Read on; especially note the bold pointers…
Before the competition
“To make sure you have enough energy, yet reduce stomach discomfort, you should allow a meal to fully digest before the start of the event. This generally takes 1 to 4 hours, depending upon what and how much you've eaten. Everyone is a bit different, and you should experiment prior to workouts to determine what works best for you.”
Eat way before competition to reap best benefits from your food, and reduce possibility of stitching, nausea, the need to pass motion, so on. Eat food high in carbohydrates and easy to digest. These include foods such as pasta, fruits, breads, energy bars. Have it the night before. In our context, no one eat pasta for breakfast, right? As least not for me. We all always need a comfort food, be it ice cream, spicy stuff, fried stuff. Start cutting them down ONCE you read this article. 1-2 weeks before competition, stop them. Control what you eat.
During the competition
“You should try to eat or drink something easily digestible about 20 to 30 minutes before the event. The closer you are to the time of your event, the less you should eat. You can have a liquid meal closer to your event”
This is where the Banana, Apple, Grapes, Oranges come in. Isotonic drinks and energy gels. You got to know by now, how much you need. So try not to overeat! all of us tend to do it during competition. Especially me.
Foods to Avoid Before Exercise Any foods with a lot of fat can be very difficult and slow to digest They also will pull blood into the stomach to aid in digestion, which can cause cramping and discomfort. Meats, doughnuts, fries, potato chips, and candy bars should be avoided in a pre-exercise meal. Spicy stuff should be avoided too!
After the competition
Feel free to indulge in the food you have been avoiding for the past 1-2 weeks. The feeling is very rewarding. You have just trumped yourself by controlling your diet, and you deserve it. However, if its National still water, this indulgence is short lived. Open water is less then 1 month away.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sportsnutrition/a/EatForExercise.htm
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Competition: Part 3
Part 3 of the competition series.
THE BEST ARTICLE BY FAR! PLS TAKE SOME TIME TO READ!
If you got no time, print it out and read while on the move. REALLY A GOOD READ!
Sprint Swimming:The Five-Finger Approach
by Mike Bottom
Imagine a large marble balancing in your open, upturned hand. Your fingers are extended and the palm of your hand forms a shallow bowl. With every slight movement of your hand, the marble rolls over the lines and ripples of your palm. The marble represents your sprinting goal. To "grasp" the marble or your goal, you must act with the five digits of the hand, each corresponding to a component of sprint swimming.
Aerobic or Endurance Training: The Little Finger
According to Dr. Ernest W. Maglis-cho's book, Swimming Even Faster, only two percent of the energy used to sprint 50 meters comes from aerobic metabolism, while 10 percent of the energy used in a 100-meter race is endurance-related. So why do sprinters train so many endurance yards?
Back to the analogy of the hand: The little finger does not appear to add much to the strength of the grip around the marble. However, of the eleven muscles that move the fingers, five act on the little finger. The muscles in the palm of the hand below the little finger are all connected in some way to the movement of the small finger. Without this muscular base, the marble would roll off before the hand could be closed. Endurance training increases the volume of blood the heart pumps and improves the central circulatory and respiratory systems. These systems, in turn, affect every energy system in the body.
Anaerobic or Lactate Training:The Ring Finger
Does the term "tying up" mean anything to you? The last five to 10 meters of a sprinter's 100 usually makes or breaks the race. According to Dr. Maglis-cho, 48 percent of the energy spent in a 50-meter sprint and 65 percent of the energy used in a 100-meter race originate from anaerobic metabolism. To train this energy system, one must swim with 95 to 100 percent of one's energy for 30 to 60 seconds. In other words, you should reach the "pain barrier" and then keep going.
Anybody who has been in a lasting relationship knows what makes or breaks a relationship is the ability to push through the times of painful confusion. When all seems to break down, the "winners" find a way to make it through the challenging moments.
