How to increase speed in sports swimming. How to improve your crawl swimming performance? "Alternative" type of crawl swimming
Libor Janek admits that there is no way to quickly master the perfect crawl technique.
However, he does offer some tips to help you gradually improve your technique.
Maintain correct body position
Many beginner freestyle swimmers lift their upper body strongly out of the water, performing intense strokes with the goal of swimming faster. At the same time, the legs go down. This style of swimming is ineffective.
Correct body position plays a very important role in freestyle swimming. Without this, the swimmer wastes energy inefficiently due to the fact that he has to overcome additional resistance.
“In the correct position, the body is near the surface of the water, in a horizontal plane. The hips and legs should not be allowed to sink, deviating the body from the desired plane, Janek says. - key point in maintaining such a position is the realization that one must swim not above the water, but through it. At the same time, the body naturally stays near the surface of the water.
Swim in a straight line
Another reason for the inefficient use of energy, and, as a result, a decrease in speed, is a zigzag forward movement. In this case, the swimmer does not move in a straight line, but along a broken curve, deviating either to the right or to the left.
One of the reasons for this movement is the excessive drift of the arm to the opposite side during strokes.
Imagine that a straight plane passes through the swimmer's body from head to toe, dividing it into 2 equal parts: right and left. So this plane should be like a wall through which you can not carry your hands. That is, the right hand should work only in the right zone, the left in the left.
When you get rid of the zigzag movement, you will notice a noticeable increase in speed and improved stroke efficiency.
Change sides of breaths, but not always
You have probably heard of such a thing as “bilateral breathing”. This is a technique in which you alternately take breaths from the right and left sides.
When asked if the bilateral breathing technique should always be followed, Janek replies that in terms of health benefits, this is by far the best option. However, it doesn't always have to be that way.
During competitive swims, some athletes can improve their speed by only breathing in one direction.
Work your feet
Some freestyle swimmers intuitively use their legs with enough intensity to increase forward power.
For many others, leg movements are relegated to the background.
Janek is confident that intense footwork is an integral part of proper freestyle swimming technique.
“In sprint swims, it helps to improve the turn, and in longer open water swims, it helps to maintain the right pace.”
“In addition, footwork provides balance and improves core rotation.”
Janek explains that in freestyle swimming, the body rotates from side to side. Proper hip movement helps the torso rotate more efficiently.
“Another benefit of footwork is that it supports correct position corps,” says Janek. If the legs are not involved in the work, in most cases they begin to sink, because. they are not as buoyant as top part body, where they are located, the lungs are full of air. In this way, by including the legs in the work, we ensure the desired position of the body.
Original article
By and large, to achieve results in any sport, you need three things: be persistent, persevere and not skip workouts. If we add specifics, then we are talking about three pillars of training: technique, volume of training and its intensity, that is, structure. All three elements are related, but the fundamental one is correct technique- without it, the hours spent in the pool will be of no use.
The main advantage of swimming is the participation in the process of almost all the muscles of the body and the active involvement respiratory system. This consumes a large amount of energy, so swimming in the pool is called one of the most active types of fitness for weight loss. However, in addition to the desire to lose weight, swimmers have another goal - to learn how to do it well.
This is where the secret of technique lies: in water you can easily use up all your energy and not get results that you can be proud of in front of you. Many people face this problem, lose motivation and eventually give up swimming because they cannot see tangible results.
A matter of technology
Errors in swimming technique will become the factor that reduces not only the very speed of movement in and under water, but also limits the ability to overcome long distances. It is important to understand that only the correct work of the limbs, the correct position of the body in the water and correct breathing will push forward. Mistakes lead to floundering, where you simply try to stay afloat and fight the water to keep from drowning.
There are three ways to learn this technique: difficult, long and fast. The first - the most inefficient - theoretical. You can read articles and books about swimming, or watch others swim. If this method suits you, get down to business and make sure that you understand what is written correctly. It is a little easier to learn from training courses: from videos or online swimming schools.
The fastest way, of course, you can master the technique, if you train under supervision professional trainer. Effective, but, as a rule, expensive, and there may simply not be a trainer in the nearest pool. But the result personal training will come pretty quickly - a professional will notice and correct all errors. One of the options for training is group training, as a rule, they are cheaper.
