Coach Mandy, have to disagree with you about the one goggle in the water part of this video. Both Katie and Caleb swim what is called the 'gallop' style or some times 'loping' style of freestyle, They both lift their heads a bit higher out of the water than what is considered proper form. This style goes back to at least the early 80's and Matt Biondi. Some coaches also call it a 'hybrid' style, where what they call the hip driven style more of what is used for distance swimming and shoulder driven the 50 meter sprint style, and the loping style is their 'hybrid' style. It is an uneven cadence type of stroke, and the swimmer actually undulates a tiny bit, but not nearly as much as swimmers do in breast stroke of the fly. Sun Yang is another male who uses this gallop style. Take a look at the 200 and 400 meter women's races from the Olympics and focus on Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky. Two very different styles. Ariarne won both events. In the 200, Katie got 4th place, I think. In the 400, she got second finishing about half a body length behind. Ariarne swims with a 2/2/4 type breathing pattern, and Katie swims with the loping/2 breath technique. This loping method, especially for men, is far more efficient to keep swimmers highly oxygenated for the high power distances, and even sprints over 50 meters. Ariarne seems to do better in the shorter distances, but can't come close to catching Katie in distances over 400. She also breathes with one goggle in the water and no undulation at all, which is the style you teach. Not sure if you want this posted here, but the following is a clip from a swim channel I do watch for a different perspective, but don't really like. He also seems not know about the gallop style as you can tell by his comments. Please note his comment at about 1:50 where he talks about Katie lifting her head a bit. Most women do not swim gallop style, and this is partly due to them metabolizing oxygen and lactic acid differently than men. You can remove the link, but maybe leave my swim pro/katie ledecky part up. ruclips.net/video/LbE_NXhUF_4/видео.html
Well, a question. I have never heard on any swim channel about having that space between your head and shoulder. I can understand that if you are crossing over very badly, this would happen. Don't understand how it applies to others who are not crossing over.
What would you say is the best way to get the feel for the one goggle in breath? I do a lot of side kicking with fins striving for that but still find myself lifting slightly Thanks!
Well, it seems like the good videos of Arierne Titmus and Katie in the 200 and 400m freestyle are not up on You Tube. Some are up, but not good photo quality. Arierne swims more like you do, doing a 2, 2, 4 breath pattern, and Katie swims the gallop style and breathes on every other stroke. Arierne keeps a smooth even pace, and doesn't porpoise at all. Katie, with the gallop style for sure does. What does this have to do with the shoulder part? Well, as near as I can tell, Arierne has her shoulder pretty much on her ear when she breathes. Katie, because of the gallop style, her top shoulder rises out of the water more than the straight Arierne style. One comment I heard was that Katie has one speed only. Arierne has a good sprint to finish. That worked for her on the 200 and 400, but not on the 800. I am wondering if part of the reason is that Katie's breathing pattern is better suited for longer distances than the 2, 2, 4. Arierne may have had a slight oxygen debt in the 800. Still don't understand why having that gap between shoulder and head is important.
Question Coach Mandy … what about the position of the hand itself? Caleb points his out. Katie (the GOAT) points her in. I’ve heard a very accomplished triathlete (Dave Scott) recommend a straight hand. In your opinion… Is there a correct position?
Great question - she most likely points hers in to keep her elbow rotated out to create a catch. The main point is to keep the hand relaxed which will help you move the arm easier throughout the stroke cycle. 🙌✅
A relaxed hand vs a cupped hand was known as far back as Mark Spitz. Probably taught from his coach Doc Councilman, who had done hydrodynamic testing showing the area of a hand is the same no matter what the position. And we appreciate the video comparisons. Thanks.
Thank you for your insightful comment! You're absolutely right that the area of the hand remains the same regardless of its position. However, it's also worth noting that the presence of webbing between the fingers does slightly increase the effective surface area of the hand as it moves through water, especially given that water is a denser medium. This can play a role in optimizing stroke technique. The webbing creates a sort of mini paddle in a sense, but that's not really the most important reason for a slightly relaxed hand. The primary factor lies in managing tension effectively. If you extend your arm and keep it straight, cup your hands with tension, you can feel through the entire arm is rigid. On the other hand, if you keep your arm extended and slightly relax the hand, it is much more comfortable and you can move easier. This facilitates a more effective catch without causing excessive tension in your trapezius muscles. You can even try this the next time you go to the pool and you will feel an immediate difference, one which feels much better. It's always fascinating to explore the nuances of technique. I'm glad you appreciate the video comparisons. Thank you for watching! Best, Coach Mandy 😎🏊🏻♀️
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Coach Mandy, have to disagree with you about the one goggle in the water part of this video. Both Katie and Caleb swim what is called the 'gallop' style or some times 'loping' style of freestyle, They both lift their heads a bit higher out of the water than what is considered proper form. This style goes back to at least the early 80's and Matt Biondi. Some coaches also call it a 'hybrid' style, where what they call the hip driven style more of what is used for distance swimming and shoulder driven the 50 meter sprint style, and the loping style is their 'hybrid' style. It is an uneven cadence type of stroke, and the swimmer actually undulates a tiny bit, but not nearly as much as swimmers do in breast stroke of the fly. Sun Yang is another male who uses this gallop style.