Sample set: 3 x (100 blast, 200 swim), starting every six to eight minutes. Immediately after the fast 100, move into the 200 swim, which is 50 on your back, 150 working on your stroke. On the 100 blast, try to keep the heart rate between 160 and 180, depending on age. Three or four lactate sets per week should be maximum. (Note: Those with a history of heart problems should consult with a doctor before attempting lactate work.)
Power or Speed Training:The Middle Finger
Power and speed are the trademarks of the sprinter. Fifty percent of the 50-meter sprint and 25 percent of the 100-meter race are attributed to energy sources in the muscles that are stored and ready to use. However, to swim fast in competition, it is necessary to train at fast speeds. When training at race pace, the body will ride high and the swimmer must learn to hold or feel the water at high speeds.
Interestingly, in our culture the display of the middle finger often communicates a power stance.
Sample set: 10 x 100, swimming 25 blast through turns, 75 stroke work. Play with speed every workout.
Body Position and Stroke Mechanics:The Index Finger
Many of the world's strongest people swim like a rock, displaying poor form. I believe the most important ("number one" with the index finger) component of sprinting is body position and mechanics. Golf and tennis enthusiasts will hire experts on stroke mechanics and invest as much time and money as needed to "get it right." For some reason after many people have passed the learn-to-swim class, they feel they have arrived.
Water is a thousand times more dense than air. Doubling your speed in the water results in quadrupling your body's drag force or resistance in the water. The easiest way to get faster is to reduce your body resistance in the water, accomplished by spending time with an expert and a video camera.
Strength of Will (Commitment and Concentration): The Thumb
The limiting factor in grip strength is the ability of the thumb to oppose the force of the fingers. The factor limiting how fast you can swim is not your aerobic fitness, your ability to push through pain, your speed or power in the water, or your ability to overcome the resistance of the water. Simply stated, it is your WILL. To swim fast as you are able, you have to want to swim fast more than you want to watch TV, more than you want to feel comfortable or more than you want to eat lunch with a friend.
Pinapples contain bromalains; papaya, mangos, and passion fruit contain papace and papain. These fruits (must be fresh, not processed) eaten daily can provide that little bit of added help in allowing the body to recover faster.
Wise athletes cool down after workouts or races. If you suddenly quit, your heart and breathing rates will soon go back to resting levels, but your muscles retain by-products such as lactate. If you continue to exercise at a lower intensity (about 60% of maximum effort), you keep your heart pumping at a somewhat higher than resting level. This keeps the supply of nutrients coming to help clear out your muscles.
1) Long, easy, even paced, even tempo swimming helps develop a sense of rhythm. Being in a swim rhythm is a comfortable feeling that helps develop relaxation. When arm stroke, kick and breathing are in a co-ordinated rhythm, real relaxation in the water is possible. From there, it is possible over time to learn to stay relaxed at faster speeds. Learning to relax at slow speeds first is the crucial step.
2) Swim techniques and drills have been developed to decrease the resistance your body experiences when swimming. Developing technical excellence means you move through the water with less effort.
3) Work on M.D.S. or D.P.S. (Maximum Distance per Stroke or Distance per Stroke) skills as a priority. The best swimmers in the world are able to maintain long strokes at top speed, when tired and under pressure. It all starts with learning to swim with less strokes in training. In warm up, try counting strokes on the first lap. Then aim to take one stroke less on the next lap and so on.
4) Try the MINI-MAX workout (MINIMUM STROKES, MAXIMUM SPEED) used to great effect by Bill Sweetenham. Count your strokes on your first 50 metres. Accurately note your time. Next, add the number of strokes to your time. For example, if you take 50 strokes and swim 45 seconds for the lap, your lap score is 95. Aim to swim a lap score of 94 on the second lap, which means you need to either swim a little faster, or stroke a little longer. Continue the process 6 times. Fewer strokes is good. Faster speed is great. Fewer strokes and faster speed is best.
5) Work on keeping strokes long and strong at training. In every effort ask yourself "Could I do this with fewer strokes?" When doing skills work like drills aim for technical perfection, then technical perfection with the minimum number of strokes and finally technical perfection with a minimum number of strokes at maximum speed.
