How to Swim Faster Freestyle. . . with High Legs and Low Drag
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2011
- www.SynergySwimming.com . This amusingly serious video explains the physics of why our legs sink while we swim and what muscle groups need to be engaged in order to swim horizontal to the surface of the water. The video also includes drills we can do to strengthen the muscles used to swim flat and gives hope to those who swim with lead in their legs. Monterey, CA
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Somehow i think it wasn't only legs that were high...
LOL! But, it was informative.
"... will bob, or Robert, in the water."
I lost my shit at this.
I corrected my many years of swimming mistakes ,thank you so much for splendid coaching .
damn. this is the the most absurd video about freestyle, but this worked as magic! I wathced hundreds of vids on the topic but no one told to contract the back muscels. Just tried this and my legs never draggeed for the whole training! And i can stay still horizontally without movements at all! Thanks soooooo sooo much!
FINALLY..someone with an explanation of the physics and mechanics at play that makes sense (to an engineer at least). After 18 months of frustration with this - now I know what's really at play here, and have at least a fighting chance of fixing it. Thank you, thank you thank you :)
This is the best video I have seen for swimming. Every drill is garbage as long as you are not abtle to have your legs near the surface
this is the most trippy swimming video ive ever seen. i love it.
Thanks! You are actually very intelligent and your comedy helps to reinforce the message. Thanks again.
Really helpful. The part that explains why using the muscle in the back changes the centre of buoyancy really helps. Thanks!
Thank you for the enormous work done for the short video I will follow your advise when I get a chance .
Excellent. These muscle excersises are exaclty what I need. Thank you so much. And thanks for not putting any bloody music in the background too.
Chris, It is difficult to float and especially bring the legs up for those of us with low body fat index. The drill is to help you find the right muscles to keep the legs up. Try using the same slight arched lower back technique when you push off from the wall and glide out a few meters. If you can keep the legs up while gliding then you can do it while swimming. It takes a lot less effort while moving through the water. Good luck.
Cool to see how it's possible to lie flat on top of the water. It's helpful to have the illustration of the muscles that need to be used to accomplish this. Lots of fun to watch too!
Glad you put this into terms that I could understand!! With some physics concepts I was familiar with
Great video. Thanks for posting. So many people have this issue, especially triathletes and those new to swimming. I like your drills for correcting the problem. No one else seems to address this basic idea for good technique. I will have all of my swimmers watch this video.
Hi, and thanks! Kicking harder does not necessarily make the legs rise because if the back muscles are not engaged the legs will sink no matter how hard you kick. The back muscles are VERY important to keeping the legs high. In fact they can be held high with little kicking if the back muscles are engaged.
Very helpful, have watched so much swimming advice video from RUclips but never seen anything like this before.
Wow! Awesome explanation! It's been a while since you last uploaded, was very excited to watch :)
Amazing tip, and those funny masks and weird caps are really great
Hi there :)
Many thx for your time and effort to upload this videos. They are not only very clear and logically build but also very amusing :) ! Hope they help me swim better, cause my legs are dropping so much.
Any way many thx!
Best Regards- Alek
Interesting and ,fun, explaining what could be complex in a clear and absorbing way. An example of artful teaching.
Excellent - and very entertaining too! wish I'd seen this a few years back when I started trying to swim 'properly'. I'd just about given up on getting my kick anywhere near decent but I think I know where I'm going wrong now and more importantly how to go about fixing it - many thanks.
Nice one..been struggling with my kick for years and this vid has really helped.Cheers
Excellent instructional video and style
Great and elaborate explanation....good job!
That was awesome! I've been searching for why my legs sink. Now I know.
Thanks! We had never found any intelligent instruction on how to remain horizontal to the surface of the water.
Would you please please please make more videos! You are mad funny and you have an excellent understanding of hydrodynamics.
Thank you, Shaules, for the insightful and humorous video! I've been trying to do the forward flotation. This video will help me. By the way, at times when I could pull my legs up to be in line with the rest of my body, my whole body sinks to the bottom of the pool and I ended up lying prone on the floor of the swimming pool for a while. Is this normal?
Very effective...thanks so much. Like the way the theory and measure are delivered. :=)
make sense to me and it really help my swimming ... just using his method
Very funny and excellent! I'm an avid recreational swimmer and am always looking for improvements in technique. Seems to me that the low back curve that is created by contracting those muscle groups is the key to the horizontal stability - not sure everyone has that level of flex. Thanks again and look forward to more...
