sweep the feet in an even arc so that the feet touch at the end of the action and are streamlined with the rest of the body.
Raise the head to breathe as the legs are being drawn up.
The arm pattern consists of three phases: outward scull, inward scull, and drive forward to full extension.
Timing:


outward scull while no other parts of the body move,
inward scull, draw up the feet, and raise head to breathe,
inhale as the arms come together under lower neck, and
drive the head back down into the water to look at the bottom as the arms are driven forward to full streamlined stretch.

Arms
Attempt more power on the inward scull than on the outward scull.
Significantly bend the arms at the elbow on the inward scull.
Carry the arm movement in an accelerated fashion through the inward scull to the forward drive-stretch without a stop.
The drive-stretch is to be along the surface of the water.

Timing
Encourage a two-second glide at the end of each stroke so that streamlining is maximized.
Smooth-out actions where necessary so that the whole action is flowing.
The legs driving back in the sweeping kick should be timed with the arm drive forward and a forward and downward drive of the head.


Turns
Revise three stages of the underwater stroke:


drive off the wall in a maximum streamline position,
exaggerated hour-glass arm pull to make the hands cover the maximum distance possible, and
kick and stretch to the surface.

Spend time on trying to go further in each phase so that more distance is covered in the stroke.

Instructional Practice
Execute short repetitions for the rest of the session with each repeat concentrating on an aspect of technique.

Crawl Stroke Block 1.1

Streamlining of the Body Position
Head down with waterline cutting head at the crown (not the hairline).
Eyes look directly at the pool bottom ("swim blind").
Buttocks level with the back of the neck.
Heels occasionally breaking the surface with each kick.
Introduce the concept of boring a hole in the water with the top of the head and shoulders' cross-sectional area and sliding the hips and feet through that hole.
Encourage body roll to allow pull to come well under the body, but hold the body firm (tighten abdominal muscles) to stifle any hip sway.


Arms
Push back long under the body to touch upper-mid thigh with thumb on the way up to the recovery.
Do not straighten the arm at the end of the backward push.
At least 110 degrees of elbow bend at the mid-pull.
Recover long over the water to reach forward and enter fingers first.
Flat hand-entry.
Bend the arm at the elbow immediately upon entering.
Produce the feeling of pressing directly back onto the water with the forearm (although a straight-back pull should never be taught).

Overall Concepts
Press against the water so that the arm becomes fixed and the body moves forward past the stationary arm.
No slippage of the hand/arm - THE HAND DOES NOT PULL THROUGH THE WATER.
Count the number of strokes per pool length and see if the number can be reduced by anchoring the hand/arm and moving the body past it.

Crawl Stroke Block 1.2

Revision
Revise streamlining: back of neck, top of buttocks, heels at top of kick, all in a horizontal line.
Head down with the waterline cutting the head at the crown (not the hairline).
Bore a hole with the head and shoulders, then slip hips and legs through that hole.
Pull well under the body.
Push back long underwater so that thumb brushes the thigh in the same place as was instructed in butterfly.
110 degrees of elbow bend in the pull.
Flat hand-entry.
Propel the body past a fixed hand/arm - NO SLIPPAGE.

Breathing
Introduce bilateral breathing.
Explain the concept of balanced swimming and that bilateral breathing allows viewing each side to see that actions are symmetrical.
When breathing on the lesser-preferred side check for the following features:


flat head (no raising to breathe),
inhale as the elbow emerges from the water (when the arm is farthest back),
and do not exaggerate the size of the breath.

Arms
Teach long recovery over the water so that flat entry will not check into the water. This will maintain inertia which will assist the arm repositioning after entering. DO NOT SLIDE THE ARM FORWARD UNDER THE WATER.
Balance the recovery so that each arm looks the same.
Pull so that the pulling shoulder is always in line with the wrist of the pulling arm.
Smooth out the hand speed during the recovery so there are no stop-start type movements.

Instructional Practice
Execute short repetitions each concentrating on an aspect of technique.

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