6) Develop real speed by thinking about swimming FAST rather than trying too hard and increasing effort during your speed. Train fast to Race fast.
7) Every turn in training is a race turn, every dive is a race dive. Every finish should be completed on the wall with power and controlled aggression. Train as you would like to race.
8) Drills should be completed with precision and with 100% concentration. Think technique first at all times.
9) Challenge yourself to swim fast when tired. In training challenge yourself to jump up at the end of the session and swim fast. When racing, challenge yourself to swim fast when tired, to swim fast heats in the morning then faster finals at night, to swim as fast on the last day of the meet as you did on the first day etc.
10) Learn to enjoy pressure situations. Being nervous is a sign that something great is about to happen. Your body is getting ready to do something brilliant. Learn to enjoy the pressure of competition.
THE BEST ARTICLE BY FAR! PLS TAKE SOME TIME TO READ!
If you got no time, print it out and read while on the move. REALLY A GOOD READ!
Sprint Swimming:The Five-Finger Approach
by Mike Bottom
Imagine a large marble balancing in your open, upturned hand. Your fingers are extended and the palm of your hand forms a shallow bowl. With every slight movement of your hand, the marble rolls over the lines and ripples of your palm. The marble represents your sprinting goal. To "grasp" the marble or your goal, you must act with the five digits of the hand, each corresponding to a component of sprint swimming.
Aerobic or Endurance Training: The Little Finger
According to Dr. Ernest W. Maglis-cho's book, Swimming Even Faster, only two percent of the energy used to sprint 50 meters comes from aerobic metabolism, while 10 percent of the energy used in a 100-meter race is endurance-related. So why do sprinters train so many endurance yards?
Back to the analogy of the hand: The little finger does not appear to add much to the strength of the grip around the marble. However, of the eleven muscles that move the fingers, five act on the little finger. The muscles in the palm of the hand below the little finger are all connected in some way to the movement of the small finger. Without this muscular base, the marble would roll off before the hand could be closed. Endurance training increases the volume of blood the heart pumps and improves the central circulatory and respiratory systems. These systems, in turn, affect every energy system in the body.
Anaerobic or Lactate Training:The Ring Finger
Does the term "tying up" mean anything to you? The last five to 10 meters of a sprinter's 100 usually makes or breaks the race. According to Dr. Maglis-cho, 48 percent of the energy spent in a 50-meter sprint and 65 percent of the energy used in a 100-meter race originate from anaerobic metabolism. To train this energy system, one must swim with 95 to 100 percent of one's energy for 30 to 60 seconds. In other words, you should reach the "pain barrier" and then keep going.
Anybody who has been in a lasting relationship knows what makes or breaks a relationship is the ability to push through the times of painful confusion. When all seems to break down, the "winners" find a way to make it through the challenging moments.
Sample set: 3 x (100 blast, 200 swim), starting every six to eight minutes. Immediately after the fast 100, move into the 200 swim, which is 50 on your back, 150 working on your stroke. On the 100 blast, try to keep the heart rate between 160 and 180, depending on age. Three or four lactate sets per week should be maximum. (Note: Those with a history of heart problems should consult with a doctor before attempting lactate work.)
Power or Speed Training:The Middle Finger
Power and speed are the trademarks of the sprinter. Fifty percent of the 50-meter sprint and 25 percent of the 100-meter race are attributed to energy sources in the muscles that are stored and ready to use. However, to swim fast in competition, it is necessary to train at fast speeds. When training at race pace, the body will ride high and the swimmer must learn to hold or feel the water at high speeds.
Interestingly, in our culture the display of the middle finger often communicates a power stance.
Sample set: 10 x 100, swimming 25 blast through turns, 75 stroke work. Play with speed every workout.