A good option would be to enroll in a swimming school like Moscow's I Love Swimming or T.E.M.P. are both group and individual sessions with special control of technology and general development amateur athletes.
In addition to motivation, the coaches of these schools will give you all the technical knowledge about two important things: forward arm movement and stroke. These are the basic elements of swimming, on which all the technique of moving in water for any style is built, and, of course, they ultimately affect the speed. If you do not master these nuances, you will have to work hard with your legs and spend all your energy on pushing, losing strength over any significant distance.
How much to train?
The volume of loads is an equally important part in developing your ability to swim long distances and develop as a swimmer. In fact, you will not need to spend in the pool every day, especially as in other types of fitness, the muscles will need rest for their development and recovery. In order to "drive technique into the muscles", select 2-3 days a week in which you can consistently work out.
There is no ideal number of classes and cannot be, it all depends on your goals and capabilities. If you manage to swim 4-5 times a week, the results will come faster, but in this case, you will need to take care of sufficient rest and not burden the body with serious workouts in the gym in the remaining days.
Remember that cats can also swim, but in order to do it effectively and with health benefits, you will need to learn the technique and follow the well-known rules. For example, food and drink: you will need proteins for muscle growth, enough carbohydrates and plenty of water - in the pool, moisture loss goes unnoticed, so always keep a bottle on the side, you can use isotonic.
Beginners usually need more workouts, with experience it will be possible to devote time only to honing the technique. The result usually comes after a few months of practice, so you can count on notable progress after 4-5 months of training under the supervision of an instructor. You can swim your first kilometer in a couple of months - hundreds of graduates of amateur swimming schools testify to this.
Intensity of classes
Some believe that training in the pool is different from any other in its structure. That is, they think that the process is as follows: come, change clothes, put on a cap and goggles, and swim until the time runs out. Meanwhile, there are also warm-ups, cool-downs, sets, and reps with rest between sets. Coaches also make plans, and one workout per week or week is different from the others.
As a rule, a warm-up is the same warm-up of the muscles, only it happens in the water. You just swim hundred meters at a low pace, it takes the same 10-20 minutes as in the gym. You don’t need to work on a specific muscle group here - just swim at a comfortable pace. Approximately the same amount of time it takes basic movements and repulsions, the rest of the time - sets with approaches for 100-200 m and a rest between them up to 30 seconds. At the end of each workout, 5-10 minutes should be spent on a hitch - swimming at a very low rhythm and stretching "on the shore".
It is important to always remember that you come to the pool not just to swim, you have a goal - to increase the speed of the track. Therefore, the sets need a serious approach. Some will be focused on long-distance endurance, others on sprint intervals on the ability to accelerate.
In this article, I would like to talk in detail about the phases of the stroke with the hands and the phases of the take-off with the legs. Breaststroke speed is most affected by correct execution phases and their correct rhythm adjusted to their muscular mechanism. That is, if you perform all the phases correctly, but do not get into the rhythm, then your speed will be very low. The division into phases in swimming is done in order to understand how to correctly perform complex coordination movements in rhythm and at high speed. After all, swimming is a highly coordinated sport.
Hand movements. In the breaststroke swimming method, the arms and legs are equally movers. When swimming with the help of movements with one foot or one hand, 80 - 85% of the swimming speed is achieved with full coordination of movements. But the hands set the pace and rhythm, they are closely related to breathing, they affect the overall coordination of movements. Therefore, arm movements are of decisive importance for increasing the speed of swimming in rational variants of the breaststroke technique.
The rate of arm stroke during breaststroke swimming should be characterized as helical - the hands move at high speed along a rounded trajectory, interact with the water flow at an acute angle (about 30-35 °), and move back minimally.
In the preliminary phase, the swimmer sends his arms forward - to the sides, turning them with their palms outward. Then the arms begin to bend into elbow joints, the elbows go to a high position and turn to the sides, the plane of the hand - the forearm leans to the surface of the water at an angle of 45 °.
In the main phase, the hands sharply accelerate their support position along the loop-like section of the trajectory - first outward, and then inward. The second half of the stroke (repulsion) is the fastest and most powerful part of the movement cycle. By this time, the hand-forearm plane is inclined to the water surface at an angle of about 60°, the hands continue their supporting sliding movement down-inward towards each other. Following the brushes, the elbows move with acceleration in the same direction.
