GOODSWIM - Blog

What is this high elbow you talk of?

19/2/2020

There are only 2 things when swimming freestyle that will give you more power and speed. Less resistance and drag and a correct catch and pull underwater.
So the 'High Elbow Catch and Pull' phrase...

When swimming freestyle we want to keep a high-elbow catch. This means keeping your elbows closer to the surface of the water during the first part of your stroke. This puts the forearms in the position to catch the water along with the hand, adding more forward propulsion and creating less resistance.
Remember... fingertips below wrist, wrist below elbow through your entire stroke.

Have you ever tried pushing yourself out of the pool or over a wall while keeping your arms straight?
If you have, well done!!!
But it is hard to do and strains your shoulders. To do either task, you need to bend your arms and engage your muscles. Your swim pull works the same way.
The correct 'catch and pull' phrase engages those bigger back muscles, instead of trying to power your forward propulsion with just your shoulder leading to injuries.

We have unique drills we can do to isolate this movement and slowly introduce this change into your stroke.

As you extend your arms forward to begin the catch, the point of your elbow is typically down. Rotate the point of your elbow out and toward the surface. This will allow you to get the fingers pitched down and the elbow up.
Having a good feel for the water is essential if you want to progress with your swimming.

Over rotation can cause both the shoulder and elbow to drop.
Turning your head too far out of the water and lingering on your breath can cause your shoulders and whole body to drop in the water creating drag and resistance.
Hand and arm entry into the water crossing over your centre line can cause your body to become unbalanced.

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Meet Flo...

11/2/2020

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Flo came to GoodSwim with a disjointed freestyle stroke. She wasn’t relaxed and lacked the essential coordination required between each stroke and each breath.

Flo’s goal was to feel comfortable in the ocean when swimming and in turn improve her surfing.

You can see Flo's transformation in these before and after videos on my YouTube channel.

Need to get more confident in the ocean – contact Goodswim today and chat to Linda about a tailor made solution.

We love to hear about our clients swimming journeys with GoodSwim...

What was your swim ability before you started swimming with GoodSwim?
I could only swim the normal breaststroke but wasn’t able to do a good chest crawl.

How did you feel after your first few sessions?
After the very first lesson I already felt so much improvement and was sure I was able to learn it in a relatively short period.

How did GoodSwim help you on your swim journey?
Linda is such a fun, lovely woman who has a lot of patience and she has so many good tips. That helped me a lot.

What was a breakthrough/stand out moment for you?
That I felt that I was a much faster swimmer and it cost me less effort than a normal breaststroke.

Do you have a goal or personal achievement you are working for in 2020?
I have not yet set a goal for 2020 as my reason for taking the swimming lessons was mainly to gain skills and use it to improve my paddling for surfing. When there’s no surf I can always decide now to swim instead!

Coaches notes:
Flo came to GoodSwim looking to learn freestlye and gain knowledge of how to breathe efficiently and effectively.
Flo progressed from the basics of learning how to breath, into a relaxed and smooth freestyle swimmer after just 4 x 30 minute swimming lessons. From swimming 5 metres with her head out of the water to swimming multiple 50 metre laps of the pool comfortably was both amazing and a privilege to a part of her journey. EPIC FLO!
Flo also applied the skills to her surfing and became more confident in the ocean. It improved her paddle strength, technique and also for ability to control her breathing in conditions and situations outside of her comfort zone.
As surfers we need to be sure of our own ability to be in the ocean and being able to swim is both essential and potentially life saving!

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Cold water therapy.

21/6/2019

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Innumerable benefits of cold water swimming

OK so there is no avoiding it... winter is upon us and the ocean temperature is also dropping. But do not let that hold your ocean swimming back as it is proven that cold water has its own innumerable benefits.

Personally I never regret being in or around the ocean no matter what the conditions, it has a certain healing power and it may improve your mood.

Among the many benefits of swimming in saltwater, it can help increase your immune system function, improve circulation, promote overall well-being and hydrate your skin. The ocean's water contains multiple minerals including magnesium, calcium, sulphate and chloride, plus a whole heap of vitamins and has both antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties.

The after effects of outdoor swimming are innumerable. The first one is feeling super, super smug and making sure you get on your social media to let everyone know you are an all year round ocean mermaid. Once you have managed to get yourself dried off and into some nice dry clothes, you basically feel revitalised!

So what are some of those benefits...

Turning up to a new outdoor swimming spot is much more stimulating than simply sliding into the local indoor pool for another monotonous 60 laps. By searching for new and unexplored places, you’ll add a sense of adventure and reward to your workout.
Spending time in nature is proven to reduce stress levels and reduce your risk of developing depression and mental illness, taking your workout outside is the best way to be kind to both body and mind.
Pushing yourself to perform in different conditions will force your body to adapt quickly. The cold will make breathing more difficult, forcing you to optimise what little oxygen you can take in, making you adapt to stressful conditions. Going back into the local indoor pool will be a piece of cake in comparison.
According to research published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, regular cold water immersion helps boost your body’s levels of the antioxidant glutathione, which in turn helps regulate the process of all other antioxidants in the body, helping to reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer.
According to Rude Health’s Outdoor Swimming Society, swimming in cold water increases blood flow throughout the body, which in turn helps improve circulation, allowing inflamed areas to heal more quickly, thereby reducing pain. The same principal can be applied by alternatively bathing an injured area in hot and cold water, the difference is, not only is this method more fun, you’ll hopefully avoid injury in the first place altogether.
Much how running undulating courses burns more calories and forces your body to adapt to different conditions and surfaces, taking your swim to the outdoors forces your body to work harder. Not only will you be burning calories to keep warm, tides, wind and obstacles naturally make it a harder session.