Body Position and Stroke Mechanics:The Index Finger
Many of the world's strongest people swim like a rock, displaying poor form. I believe the most important ("number one" with the index finger) component of sprinting is body position and mechanics. Golf and tennis enthusiasts will hire experts on stroke mechanics and invest as much time and money as needed to "get it right." For some reason after many people have passed the learn-to-swim class, they feel they have arrived.
Water is a thousand times more dense than air. Doubling your speed in the water results in quadrupling your body's drag force or resistance in the water. The easiest way to get faster is to reduce your body resistance in the water, accomplished by spending time with an expert and a video camera.
Strength of Will (Commitment and Concentration): The Thumb
The limiting factor in grip strength is the ability of the thumb to oppose the force of the fingers. The factor limiting how fast you can swim is not your aerobic fitness, your ability to push through pain, your speed or power in the water, or your ability to overcome the resistance of the water. Simply stated, it is your WILL. To swim fast as you are able, you have to want to swim fast more than you want to watch TV, more than you want to feel comfortable or more than you want to eat lunch with a friend.
Pinapples contain bromalains; papaya, mangos, and passion fruit contain papace and papain. These fruits (must be fresh, not processed) eaten daily can provide that little bit of added help in allowing the body to recover faster.
Wise athletes cool down after workouts or races. If you suddenly quit, your heart and breathing rates will soon go back to resting levels, but your muscles retain by-products such as lactate. If you continue to exercise at a lower intensity (about 60% of maximum effort), you keep your heart pumping at a somewhat higher than resting level. This keeps the supply of nutrients coming to help clear out your muscles.
1) Long, easy, even paced, even tempo swimming helps develop a sense of rhythm. Being in a swim rhythm is a comfortable feeling that helps develop relaxation. When arm stroke, kick and breathing are in a co-ordinated rhythm, real relaxation in the water is possible. From there, it is possible over time to learn to stay relaxed at faster speeds. Learning to relax at slow speeds first is the crucial step.
2) Swim techniques and drills have been developed to decrease the resistance your body experiences when swimming. Developing technical excellence means you move through the water with less effort.
3) Work on M.D.S. or D.P.S. (Maximum Distance per Stroke or Distance per Stroke) skills as a priority. The best swimmers in the world are able to maintain long strokes at top speed, when tired and under pressure. It all starts with learning to swim with less strokes in training. In warm up, try counting strokes on the first lap. Then aim to take one stroke less on the next lap and so on.
4) Try the MINI-MAX workout (MINIMUM STROKES, MAXIMUM SPEED) used to great effect by Bill Sweetenham. Count your strokes on your first 50 metres. Accurately note your time. Next, add the number of strokes to your time. For example, if you take 50 strokes and swim 45 seconds for the lap, your lap score is 95. Aim to swim a lap score of 94 on the second lap, which means you need to either swim a little faster, or stroke a little longer. Continue the process 6 times. Fewer strokes is good. Faster speed is great. Fewer strokes and faster speed is best.
5) Work on keeping strokes long and strong at training. In every effort ask yourself "Could I do this with fewer strokes?" When doing skills work like drills aim for technical perfection, then technical perfection with the minimum number of strokes and finally technical perfection with a minimum number of strokes at maximum speed.
6) Develop real speed by thinking about swimming FAST rather than trying too hard and increasing effort during your speed. Train fast to Race fast.
7) Every turn in training is a race turn, every dive is a race dive. Every finish should be completed on the wall with power and controlled aggression. Train as you would like to race.
8) Drills should be completed with precision and with 100% concentration. Think technique first at all times.
9) Challenge yourself to swim fast when tired. In training challenge yourself to jump up at the end of the session and swim fast. When racing, challenge yourself to swim fast when tired, to swim fast heats in the morning then faster finals at night, to swim as fast on the last day of the meet as you did on the first day etc.
10) Learn to enjoy pressure situations. Being nervous is a sign that something great is about to happen. Your body is getting ready to do something brilliant. Learn to enjoy the pressure of competition.
