Fran’s Top Ten Swimming Tips

1. Keep a streamline position: Men particularly suffer from drag because their feet drop. Men tend to have a heavier frame with a higher percentage of muscle, which is heavier, therefore, have to work harder at maintaining a streamline position!. Make sure that your head is in the right position: – too high and can lead to your feet dropping – water should be on your hair line and you should be looking towards where you start the catch phase. Practice swimming with a pull buoy as this will help to replicate the correct body position.

2. Hand entry should be about shoulder width: You will see many swimmers snaking up the pool. This is because their hand is entering the water too close to the midline of their body. If this is the case almost practice hand entry too wide. It might feel very wide but that will help you get the right position.

3. Push past your hip:  Remember to complete the catch phase. That extra push past the hip will get you that bit faster in the water. The arm phase should always be continuous and alternating

4. Breathing: Are you looking at the ceiling or the lifeguards when you breathe? If so, this is too high. Think about looking at the lane rope, or side guttering. You want to aim to get a bow wave at your head that remains unbroken when you breathe. You should not be rotating your head more than 90 degrees.  Also if you breathe too high if forces you to drop your elbows and the catch sweeps under your body, pushing you offline.

5. Kick: Kick from the hip NOT knees! Practice kicking drills on your back with the float over your knees. If you are continually hitting the float, then you are kicking from the knees. It should come from the hips, with floppy ankles – Good to practice with flippers!

6. Reaching forward: Extend your arms to its maximum length, place hand into water then reach about a further 6 inches. Extend your arm from your shoulder.

7. Body Rotation: Think that you have a skewer running through your body from your head to your feet. Your body rotates on this with each stroke, about 120 degrees

8. High elbows: As you catch the water and pull through in an ‘S’ shape, remember to keep elbows high – Don’t drop them!!

9. Breathing Pattern: Ideally it’s recommended to breathe bilaterally (both sides) as it evens out your stroke and helps to keep the body balanced.

10. Finally, when you are training in the pool, don’t slow down when you are approaching the wall – take a couple of stronger pulls, tumble turn if you can, then a big push off the wall in a perfect streamlined position!! Hands locked together arms in a v shaped almost squeezing your ears!! Practice taking two strokes before breathing