Discover your life aquatic

Key points:

• Check sessions notes after each session (see link above).
• Practice between pool sessions!
• Use them to help guide your practice by exploring what we covered in greater detail or working on things you feel you need more experience with
• If you can't get to a pool between Tuesday and Thursday sessions, look to practice dry land drills at a minimum.
• You are looking to supply your coaches with more information on how you feel with the exercises and drills, sensations, questions and any obstacles or successes you've experienced. Feel free to email or phone us to discuss!

Dryland:  Kicking

The goal is a streamlined posture and efficient kick for drills and full stroke technique. You are looking to eliminate drag (bending the knee with the foot behind you), wasted effort (strong, hard kick) and disturbance of your posture (wobbling or oscillating as a result of your leg movements).

Standing drill: knee-press and straight-leg return, loose lower leg and ankle, hip lead.

Pool Focus: Posture and Streamline

1. 15 minutes: Kicking practice

• dryland review, clarifications
• with fins, one leg at a time, face down with both arms extended
• introduce higher cadence with focus on relaxed ankles (keep kick small and compact)
• try higher cadence with and without fins to compare
• kicking on the back: posture explored in another context (resisting gravity), different comfort level

2. 25 minutes: Prone Glide Discovery Exercises

Select from the following list (you will have only done a few in the pool session):

• lung volume (comfort level)
• buoyancy (sinking or floating)
• degree of tension
• head position
• long tall body (feet together, hips and lower back alignment)
• sensing your waterline
• eyes closed
• breath held without tension

Goals: Body awareness, intro to discovery exercises.

Method: Start with big contrasts between positions. Then ask, "How do I know my current state or position?" Use big changes in state or position to discover your default or comfort preference. Investigate which unfamiliar positions yield surprising results in comfort, streamline, balance and relaxation.

3. 15 minutes: Intro to Glide position

• importance of glide (streamline, less muscular effort, breathing position, balance and stability)
• "Y" position to get into glide
• Set yourself up for success: full lungs, nose down, on your side
• Focus 1: Degree of Rotation (discovery)
• Focus 2: Head position (discovery)
• Focus 3: Arm positions (back and front) (discovery)

4. Demo of basic progression to finish

We gave you a brief demonstration of the kind of swimming that is not suitable for your needs and an example of what we're looking to work towards. Then, we followed that with examples of the key drills and exercises we'll be practicing over the course:

• Glide (for comfortable breath)
• Switch (for seeing if stroke mechanics and posture maintain optimal breathing and gliding position)
• Full stroke for flow
• Full stroke with breathing