Competition: flutter kicking
Part 2 of the article:
Kick Bored
by Terry Laughlin
Kickboards, those tombstone-shaped foam slabs, are a common torture device self-inflicted by people willing to endure kicking laps like medicine in the mistaken belief that it will help them swim better. Their poor kick is holding them back, they reason, and they suppose that they need to strengthen their legs with those mind-numbing laps on the board. No matter that when they grip the board and churn away they go nowhere--except for a few who travel backwards. They keep plugging grimly along, clinging to the hope that clinging to the board will eventually do them some good.
It probably won't, for two reasons. First, whether you swim every day or just when the weather's too lousy for running or cycling, chances are your kick isn't what's holding you back. Your hips and legs are dragging, and that's no good, but it's not your kick that's letting them sag. That's from poor balance, probably the most common and most easily corrected stroke error of them all. Instead of hours on the board, it's effectively fixed by redistributing your weight, making the front end of the body "heavier" by leaning on your chest ("pressing the T") while swimming. Like a seesaw, your rear end will ride up where it belongs. Even a weak kick, my students are delighted to discover, can't hold back a balanced body.
Where a stronger kick does come in handy is in gaining speed after you've improved your balance. This means not just muscle strength, but flexibility, something we all can use, whatever our sport. Many elite swimmers can sit on the deck, legs out in front and knees straight, and touch their toes to the floor in front of them. Most novice swimmers are lucky if they go half that far. Hyper-mobility (unusual ranges of flexibility) in any joint comes at the cost of diminished joint stability, and a highly flexible ankle on a runner is a sprain waiting to happen. So even though step one to kicking better is ankle stretching, don't overdo it if you run or play squash or tennis or basketball.
But what if you're concerned with leg strength in or out of the pool? That's step two, but again kick sets gripping the board aren't the answer even if swimming is your prime sport. For one thing, they throw your balance off. How can you lean on your chest and kick correctly while your arms are propped up on a board?
Second, gripping the board freezes your hips. You can't rotate them and rhythmic hip and trunk rotation integrated with your arm stroke are where the power comes from in each stroke cycle. The kick is an integral part of that rolling action since it both provides the external torque for hip roll and acts to counter- balance trunk rotation. Kick on a board with hips locked in place and you lose the whole dynamic. The interaction of hip and leg muscles is changed enough that whatever leg strength you do gain is different from that which helps you swim faster.
The best way to put muscle in a weak kick?
Fins, for two reasons.
First, ankle flexibility. The extra pressure created by the blade as you kick down on each beat stretches the foot more than a "naked" kick. Second, improved leg strength. Again the blade gets the credit. The increased surface area of the blade puts a greater load on your leg muscles like a wet weight workout. Drilling with fins can work even better, since drills force you to use your legs more than you do when swimming. They'll not only get stronger but it will be strength you can use when swimming because the drill closely mimics the way the body moves in swimming. And you'll kill two birds with one stone because you'll be improving your stroke efficiency while strengthening your legs.
Try kicking on your side with one arm extended out front. Roll and change arms several times each length. When kicking on your side, neither fin blade will break the surface, giving your legs a higher quality workout. You can get a similar effect by kicking underwater. The increased water pressure adds load to your leg muscles.
Finally, wear fins on some of your swimming sets. Most of us don't kick very much when we swim, and the farther we swim the less we kick. But when you wear fins, your kick improves enough to make kicking worth the effort and you end up using use your legs more. Naturally this gives the highest transfer of strength because you're strengthening your legs exactly as you use them.
Kick Bored
by Terry Laughlin
Kickboards, those tombstone-shaped foam slabs, are a common torture device self-inflicted by people willing to endure kicking laps like medicine in the mistaken belief that it will help them swim better. Their poor kick is holding them back, they reason, and they suppose that they need to strengthen their legs with those mind-numbing laps on the board. No matter that when they grip the board and churn away they go nowhere--except for a few who travel backwards. They keep plugging grimly along, clinging to the hope that clinging to the board will eventually do them some good.
