Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Starting with a Breakthrough - Pt. I
I asked myself - What was the source of this breakthrough in swimming strength? Or, more importantly, how can I sustain it?It began on a routine skating drill, which involves kicking without using the arms,while gliding along on one side. The lower arm is extended,while the other is relaxed alongside the body.
All of a sudden, I noticed (after 7 + years of doing this drill) that my legs were moving differently. Instead of kicking, it felt like they were whipping.
The lower arm/hand was moving back and forth horizontally (by less than six inches) as the legs whipped alternately. Actually, it felt as if the entire right and left sides of my body were whipping, and the arm/hand was merely going along for the ride. The effect on my shoulders was that they felt like they were rolling back and forth in keeping with the rhythm in my legs.
It felt good - I could feet water moving past me a bit quicker, even though I was not working as hard.
This intrigued me, so I tested it with some regular swimming. I was astounded.
Whereas I had been taking 10-11 strokes per length, I was now taking 8-9 (in a very short pool.)
For a swimmer, this just does not happen.
I repeated it to make sure I was not fooling myself, but I was clearly in a new zone. I could feel it, and now I could measure it.
My next job was much, much harder -- How do I repeat it?
# posted by fwade @ 7:28 AM 