The final phase of the stroke is bringing the arms close to the chest.
The hands rush inward-forward-up (the palms are turned down-inward) and approach under the swimmer's chin; elbows close in front of the chest. Hands take a well streamlined position (this moment coincides, as a rule, with inhalation) and begin to move forward.
Bringing the hands forward is the preparatory phase of the movements.
The arms are straightened at the elbow joints, the hands almost touch and smoothly turn palms down. At the end of the withdrawal, the athlete sends his hands along with the shoulder girdle forward to the next capture of water.
Breathing and body position. In modern versions of the breaststroke technique, the so-called late breath is used. It begins after the completion of the main phase of arm movements, when the hands and elbows go inward and converge in front of the chest. The moment of inhalation is strictly coordinated both with the movements of the hands and with the movements of the shoulder girdle.
During the first half of the arm stroke, the swimmer's body retains almost horizontal position(angle of attack approximately 0-3°), head lowered face down into the water. At the moment of completion of the repulsion by hands shoulder girdle quickly rises above the surface of the water, the swimmer vigorously brings the chin forward and begins to inhale. At this time, the greatest value of the angle of attack of the body is noted (from 7-9 to 16-18 °). Having completed the breath, the athlete immediately directs the shoulder girdle forward following the arms and quickly aligns the body; by the beginning of the kick, the angle of attack of the body decreases to 6-3°, by the beginning of the stroke with the hands - to 3-0°. Thus, the shoulder girdle moves forward along a wave-like trajectory.
Depending on the value of the angle of attack of the body and its changes within the cycle, two extreme variants of the technique are distinguished: 1) with a relatively flat position of the body (the value of the angle of attack and its changes are minimal) and 2) with a planning position of the body (the value of the angle of attack and its changes are pronounced) . The choice of technique depends on the individual characteristics of the athlete.
Leg movements. In terms of their structure, the working movements of the legs when swimming with the breaststroke differ significantly from the movements of the legs when swimming in other ways. In the breaststroke, there is an energetic repulsion from the water (strike) by the relatively rigid supporting planes of the feet and shins in the direction back - to the sides; preparatory leg movements are performed smoothly.
Kick is the working phase of leg movements. By the beginning of the blow, they are bent into hip joints up to an angle of 135-140°; shins take a position perpendicular to the surface of the water (the angle between the shank and thigh is about 45°), the knees are separated slightly more than the width of the pelvis; the feet are turned with toes to the sides, forming an angle of 140-180 ° between them. During the strike, the feet move in arcs back-outward, and then back-in. The working movement of the legs begins simultaneously in the knee and hip joints. Since the knees at the very beginning of the strike are directed slightly inward, and the hips are sent up, the movements of the legs become overwhelming. The pelvis at this time is rigidly fixed, the back is straight (this contributes to the rational transfer of driving forces from a kick to the body).
After the impact is completed, the hips and lower legs immediately relax and, as it were, float to the surface of the water, maintaining a well-streamlined position.
Pull-ups are the preparatory phase of movements. It begins with involuntary flexion of the relaxed legs in knee joints. The feet move at the surface of the water about the width of the pelvis, the hips continue to maintain a streamlined position. At the final moment of pulling up, the hips and lower legs are quickly brought to the position of their greatest flexion in the hip and knee joints, the knees are spread apart to a distance exceeding about one and a half times the width of the pelvis.
Pulling up is performed in a single smooth movement and with acceleration to the moment of turning the feet with toes to the sides. The feet turn instantly - the swimmer immediately starts kicking.
How to improve your swimming? How to optimize your speed? What exercises will help you reach the peak of your strength? The article is designed for intermediate and advanced swimmers.
Training plan In training, it is important to work in three areas: technique, endurance, the specifics of open water.
If you swim three times a week, we suggest you this plan: 1 day. Technique training day 2. Endurance training with long distance swims 3 days. Swimming training at top speed
Each of the workouts should include a little bit of each set, the only difference is what you are focusing on today. In this article, we'll show you how to train at top speed to improve your performance.