It probably won't, for two reasons. First, whether you swim every day or just when the weather's too lousy for running or cycling, chances are your kick isn't what's holding you back. Your hips and legs are dragging, and that's no good, but it's not your kick that's letting them sag. That's from poor balance, probably the most common and most easily corrected stroke error of them all. Instead of hours on the board, it's effectively fixed by redistributing your weight, making the front end of the body "heavier" by leaning on your chest ("pressing the T") while swimming. Like a seesaw, your rear end will ride up where it belongs. Even a weak kick, my students are delighted to discover, can't hold back a balanced body.
Where a stronger kick does come in handy is in gaining speed after you've improved your balance. This means not just muscle strength, but flexibility, something we all can use, whatever our sport. Many elite swimmers can sit on the deck, legs out in front and knees straight, and touch their toes to the floor in front of them. Most novice swimmers are lucky if they go half that far. Hyper-mobility (unusual ranges of flexibility) in any joint comes at the cost of diminished joint stability, and a highly flexible ankle on a runner is a sprain waiting to happen. So even though step one to kicking better is ankle stretching, don't overdo it if you run or play squash or tennis or basketball.
But what if you're concerned with leg strength in or out of the pool? That's step two, but again kick sets gripping the board aren't the answer even if swimming is your prime sport. For one thing, they throw your balance off. How can you lean on your chest and kick correctly while your arms are propped up on a board?
Second, gripping the board freezes your hips. You can't rotate them and rhythmic hip and trunk rotation integrated with your arm stroke are where the power comes from in each stroke cycle. The kick is an integral part of that rolling action since it both provides the external torque for hip roll and acts to counter- balance trunk rotation. Kick on a board with hips locked in place and you lose the whole dynamic. The interaction of hip and leg muscles is changed enough that whatever leg strength you do gain is different from that which helps you swim faster.
The best way to put muscle in a weak kick?
Fins, for two reasons.
First, ankle flexibility. The extra pressure created by the blade as you kick down on each beat stretches the foot more than a "naked" kick. Second, improved leg strength. Again the blade gets the credit. The increased surface area of the blade puts a greater load on your leg muscles like a wet weight workout. Drilling with fins can work even better, since drills force you to use your legs more than you do when swimming. They'll not only get stronger but it will be strength you can use when swimming because the drill closely mimics the way the body moves in swimming. And you'll kill two birds with one stone because you'll be improving your stroke efficiency while strengthening your legs.
Try kicking on your side with one arm extended out front. Roll and change arms several times each length. When kicking on your side, neither fin blade will break the surface, giving your legs a higher quality workout. You can get a similar effect by kicking underwater. The increased water pressure adds load to your leg muscles.
Finally, wear fins on some of your swimming sets. Most of us don't kick very much when we swim, and the farther we swim the less we kick. But when you wear fins, your kick improves enough to make kicking worth the effort and you end up using use your legs more. Naturally this gives the highest transfer of strength because you're strengthening your legs exactly as you use them.
Competiton
As we are nearing the competition, and that we got nothing much during this exam period, perhaps a little to improve knowledge for those who are interested in.
First Random topic: Flutter Kicking.
If you are busy, just read the bold lines.
Extracted from a random swimming article:
The Flutter Kick: One of Swimming's Mysteries
by Marty Hull
The amount of leg power swimmers can transfer to the water depends primarily on the forward range of motion of the foot. The farther your foot bends forward the more leg power you will be able to transfer to the water and the farther you will travel with each stroke. This is why learning how to develop a good kick is so important.
- A (poor) kick that produces little or no propulsion is of little use.
- A moderately propulsive (fair) kick will work well when sprinting but not as well on longer swims.
- A very propulsive (great) kick is worth using a lot. This swimmer will appear to flow almost effortlessly through the water when swimming.
· Poor Kick: If your foot flexes to less than 90 degrees, it is necessary to bend at the knees to get the foot to an angle that will push you forward. Bending at the knees causes enough additional drag to cancel out the forward force produced by the kick. For the amount of effort kicking takes, this kick is not worth using.