Take a look at the 200 and 400 meter women's races from the Olympics and focus on Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky. Two very different styles. Ariarne won both events. In the 200, Katie got 4th place, I think. In the 400, she got second finishing about half a body length behind. Ariarne swims with a 2/2/4 type breathing pattern, and Katie swims with the loping/2 breath technique. This loping method, especially for men, is far more efficient to keep swimmers highly oxygenated for the high power distances, and even sprints over 50 meters. Ariarne seems to do better in the shorter distances, but can't come close to catching Katie in distances over 400. She also breathes with one goggle in the water and no undulation at all, which is the style you teach.
Not sure if you want this posted here, but the following is a clip from a swim channel I do watch for a different perspective, but don't really like. He also seems not know about the gallop style as you can tell by his comments. Please note his comment at about 1:50 where he talks about Katie lifting her head a bit. Most women do not swim gallop style, and this is partly due to them metabolizing oxygen and lactic acid differently than men. You can remove the link, but maybe leave my swim pro/katie ledecky part up.
ruclips.net/video/LbE_NXhUF_4/видео.html
Well, a question. I have never heard on any swim channel about having that space between your head and shoulder. I can understand that if you are crossing over very badly, this would happen. Don't understand how it applies to others who are not crossing over.
Excellent analysis. Specially point 2, gap between head and arms. Thank you!
Yes! 🙌 You’re welcome Fardad and thank you for the support
What would you say is the best way to get the feel for the one goggle in breath? I do a lot of side kicking with fins striving for that but still find myself lifting slightly
Thanks!
Yes, I have a RUclips short on this subject here: ruclips.net/video/063gATCeWzY/видео.html
Enjoy your practice Donald! 🙌🙏✅ -CM
Well, it seems like the good videos of Arierne Titmus and Katie in the 200 and 400m freestyle are not up on You Tube. Some are up, but not good photo quality. Arierne swims more like you do, doing a 2, 2, 4 breath pattern, and Katie swims the gallop style and breathes on every other stroke. Arierne keeps a smooth even pace, and doesn't porpoise at all. Katie, with the gallop style for sure does. What does this have to do with the shoulder part? Well, as near as I can tell, Arierne has her shoulder pretty much on her ear when she breathes. Katie, because of the gallop style, her top shoulder rises out of the water more than the straight Arierne style. One comment I heard was that Katie has one speed only. Arierne has a good sprint to finish. That worked for her on the 200 and 400, but not on the 800. I am wondering if part of the reason is that Katie's breathing pattern is better suited for longer distances than the 2, 2, 4. Arierne may have had a slight oxygen debt in the 800. Still don't understand why having that gap between shoulder and head is important.
Question Coach Mandy … what about the position of the hand itself? Caleb points his out. Katie (the GOAT) points her in. I’ve heard a very accomplished triathlete (Dave Scott) recommend a straight hand. In your opinion… Is there a correct position?
Great question - she most likely points hers in to keep her elbow rotated out to create a catch. The main point is to keep the hand relaxed which will help you move the arm easier throughout the stroke cycle. 🙌✅
A relaxed hand vs a cupped hand was known as far back as Mark Spitz. Probably taught from his coach Doc Councilman, who had done hydrodynamic testing showing the area of a hand is the same no matter what the position. And we appreciate the video comparisons. Thanks.
Thank you for your insightful comment! You're absolutely right that the area of the hand remains the same regardless of its position. However, it's also worth noting that the presence of webbing between the fingers does slightly increase the effective surface area of the hand as it moves through water, especially given that water is a denser medium. This can play a role in optimizing stroke technique. The webbing creates a sort of mini paddle in a sense, but that's not really the most important reason for a slightly relaxed hand. The primary factor lies in managing tension effectively. If you extend your arm and keep it straight, cup your hands with tension, you can feel through the entire arm is rigid. On the other hand, if you keep your arm extended and slightly relax the hand, it is much more comfortable and you can move easier. This facilitates a more effective catch without causing excessive tension in your trapezius muscles. You can even try this the next time you go to the pool and you will feel an immediate difference, one which feels much better. It's always fascinating to explore the nuances of technique. I'm glad you appreciate the video comparisons. Thank you for watching! Best, Coach Mandy 😎🏊🏻♀️
A point on coordination leg and arm with two beat kick, please.
Muchas gracias
Thank you for your support and subscribing to the channel Mateo! Cheers, Coach Mandy
Muchas gracias por tomarse el tiempo en realizar el video, y el análisis. Saludos.
¡De nada! Estoy encantado de poder ayudar. Si tienes alguna otra pregunta o necesitas más información, no dudes en preguntar. ¡Saludos!
❤️
Interesting that they both breath to left side.
Ledecky is breathing to the right. Insignia on the suit is backwards.
Katie kicks slower than calleb.
They are swimming two different events. Caleb is sprint and Katie is swimming distance so their kick patterns are not the same. 🙌✅ Best, Coach Mandy