Some tips...

Wear two caps - doubling up helps keep your head warm
Wear a wetsuit - when learning to swim you are taking in new information, don't be shy to wear a full wetsuit and besides it makes you more buoyant in water.
Do a warm up before your lesson - this will minimise that cold water shock effect and allow you to stabilise your breathing quicker.
Submerge your yourself in the water - enter the water slowly and keep your face clear until your breathing is under control to help with that shock effect.

Winter can bring these spectacular conditions. Clarity of the water usually improves

Come and join me for an ocean swim and let's get out there and enjoy it.

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Breathing Technique.

9/5/2019

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Are you struggling with your breathing whilst swimming?

Breathing comes completely naturally to all of us on land but in water humans are hardly fish-like.

Many swimmers have difficulty when breathing in the water. For many people learning to swim is a feeling of shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, water going up the nose, accidentally drinking the water and generally feeling uncomfortable when it comes to trying to master breathing whilst swimming.

But for many people, the ‘breathing barrier’ is a psychological problem.
It's important to understand that when a swimmer feels desperate for air, it's actually from a buildup of carbon dioxide from holding your breath and not a lack of oxygen. Holding your breath while swimming creates irregular breathing patterns, restricting oxygen to the muscles and organs.

A widespread mistake found with breathing... after taking a breath in and putting your face in the water, it is common to want to hold your breath and not let it go. Exhalation is the most important part of the breathing process. To get a full breath in, you need to fully exhale.

Anyone who has done swim lessons before will be familiar with being told to blow bubbles. Believe it or not, blowing bubbles in the water as you exhale is the best way to develop a proper breathing pattern. To fully exhale all the air in your lungs, you need to blow out lots and lots of bubbles in the water.

The first thing to remember is that you must exhale while your face is in the water.

As your breathing and fitness improves, you will find other elements of your swimming much easier. You will relax in the water and therefore float better. More efficient breathing means you have more oxygenated blood in your body therefore you feel less tired when swimming!

Also another fundamental in swimming which effects your breathing is 'body position'. The movement of turning your head to take your breath will affect your body position in the water if not done correctly. Lifting the head to breath rather than turning your head will cause your feet to drop and create more drag and resistance in the water... but that's another blog post :)

Sounding all a lot easier said than done?! If you want to work on your breathing technique whilst swimming then contact me on 0404 245 825 and we can a create a personal program suited to your abilities.

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Surf swimming skills.

24/4/2019

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Are you confident in your surf swimming skills?

Paddled out this morning for a surf and on my first wave, my leash broke! So there I am in the impact zone with no board… what do you do?
No goggles, no fins... just you and the surf.
Are you confident in your surf swimming skills?

1. Relax
No one plans to break their leash and be left out in the line up to swim for their board. But the worst thing to do is start panicking. So you need to keep calm and do whatever you can to relax. Control your breathing, sing a song, talk to yourself… you get the idea. Most importantly, start to think about your next move?

No goggles, No fins, just you and the surf... Are you confident in your surf swimming skills?

2. Get help
NEVER be afraid to ask for help. All surfers know how stressful it can be when you break your leash. If your surfing with friends they are probably already on their way over to help you or going to get your board before it washes to the beach. If you are surfing alone most surfers will instantly help you, if not and you need help… swallow your pride if you have to but ASK FOR HELP.

3. Manage your situation
So remember that besides not panicking, you need to get to shore or at least swim for your board which will most probably be on its way to the shoreline. So energy conservation is key as it can take a while to get to shore, take your time, there is no rush as this will create panic.
Use the waves to your advantage, duck under the bombs as you will spend valuable energy in the impact zone, with no board duck and swim under the bomb waves. Watch the waves and pick those medium size waves which you could possibly body surf some distance.

4. Go with the waves
Never paddle to the channel or the rip, as it will most likely suck you back out. So just go for a medium set wave, body surf it for as long as you can. Don’t get to picky, it may take several waves to get to the shore. Be careful with big powerful whitewater, especially on a big day as it can push you down and tumble you around and again create panic and waste your energy to fight for the surface.

5. Swim for the shore
Relax and swim for the shoreline, once you are out of the impact zone of the big set waves you are out of the real danger zone. Just swim at a good pace, not too fast, not too slow. Manage your breathing and energy carefully, try to relax as shallow breathing can make you anxious and panic. If your board is close by and you can reach it, then get it back and rest on your board. Otherwise head to the shoreline.

Most important:
When doing your surf check ask yourself before you head into the waves… ‘if my leash breaks out the back, could I swim in safely and confidently?’ We all like to challenge ourselves and push our surfing ability to help improve but safety first. You could be putting yourself in danger and/or others who try to help you.

Also, just because you can swim 50 metres in a pool does not mean you can swim 50+ metres through the surf from the backline to shoreline. Respect the ocean and learn about your local break, rips, etc.

Achieve your goals and feel confident in the ocean.
Contact Linda for Learn to Swim, Introduction to Ocean Swimming and Stroke Correction lessons.

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GoodSwim Blog

What is this high elbow you talk of?

Meet Flo...

Cold water therapy.

Innumerable benefits of cold water swimming

Breathing Technique.

Are you struggling with your breathing whilst swimming?

Surf swimming skills.

Are you confident in your surf swimming skills?

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