With kitten-like speed and grace

[fivemack]

At least, I think kittens are proverbially slow and graceless swimmers.

Managed a kilometre this evening - 40 lengths of Parkside, changing stroke every six lengths to ward off some of the boredom. It took just under ninety minutes; I found that two consecutive lengths of brisk front crawl (where 'brisk' means 40 seconds for the 25 metres) raised my heart rate to 180, one minute's rest got it down to 120 and another minute got it to 100. For comparison it goes up to about 150 on the stair-climbing machine and stays there, and tended not to get even that high on the treadmill (when the treadmill was working).

What would be wonderful is to try swimming with someone who not only can swim but can tell me what I'm doing wrong; I find I can't get any speed at all from my legs, it takes over two minutes for me to do a length holding a float in both arms and getting my propulsion from swimming furiously.

Weird weather this evening; low-contrast clouds and haze enough to cloud one side of Parker's Piece as seen from the other, the sun setting as a visible disc rather than an actinic blare. Rather reminiscent of Bangkok.

Comments

[naath.livejournal.com]

Swimming with just legs is usually slower than with added arms.

[arnhem.livejournal.com]

swimming furiously

This may be the problem; swimming seems (to me) to reward efficiency over raw effort (and in particular, sorting the former before applying the latter).

[shana.livejournal.com]

Try a different stroke.

I cannot do the flutter kick -- practicing with a kickboard I would go, very slowly, backwards.

I had no trouble learning the kicks associated with the sidestroke and the breast stroke.

So as soon as they started trying to teach me something other than the crawl, I learned to swim. Pity it took several years before some teacher was bright enough to do so.

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

I've done the very-slowly-backwards part, it amused the onlookers rather more than it did me. I think my crawl might be something nearer to side-stroke, strong kick with left leg while pulling back with left arm alternates with its mirror-image and I roll from side to side a lot, but I have trouble working out what to do with my legs in between times since they want to go rather faster than my arms do.

I can't figure out whether the breast-stroke kick should be done in-phase or out-of-phase with sweeping the arms round from in front of nose to parallel to forehead, but this doesn't really trouble me since I can't reliably keep either phase relation for as long as a length.

The stroke I find most pleasing is a sort of back-butterfly, if only because it relaxes my neck which I otherwise strain too much to keep out of the water; but it's not very practical in crowded pools, and I'm not quite as reliable as would be ideal at stopping before swimming the back of my head with some force into the ceramic tiles at the end of the pool.

[shana.livejournal.com]

Sidestroke is definitely different from the crawl -- and I find it easier to coordinate. And I get to keep my face out of the water.

I learned two different versions of the breast stroke -- one with the long sweeping stroke you describe, and other with shorter strokes. In any case, it still works even if you don't coordinate it smoothly. The kicks are different, too -- one the frog kick, the other somewhat different.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

Getting "better" at swimming will just mean you have to travel a longer distance to get your exercise.

Okay, I suppose there might be uses for swimming other than exercise.

[(Anonymous)]

The front-crawl flutter kick is almost certainly more efficient at higher speeds---you're generating lift from the top and bottom of your foot and the front and back of your ankle, and the faster the water flow along the leg the more lift is available. (Simple Newtonian reasoning: under conservation of momentum it is better to move a lot of water a small way than a small amount of water a long way with each stroke, and a faster flow helps). If you're not using your arms then thrashing hard with the legs will stall the flow completely. Try a slower motion with the float and see what's most efficient. Or with your arms providing extra speed your kick will work better anyway. The drive should be from the quads and hams, with the lower leg just following like a flexible flipper.

For breaststroke the drive phase with the arms is as you bring them towards you; with the legs it is as you shoot them away. Ideally you alternate power phases, which means alternating frog and needle positions. Breath out as you kick and breathe in as you pull with the hands.

HTFB

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Is 40 lengths a kilometre? That's so cool.

It takes me an hour -- and 30 takes me three-quarters of an hour, so that's probably a solid 10 per quarter hour -- and that's breast-stroke with occasional rest-lengths of back-stroke, usually no more than two. Do bear in mind that I'm a triped not a quadruped (though I do try to do one length each time using my leg) so you ought to be faster than I am.

The advice given immediately above about frog/needle and breathing is how I was taught. The other thing is that you can actually do breaststroke with just your arms, and your legs trailing. Breaststroke is all about the arms. (Especially for me!) Or you can do it combined with a modified crawl flutter leg stroke -- that's hard to describe, but it works. Hmm. Think of treading water, and what your feet do for that.

[numberland.livejournal.com]

I know a fair amount about swimming and technique and could certainly give you some pointers at some point. I'd prefer this to be Jesus Green rather then Parkside. If your interested what sort of time would work for you.

(I'm Susan from the Carlton/post-pizza btw)

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much!

I can't find opening hours for Jesus Green anywhere; I can do most evenings next week though my weekends are rather full; how's Tuesday or Wednesday for you?

[numberland.livejournal.com]

The last entry is at 7 and they kick you out at 7:30 so I suggest we try and get there for 6 if that's okay with you. Tuesday should be fine for that for me.

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

(sorry about the delay, I've been in Belgium all weekend)

See you Tuesday at six; many thanks for your help!

[numberland.livejournal.com]

See you then.

[numberland.livejournal.com]

Arggg, turned up late (very sorry!!) and couldn't find you (looked up and down pool for a while) can rearrange after I'm back if your still keen. Once again, sorry!

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

I was puffing up and down the pool slowly, wearing green swimming trunks and no spectacles; sorry for being both imperceptible and imperceptive.

[sphyg.livejournal.com]

Not as hot as Bangkok. And worse aircon.