Looking for a new way to improve your body position and strength
in the water? Try implementing a band strength drill into your weekly workout routine.
For those of you who don’t know, a band is simply a rope or race belt that you
strap around your ankles, limiting you from kicking. Restraining your kick whilst pulling builds
shoulder and core strength while also teaching you at least three things: optimal
body position, optimal balance, and optimal stroke engagement.
First, it teaches you optimal body position. If you do not
maintain a streamlined position while engaging your core muscles, the water
pushing against your chest, abdomen, and legs will slow you down. This will
ultimately prevent you from getting to the other side of the pool.
Second, it teaches you to optimize your balance in the water
by forcing your legs to remain streamlined. Many swimmers scissor kick when
they breathe. Scissor kicking catches an enormous amount of water resistance, slowing
swimmers down. According to Swim Smooth (http://www.swimsmooth.com/kick.html),
the scissor kick is often caused by an imbalance in your stoke. Swimming with
the band teaches you to keep your legs together and behind you while requiring
you to balance by using your upper body.
Third, band swimming lets you know if you are pushing down
during the catch part of your stoke. If you push down towards the bottom of the
pool rather than back towards the wall of which you pushed off, your body will
act like a see-saw: you will push your head up while your legs sink to the
bottom of the pool. Again, you will catch a lot of resistance, making it much
harder to swim to the other end of the pool. If you find that you are pushing down, allow your hand to slip through the water more before engaging, or using your muscles to put energy into the water.
Note that band swimming puts pressure on your shoulders,
especially if you are pushing down towards the bottom of the pool. Be cautious
when taking your first stokes and build your way up to longer efforts. Those who
have had shoulder injuries in the past should use extra caution.
Try this workout:
Warm-up: 4x200 (swim, kick, pull with buoy and band, swim)
Main set:
Band only, no buoy swim: 5x50 (30 seconds rest at the wall)
Freestyle: 5x50 (30 seconds rest at the wall)
Band only, no buoy swim: 5x50 (30 seconds rest at the wall)
Freestyle: 5x50 (30 seconds rest at the wall)
Cool-Down: 200 choice
For more on band swimming in regards to the rhythm and
timing of your stroke, see this article: http://www.feelforthewater.com/2013/07/swimming-with-band-isnt-easy-but-great.html
For a video on band swimming, see this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0prPd6gjQqc
Contact me if you have any questions or comments:
Jon Fecik
USA Triathlon Coach
jafecik@gmail.com