· Fair Kick: If your foot flexes to 90 degrees or slightly more, you will have a moderately propulsive kick. The knee must bend a little to make the kick work but it provides enough propulsion to be worthwhile using. For this swimmer, it is often necessary to keep the calf muscle contracted so the foot flexes forward far enough to produce maximum propulsion. This may result in cramping in the calf, but it lets you go faster. It works best for sprints and is less effective for longer swims.
· Great Kick: If your foot flexes to significantly more than 90 degrees, very little knee bend is needed to kick. As the foot kicks against the water, the pressure from the water against the top of the foot keeps the foot flexed forward. The calf muscles need not be used. The blood flow which would have gone to the calf muscles is then free to be used in the upper body. This kick causes very little drag and generates excellent propulsion.
Ankle Stretching
There are two areas where stretching is possible: the ankle joint and the joints down farther in the foot, the tarsal-metatarsal joints. These joints are the most difficult to stretch, a limit being reached by many after a fairly small improvement. Stretching the tarsal-meta-tarsal joints allows the bottom portion of the foot to move to a better position, further improving the kick.
Stretching Exercises
Adjust the strap on a board so that it fits snugly over instep. Sit on foot and slowly slide the board away from you by straightening the leg. This will begin to stretch the joint. The more force you use to straighten the leg, the more stretching force you will put on the joint. Begin gradually, using low force. Stretch each foot for 45 seconds to one minute. Stretch every other day. Gradually, over a period of several weeks, increase the amount of time per foot, the force levels and the number of days per week. For the first couple of weeks, you will have some tenderness on the underside of the ankle joint. After this passes, you can significantly increase stretching force and duration.
Tarsal-metatarsal stretch:
Place foot in the strap attatched to a board so the strap runs over the lower portion of the foot, just above the toes. It is usually necessary to tighten the strap a little. Stretch this area the same way you stretched the ankle joint. Once you increase ankle range of motion, your kick will change. You will kick with a straighter leg and your foot will move up and down a shorter distance but will move faster. This new kicking movement greatly increases the use of hip flexor muscles. Specific stretching and strengthening exercises are needed to help the hip flexor muscles stand up at this increased demand. Hip flexor stretch: Place your left leg on a chair while supporting yourself with a hand on the chair back. To stretch, bend the right knee, allowing your body weight to press down on your right leg. As you press down, also lean your torso back. This places excellent stretching forces on the hip flexor muscles. Move into this stretch gradually so you do not injure or pull any portions of the muscles being stretched. Hold this position 60 to 90 seconds per leg. Do both legs. Do three to four times per week.
Hip Flexor Strengthening
In the deep end of the pool, kick (with fins) in a vertical position. Warm up with a couple of minutes of easy kicking. Then, kick hard for 30 seconds followed by a 20 second rest. Keep you legs straight while kicking. This isolates the hip flexor muscles. You will feel the muscles working in the front of your pelvis. If you allow the knees to bend, the hip flexors work less and the quadriceps muscles work more. Try kicking both ways and you will notice the difference. Begin with 1 x 30- or 2 x 30-second kicking periods with rests in between. Over a period of several weeks, work up to eight to 10 periods of 30-second versicle kicking. Do this three times per week.
First Random topic: Flutter Kicking.
If you are busy, just read the bold lines.
Extracted from a random swimming article:
The Flutter Kick: One of Swimming's Mysteries
by Marty Hull
The amount of leg power swimmers can transfer to the water depends primarily on the forward range of motion of the foot. The farther your foot bends forward the more leg power you will be able to transfer to the water and the farther you will travel with each stroke. This is why learning how to develop a good kick is so important.
- A (poor) kick that produces little or no propulsion is of little use.
- A moderately propulsive (fair) kick will work well when sprinting but not as well on longer swims.
