Re: Ah Butterfly

On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 12:22:56 +0000, rtk wrote:

<snip>

>   I sound like I'm practicing my obscene phone calls techniques the very
> few times I breathe.  Coming up for air is far too strenuous, so I don't
> do it.  Therefore I'm limited to swimming only 50's in competition.  I
> tried 75 in practice once and got as far as 72 before I went vertical.

<snip>

> Ruth Kazez

Well, I hesitate to offer any actual advice, as the post was, umm,
entertaining ;) but I do have this:

Try swimming some fly with fins, but get someone to watch you. Ensure that
your 'spotter' is looking to see that you're breathing early (head starts
coming up before the hands get to armpits) and that your hips are high
after every breath (breaking the surface, preferably with the lower back
high as well, but not the feet/fins).

I like to think of the stroke as being a little like a rocking chair. A
drill I used to like, esp early season when the feel was off, worked
something like a 'reverse banana'. When doing bananas you lie on your
back, raise both head & feet (for a nice smooth banana curve) and rock
back and forth. For this drill try the same thing, but on your front. It
takes some measure of lower back strength and some flexibility. When
you've got that try putting in the hands as well. They should start at
your sides when your head is high and then swing out until they're a
little wider then shoulder width ('above' your head) - ie the entry
position.

--Mike