Swimming quality For long-distance swimmers, including open water swimmers, one physiological indicator is important, namely - lactate threshold. If you can improve your top speed, you can improve your results.
For most swimmers, swimming at top speed means more work, less rest. Here's the secret: To optimize your lactane threshold, you need to train at your top speed or just below your top speed.
Many athletes make the mistake of training beyond their lactate threshold by doing short, fast swims, but this is not as effective as it might seem. About how to train properly, we will tell in this article.
Lactate threshold and swimming at top speed In laboratory conditions, the lactate threshold is determined as follows: blood is taken at different stages of training and the level of lactic acid is examined depending on the load, as well as at maximum speed. This method is expensive and difficult to perform in wet conditions, but fortunately, there is another way to determine the rate of lactate threshold.
The maximum swimming speed is the approximate speed of the lactate threshold. You can determine it by doing some swimming tests with a stopwatch. The error will be about 2 seconds per 100m, which will allow you to plan your workouts quite accurately.
Tests Speed limit tests are carried out in two swims: 400 and 200 meters. Before performing the test, warm up, prepare for a fast swim.
First swim 400m. Fully recover between swims, swim in between swims to your heart's content. Start both swims by pushing off the wall, do not dive.
Try to swim both distances at an even pace, don't go too fast at the start and don't slow down during the course. If you're not sure if your pace is even, have someone take your time every 100m to help you visualize your speed. Calculate your top speed using the calculator. Note: Previously, 400 and 50 meters were used in speed limit tests, many descriptions can be found on the Internet. We recommend running the 400m and 200m test as it will give more accurate results for most athletes.
How to train knowing your top speed Now that you know your 100m top speed, you can use that information for quality training. Here are some examples. You should perform these exercises once a week (the main work on the day of swimming quality training).
Your result is 7:30 or more in 400m: 6x200m with 20s release or 3x400m with 45s release or 4x(200m then 100m) with 10s release or 12x100m with 10s release
Your result is 5:45 - 7:30 at 400m: 8x200m with 20s release or 4x400m with 40s release or 5x(200m then 100m) with 10s release or 15x100m with 10s release
Your time is less than 5:45 for 400m: 10x200m with 20 sec release or 5x400m with 40 sec release or 18x100m with 10 sec release or 3x600m with 60 sec release
These rep sets require a lot of effort. You can shorten them a little if you want to make your workout easier. The main point of all these approaches is to maintain your top speed with short recovery intervals. Here we give examples of such training, you can choose an individual plan for yourself. In normal training, you are likely to swim more slowly, but you have less time to recover. It's just a different kind of training. The first few hundred meters you swim easily, but then you will feel how the distance overwhelms you. To describe the principle of the exercise, the word "invariance" is perhaps the best word. Importance of pace When training at top speed, it is important to maintain the pace. If you start too fast and then slow down, the effect is reduced. Try to swim each lap at the same pace. Swimming pace is a very important skill by which you can distinguish an amateur from a professional.
Mind work If you are used to recovering longer, then these series may seem unrealistic to you. By by and large it's just your fears of the new. Swimming fast 4x400 sounds scary, but in terms of time it is about the same as running 6km. Who is running, are you scared? Our advice is don't overthink it, just do it. In fact, everything is not as difficult as it seems. What if it's really hard for me, or vice versa, it's too easy? This method of top speed training is not flawless. If you find it too easy to do the exercises that we give here, increase the pace until you feel that it has become difficult for you, but tolerable. Make sure you keep up the pace, don't slack off. If, on the contrary, it is unbearably difficult for you, perform more modest tasks, moderate your pride and slow down the pace by 100 meters for a couple of seconds. It seems that 2 seconds per 100 meters will not make the weather, but in fact, it helps a lot. Since the top speed is actually the "limit", it is very difficult to swim at it constantly. Recheck your top speed You need to repeat the test every month or one and a half. If your workouts are going well, recheck your performance every month to improve further and increase your speed.