- A very propulsive (great) kick is worth using a lot. This swimmer will appear to flow almost effortlessly through the water when swimming.
· Poor Kick: If your foot flexes to less than 90 degrees, it is necessary to bend at the knees to get the foot to an angle that will push you forward. Bending at the knees causes enough additional drag to cancel out the forward force produced by the kick. For the amount of effort kicking takes, this kick is not worth using.
· Fair Kick: If your foot flexes to 90 degrees or slightly more, you will have a moderately propulsive kick. The knee must bend a little to make the kick work but it provides enough propulsion to be worthwhile using. For this swimmer, it is often necessary to keep the calf muscle contracted so the foot flexes forward far enough to produce maximum propulsion. This may result in cramping in the calf, but it lets you go faster. It works best for sprints and is less effective for longer swims.
· Great Kick: If your foot flexes to significantly more than 90 degrees, very little knee bend is needed to kick. As the foot kicks against the water, the pressure from the water against the top of the foot keeps the foot flexed forward. The calf muscles need not be used. The blood flow which would have gone to the calf muscles is then free to be used in the upper body. This kick causes very little drag and generates excellent propulsion.
Ankle Stretching
There are two areas where stretching is possible: the ankle joint and the joints down farther in the foot, the tarsal-metatarsal joints. These joints are the most difficult to stretch, a limit being reached by many after a fairly small improvement. Stretching the tarsal-meta-tarsal joints allows the bottom portion of the foot to move to a better position, further improving the kick.
Stretching Exercises
Adjust the strap on a board so that it fits snugly over instep. Sit on foot and slowly slide the board away from you by straightening the leg. This will begin to stretch the joint. The more force you use to straighten the leg, the more stretching force you will put on the joint. Begin gradually, using low force. Stretch each foot for 45 seconds to one minute. Stretch every other day. Gradually, over a period of several weeks, increase the amount of time per foot, the force levels and the number of days per week. For the first couple of weeks, you will have some tenderness on the underside of the ankle joint. After this passes, you can significantly increase stretching force and duration.
Tarsal-metatarsal stretch:
Place foot in the strap attatched to a board so the strap runs over the lower portion of the foot, just above the toes. It is usually necessary to tighten the strap a little. Stretch this area the same way you stretched the ankle joint. Once you increase ankle range of motion, your kick will change. You will kick with a straighter leg and your foot will move up and down a shorter distance but will move faster. This new kicking movement greatly increases the use of hip flexor muscles. Specific stretching and strengthening exercises are needed to help the hip flexor muscles stand up at this increased demand. Hip flexor stretch: Place your left leg on a chair while supporting yourself with a hand on the chair back. To stretch, bend the right knee, allowing your body weight to press down on your right leg. As you press down, also lean your torso back. This places excellent stretching forces on the hip flexor muscles. Move into this stretch gradually so you do not injure or pull any portions of the muscles being stretched. Hold this position 60 to 90 seconds per leg. Do both legs. Do three to four times per week.
Hip Flexor Strengthening
In the deep end of the pool, kick (with fins) in a vertical position. Warm up with a couple of minutes of easy kicking. Then, kick hard for 30 seconds followed by a 20 second rest. Keep you legs straight while kicking. This isolates the hip flexor muscles. You will feel the muscles working in the front of your pelvis. If you allow the knees to bend, the hip flexors work less and the quadriceps muscles work more. Try kicking both ways and you will notice the difference. Begin with 1 x 30- or 2 x 30-second kicking periods with rests in between. Over a period of several weeks, work up to eight to 10 periods of 30-second versicle kicking. Do this three times per week.
New Obstacles for Competition team
Heya all!!
u shld feel honoured that u r seeing this, cos it's my first time ever using a blog!!
*cough*noob*cough*
ok, basically, Alex and me 'built' an obstacle for the comp team using some stuff that we could find around the pool, and we need people to test it out, see if it's too high, too low, too invisible, etc...
try it out, and let us know what u think k?
good luck for ur exams!! :)
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