Still extremely helpful a nearly decade later. I am eternally grateful. Cheeio
Now that is the BEST explanation I've heard...ever! I didn't know was possible to float like that.
This has to be the most ridiculous swimming video I have ever seen......but.....also the most educational and informative. Thank you!! ;-)
I really like this video. Are you able to make more tutorials? Maybe for butterfly?
Finally something useful. I've been "pushing the t" - well trying to - without much real success, but the strengthening and proper use of back muscles to raise legs to the horizontal seems pretty simple but savvy to me. Thanks for the tip guys, enjoyed the presentation too!
Thank heavens its friday tomorrow - this means i'll have time to practice before Monday!
Cheers for the tips and for styling different hat! :)
Thank you . I am an adult learner so this is very helpful to know the “how and why “
Brilliant! entertaining and enlightening, thank you for your video! XD
Thank you so much for this! It really helped !
Very useful video, I'm definitely going to give this a go tomorrow.
Great explanation!! I have noticed a tendency for the legs to drag during backstroke. I am curious how these principles apply to backstroke. Should the abs be contracted? Pelvis rolled forward?
great job man, please make more about other swim styles :-D
Glad you now have the tools to swim with high legs now. You'll eventually be able to lightly tense the back muscles and, with a little leg tension, swim as flat as can be.
superb explanation
thank you very much
Genial mi amigo , super didactico ,yes and yes
We like a lot of what TI teaches, and they certainly help a lot of people new to swimming. Our fundamental approach is different, and we think some aspects of technique they use are not compatible with efficient swimming. Our understanding of swimming from a scientific viewpoint puts us at odds with some other coaches. Hope your lakes are melted by now.
In other words, you can arch your back. This guy is very funny but the video is quite interesting, and the video gives you good tips to be a better swimmer with your frontcrawl leg kick.
Carol Baldwin b
Thank you sir, really helpful and funny video!
Why are their so many chickens in this video
If your back muscles are too tense your body will torque & twist while swimming. Stand upright relaxed with good posture and shoulders back; that is the amount of tension u should feel in your back. If u are properly engaging your ERECTOR SPINAE they WILL pull on the pelvis to lift the legs if hamstrings and glutes are engaged. Practice relaxing the back muscles by simply pushing off from the wall & gliding without stroking. Note tension/torquing. Do until only u have relaxed engaged muscles.
Hi Dale,
Thanks for the quick response. I will keep at it. Given that you have a massive view count and are affiliated with a not-for-profit high school, it is quite impressive that you took the time to respond at all! I wish I could come out to sunny Calif and train all year round outdoors. I don't like the chlorine very much and it is very difficult to swim in the lakes out my way more than half of the year. Skates help though. ;) Hey what do you think of the TIS swimming technique?
Very informative video! I was a non-swimmer and have been taking swimming classes for 8 weeks now. My problem is I can float perfectly, and as I start I can swim/propel half way across the pool (both front and back), from there however hard, soft, pointy toes, whichever way I kick I am not moving forward. I have been in this state for the last 4 weeks now. I really don't know what I am doing wrong. Please help!
Cool, this is really very helpful.
I too have limited ankle flexibility. Kicking with fins while trying to relax the ankle will help, and obvious stretches like sitting on the floor, tucking your toes under a couch and flexing your leg downward.
Thank you very much! That helped a lot!
Very well done.
Thanks for this video. And I have a question. I am get tired very soon, what should I do or is there any supplements that you recommend ? thanks
thanks for your videos :)
Though it is quite strenuous to get horizontal while floating still, remember that it takes only about 10% of the effort to keep the legs high while swimming. The drill is to teach you which muscles to use. While swimming, just think of lifting the legs. Hope this helps.
Really works, I was having the hardest time being able to front float in streamline without legs sinking.
I am a beginner swimmer. Signed up for my first triathlon. Really appreciated your videos and got inspired to go try the floating drills.....failed miserably! Never got close to floating. Can't get legs up for the life of me....then I run out of air! I am not "unfit" and feel I have the strength to do it but legs just sink. Is there really hope? Can everyone do this? Are there other drills that I can do to get the hang of this?
Excellent video. Don't let the props put you off!
thanx you helped a lot.
Thank you for this, dude
You are correct because this increases the tension of the erector spinae muscles. But at the same time if your erector spinae and hamstrings are not engaged looking down has no effect.
great theory and practice
Thank you! I'll try once again.
Fantastic.