For most triathletes, we recommend 3 weeks of serious training followed by a light unloading week. Most best time to re-test the speed limit - the end of the recovery week. Do I need to swim faster than my top speed to improve my performance? It's hard to believe, but the correct answer is: "No need." Athletes tend to think like this: "I'll train faster and my body will get used to it." This logic is wrong, the body has other laws. By training faster than your limit, you will change your anaerobic system to the limit training system, which is absolutely unnecessary during the race. And your body will have a much harder time recovering, which can hurt other workouts. As a result, by training beyond your strength, you will only worsen your situation. Not convinced? Compare such workouts to lifting weights. Right now you're lifting 50kg and you want 60. You can't just go and lift 60 like that. You start by gradually getting used to the weight, lifting 45-50kg until you're strong enough. To load the body, it is enough just to approach your limit. In the end, just accept the challenge. Train for a month with one top speed workout per week. At the end of the month, a miracle awaits you - you will swim faster.
So, you don't need to swim beyond the limit of your speed at all? Of course, you can include some anaerobic exercises and short sprints in your training program, they are good for practicing technique. During their execution, you will feel the water at high speed, and you will also be able to get used mentally to high speed. But we advise you not to combine training at maximum speed with anaerobic and, in general, do not attach much importance to the latter.
Nutrition plays such an important role in the health and performance of swimmers that it is one of the five pillars required to achieve maximum swimming performance. The rest are technical training, power training, emotional preparation and recovery.
Nutrition is also the most controversial of these five pillars. It is very difficult to find two people who would completely agree on the same ideal menu. Moreover, all recommendations change from year to year. Some are lucky and their parents are very serious about the nutrition of the child from childhood, feeding him with what they consider ideal. Comparing the concept of ideal nutrition of our parents and us, you can find a huge number of differences, and this is natural.
You learn best from your own mistakes, but we invite you to learn from others. In 2000, when 13 sprinters were preparing for the Sydney Olympics at The Race Club, everything almost failed due to the fact that nutrition was not given due attention.
At that time, athletes were very limited in finances, so they often had to eat inexpensive but hearty fast food - sometimes they went to McDonald's or Burger King a couple of times a day. The results of these swimmers stood quite close for a certain time, and the coaches began to worry - training process goes actively, but for some reason does not give fruit. Then, after inspecting the apartments of the athletes, it was discovered that there was no normal food - there were some semi-finished products in the refrigerators, there were cereals on the shelves. And, in principle, everything. Then it became clear that the failure of training is the lack of good nutrition.
At that time, the solution was to invite a sports nutritionist from Platinum Performance, who spent several days with us and completely changed the approach to nutrition for swimmers.
Meals have been supplemented protein bars firms Platinum, fresh chicken and beef with vegetables became frequent guests at dinner, a lot of fruits appeared in the diet. Platinum Performance supplements fueled athletes between workouts. The swimmers ate dinner themselves, but since this was the only meal they paid for out of their own pocket, fast food was banned.
The result of this change in diet was not long in coming. Within just a few days, swimmers' times improved drastically and surprisingly, with reduced recovery times. Naturally, self-confidence and motivation of athletes crept up, as a result, 10 out of 13 sprinters easily made it to the Olympic teams of their countries, and 6 Americans from this group received a total of 10 Olympic medals, which is a tenth of all American medals under those Olympic Games. It is unlikely that such a result would be expected without a dietary overhaul and Platinum supplements.
In order to improve health and results, certain rules must be followed. We offer you 10 valuable nutritional recommendations:
1. Avoid all fast food establishments.
2. Avoid convenience foods.
3. Avoid gluten (bread, pasta, etc.)
4. Avoid dairy products (cottage cheese doesn't count).
5. Eat plenty of protein (fish, chicken, meat, nuts).
6. Look for healthy fats for calories.
7. Drink plenty of water, and during and after training - drinks with carbohydrates, but without sugars (for example, Vitargo S2)
8. Eat more fruits more often, this is a source of natural sugars and carbohydrates.
9. Eat plenty of fresh or lightly cooked vegetables.
10. Swimmers after puberty can supplement their diet with dietary supplements, but only from trusted manufacturers. Before puberty, swimmers are advised to take daily vitamins, including D3.
No additive or substance on the Anti-Doping Association's Prohibited List should be taken, nor should side effects which could harm you.
Trust me, it's for your own good slim body and fast swimming!
The article was prepared and translated by the site using materials from the resource: SwimSwam.com
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