Good friend and 1980 Olympic Team member Glenn Mills has posted a new short video on GoSwim that addresses some of the fine points on how we enter the water after we get off the blocks.
Take a look:
Starts - Clean Up the Feet from Glenn Mills on Vimeo.
Starts - Clean Up the Feet
Posted by Glenn Mills on Feb 10, 2009 05:24AM (0 views)
Most of the time when we work on starts, we focus on the take-off. Here's a short focal point that starts with the end... the feet.
Why Do It:
While how we leave the blocks is very important, minimizing the resistance we create with our entire body upon entry is equally important. Making sure we don't create turbulence with the legs and feet means we'll have a cleaner entry.
How to Do It:
1. Practice your starts as usual, only now...
2. Focus all your attention on keeping your legs tight and straight as they follow your body into the water.
3. Point your toes and, in the case of our swimmer, overlap them to create an even tighter line.
How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
Practice this until you feel comfortable with your legs staying straight. You may have to adjust where you enter the water, so it's just a bit closer to the blocks than you think. By moving your entry point in just a bit, you'll have less time to allow your legs to flop around.
No comments:
Post a Comment