All Categories

BACK TO BREAST CROSSOVER TURN: VIDEO AND DRILL

5/28/2016

The crossover turn is the fastest back-to-breast transition, used by mostly all U.S. Olympians, such as 200 IM World Record Holder Ariana Kukors seen in this video.

At minimum, it is 0.3 seconds faster than a traditional open turn. On the middle turn of a 200 free race, would you do an open turn when everyone else does a flip turn? For the same reason, you should strongly consider incorporating a crossover turn into your arsenal of skills.

The most common reasons why people don't do the crossover turn are because of the greater level of difficulty and inability to get a breath on the wall.

Interestingly, those same facts apply to freestyle flip turns too, yet everyone does those.

Simply put, the crossover turn is a sideways flip turn:

With your last backstroke arm stroke, extend toward the wall and roll onto your side. The extended arm is closest to the surface. The other arm remains at your side.
Be sure not to roll past vertical onto your stomach before touching the wall. It helps to keep your shoulder behind your ear.
Touch the wall and throw your head toward your knees to do a forward somersault.

Dolphin Kick Backstroke

5/7/2016

Dolphin kick backstroke is one of the best ways to learn how to develop a fast stroke rate. Many swimmers struggle in getting their arms through the stroke cycle fast enough in backstroke. It is difficult to know how to maintain that high stroke rate throughout a race if it is not practiced so we like to use the dolphin kick backstroke drill to learn how to maintain a high stroke rate. Synchronizing each kick with a single arm pull, Junya shows us how this technique enables a swimmer to pull faster and increase the overall speed of the backstroke. In this Race Club #swimisodes, you will see how Junya still manages to rotate his body quickly from side to side while pulling at this higher stroke rate, gaining power and speed.
There are only two stroke rates for backstroke, fast and faster. Dolphin kick backstroke drill is a wonderful technique to develop a faster stroke rate. Swimmers who cannot find a way to turn their arms over quickly might discover a faster way to swim with dolphin kick backstroke. Introduce fins using this technique while synchronizing the arms and suddenly the swimmer is backstroking on the freeway, motoring down the pool. At the Race Club, we have found this technique to be very effective in improving backstroke among swimmers who come to us of all ages and abilities.

Fast Swimming Techniques – Freestyle Flip Turn – The Approach

4/27/2016

In this Fast Swimming Techniques Video Series, we dissect the Freestyle Flip Turn_____ into 4 parts. The Approach, the Flip, the Pushoff and the Breakout are all equally important to a fast turn. In part 1, Gary Hall Sr. talks about common mistakes made during “the Approach” as well as important swimming drills that can improve your own swim training program and help you get ahead of your competition.

Swimming Starts - How to Position your Feet.

4/24/2016

In this video about swimming starts, Coach Gary Hall teaches the proper distance one should maintain between feet both side to side and back to front on the modern swimming starting block. Getting off to a good start can make or break a race but many of us don’t have advice on how to setup and execute great swimming starts. In this swim technique video series on various swimming start techniques we will guide you through the essentials that we believe will lead to not only faster but also safer swimming starts and much faster results in the pool. With the limited amount of swimming starting blocks that have the back foot plate and side grips, many of us use these for the first time at a competition. We hope this video will get you thinking about the change in swimming start technique that you might expect when transitioning to these new blocks and how you can use these features as an advantage.

The One-Arm Backstroke Drill

4/16/2016

World Champion Junya Koga demonstrates the one arm backstroke drill. This swim drill enables the swimmer to isolate the movement and position of the arm during the entry and underwater pull. Race Club coach, Gary Hall Sr. explains the importance of taking the time to feel the bent arm position of the underwater pull. The swimmer can concentrate on every aspect of the underwater pull in backstroke with one arm drill. Click HERE to view.

Fifth Stroke/Streamline

4/12/2016

“Weaponize” Your Underwater Dolphin! Olympic Gold Medalist Roland Schoeman has developed one of the fastest dolphin kicks in the world. The dolphin kick has become so important in the sport of swimming, now being used in all four strokes, that it is commonly referred to as the ‘fifth stroke’. In this video series on #thefifthstroke, Gary Hall Sr has Roland demonstrate several ways to improve the dolphin kick. In Part 1 of this Race Club Swimisode series, find out what Coach Gary Hall has up his sleeve to get Roland to work both the up and down kick in Butterfly. Click HERE _ and go faster!

Breaststroke

4/9/2016

Drills & Skills!
Olympic Gold Medalist Rebecca Soni and Zach Hayden demonstrate fast swimming drills that will improve your breaststroke. Coach Gary Hall,Sr. demonstrates breaststroke drills to improve your swimming technique. The 2 or 3 Kick Down Drill is a great way to learn how to hyper-streamline the front end of your breaststroke and lead to faster results in the pool. Pay attention to Rebecca’s powerful kick. Click _HERE. Good technique; fast times!

Freestyle - Head Position

4/3/2016

Swimmers must be aware of the laws of resistance, propulsion, and inertia if they are to be fast and efficient in the water. Click HERE for an excellent visual reminder of what coaches teach swimmers every day, all the time.
Many freestylers swim with heads too high. In a crowded swimming pool, swimmers often look forward, hoping to avoid a collision with one of their teammates. These defensive swimming techniques create a bad habit that slows them down. In this Race Club Swimisode, world record holder and Olympic champ Roland Schoemanand Lexie Kelly show how head elevation slows their swimming techniques. Japanese champion, Junya Koga, swims freestyle the way we teach swimmers–effortlessly with his head in the dynamic swimming position.