This is awesome. I finally think I found how I can fix my freestyle. I have a problem of lifting the head almost vertically while leaning on my left arm....sounds ugly, is ugly. Thanks.
Anonymous Coward said: “the hips should lead the rotation. not the head. if the head leads, the hips will follow and then you become totally out of whack!”
hips should lead the rotation? what are you talking about? why would you want your hips to rotate at all! KEEP THEM SQUARE! and you will get much more from your kick
Yeah right on !! Indeed breathing should happend when NO propulsion (or catch) is made, to be as streamline as possible.As a drill , practice breathing w/ arms in straight position (one up front and one out back) while flutter kicking, quick breath (streamlined) and then solely one arm mouvement or cycle.
Watch the video again. Phelps' head is in LINE with his body everytime he breaths. At no point does his head become so independent of his bottom that he losses his LINE. The fastest path from one point to another is a straight LINE and you can not argue with that.
I think that Russell is correct in saying that the head needs to move independently. But during practice today I thought a lot about the way I breath and tried this out, and I realized that even though the head moves independent of the body, it leads the rotation of the body in a way. When the head starts to rotate the body is laying flat, and there is a moment when both the head and body are in line on the side. Then the head leads the rotation back toward the other side.
I think this is great advice and it makes me realize I'm doing it wrong! I totally lean on my left arm (I breathe right) and it affects my catch negatively. Russell has a keen eye for technique, that's for sure.
Really like that Russell is able to admit that his science is always evolving. He knows how to teach and if I were in training with him, I surely would keep an open mind. Great video for swim teams to view. Thanks Garrett.
i got a little thrown off on the catch part, phelps does a little bit of a ketchup stroke, and def favors one side, i think his left side, it looks like he really lays out on the left arm when taking a breath to the right, that being said his breaths are very well timed and his turnover is very fast, also has a very good kick, why is the Phelps dependence on his left side key to his stroke
Setting up the timing of the breath in freestyle is no easy task. It's a small detail that can mean a big difference though. Russell talks about the timing and how it effects the body position. December 15, 2008
The Freestyle Breath
“the hips should lead the rotation. not the head. if the head leads, the hips will follow and then you become totally out of whack!”
Keep it up Russel !!
Splasshhhhhhhh°°oOo°oooO°°o.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2n6FRHh9UE&feature=related