Sorry for the late reply. There is an advantage for some people with higher body fat index, but most competitive swimmers are, as you say, thin. The idea of the drill is to learn which muscles to engage. You don't have to be able to totally float to the surface to have the drill help. When you push off from the wall try engaging the slight arch in the back and see if you can keep the legs high.
The most helpful video on the web, if you have low legs when swimming! Why is this information not more widely known?
i love how you used everything that have nothing to do with swiming to explain XD
thanks for the tips, i learned
This is a very helpful video especially for a self-taught swimmer like myself. It's, however, a very difficult thing to do for a thin swimmer. I've noticed that sometimes female swimmer's forms are better than male swimmer's due to more lift.
thanks, I learned a lot from this video.
Do know of any stretches for improving ankle flexibility further after the sit stretch?
Thanks for the tip! Now I can go have fun in the pool :)
The tension you should feel in your legs is the slight tension you might have when trying to gently shake out a cramp of your foot, and the back tension is the same tension you feel when standing with good posture, relaxed. The muscles should be engaged, but not tense.
For the backstroke align the legs with the body using the glutes and the hamstrings; engage the core including the abs to pull on the pelvis to lift the legs. Most swimmers end up in a sort of sitting position, or their legs just drag deeply. It is possible to float on your back and raise your legs to the surface, similar to the face down float. Give it a try.
very interesting and useful!
thank you for the video
If the front hand is allowed to glide downwards (as suggested in TI) you lose the "catch" part of the stroke, and the use of that hand sweeping inward toward the proper path of propulsion helps with body roll. We often see an exaggerated kick used to roll the body back toward flat, but by using the hand the giant kick can be minimized, reducing the drag.
When you say engage your back muscles and butt muscles...in what sense do I engage them? Do I make them tighter, if I do so isn't there more tension in the body and hence harder to swim?
Great video though, got some good info and I enjoyed watching your antics!
that was a funny but thorough explanation to the physics of better swimming. I have a question though are these same rules of physics applicable to those of us with a lot of body fat AKA Fatso.. I am 290 pounds and 6 feet and that floating exercise hasn't worked out to well for me
Thank you!
Lol I like the hats!
great! thank you sooo much.
Good teacher!
So me and my friend both joined swimming the same day, and every time i race against him in a meet i always lose... I work really hard, i don't know if my friend does too. the point is that i keep losing to him, is there any tips that you could tell me that i should keep in mind when im swimming? My other friend is beating records in my town (he started a year be-four me) and he's a slacker in practice... is there somthing i dont know that they know?
Hello again.
I practised swimming on my back today in streamline position. Just a few times my head went under the water. And I thought about the way to stay up in the water on my chest. But I dont fully understand how to on my back.
Can you explain?
Could it be because my arms started pointing upwards instead of straight?
In the beginning it is difficult to keep the back muscles engaged with little effort and it requires concentration to reduce the effort. Just as you can stand upright with good posture in a relaxed fashion or stiff and ramrod straight, or raise your arm gracefully or with great tension, so can you lightly engage your back and hamstrings while swimming. Practice by just pushing off from the wall and simply gliding, not swimming. The lift of the water helps reduce effort yet causes drag.
Very nice explanation, the only question that I have is how to engage those muscles during the swim and not become quickly tired because of additional effort.
Anyway, thank you for sharing :)
I'm getting better at this but when I take a breath my legs still drop and I slow down quite a bit. I'm trying to breath when I'm fully extended however I'm concerned about a sore deltoid. Any suggestions?
Wow fantabulous
I didn't know why sometimes it easier for me to swim although I put the same amount of strenght and sometimes not, now I know , and know how to do it.
thx
swimming is so exciting :D
jshaules - I apreciate the explanations you give. I may complete that exist a dynamic elevation of legs depending also of head position and most important of angle of entry in water of recovered arm (y axis) . The swimmers which cannot maintain the back lordosis with pelvis errectors muscle contraction to keep high legs, can rise their legs by slight angle of hand entry in water
We believe even people with your body type can swim flat on the water. Try pushing off from the wall in the superman glide position, looking straight down, with a slight arch in the back and a very small light kick. See if you can get your legs to stay near the surface doing that. Don't carry too much tension or you will feel your body twisting and torquing. It may take several attempts to get the right feel.
Great video. Explains principles in a way I understand. But, why aren't there any dogs or ducks?
Dogs and ducks both have low leg positions while swimming and they are not fast swimmers, whereas chickens.... well, everyone knows what great swimmers they are.
I used increasing number of kickboards under my chest to help me engage the right muscles.