FREESTYLE ERRORS

"I see a lot of shoulder injuries and shoulder pain in swimmers." Dr. Scott Rodeo

Swimmers have shoulder injuries and shoulder pain because they swim the wrong way.


UNDERWATER ERRORS

• If you use your arms for propulsion, that is an error. Use your hips for propulsion.
• If you internally rotate your shoulders, that is an error. Keep your shoulders in a natural position.
• If your hands and forearms are far from your long-axis, that is an error. Keep your hands and forearms close to your long-axis.
• If your leading hand is palm down, that is an error. Keep your leading hand vertical, little finger down. Do not "platform" on your palm.
• If you look forward while you swim, that is an error. Look straight down while you swim. The space between your scapulae becomes crowded if you lift your head.

OVERWATER ERRORS

• If your elbow is on or behind your scapular plane during the recovery, that is an error. Keep your elbow well in front of your scapular plane.
• If you have a high anything recovery, that is an error. Recover low and straight forward.
• If your recovery is far from your long-axis, that is an error. The recovery should be close to your long-axis. Reset your hips vertical and send your energy straight forward.
• If your hand enters the water thumb first, that is an error. Little finger enters the water first.
• If there is tension in your recovering arm, that is an error. Release, shake off, any tension in your recovering arm.
• If your hand crosses over your centerline during the recovery, that is an error. Recover low and straight forward.




SIGNPOST

"If someone swims through college, there is better than a 50-50 chance of shoulder injury." Dr. Rod Havriluk

Why is this injury rate so incredibly high? Because swimmers don't know they have a choice, but they do.

Choose carefully
Arm-driven swimming causes shoulder injuries
Core-driven swimming prevents shoulder injuries

Swimmers should have some knowledge of shoulder anatomy and an appreciation of its complexity. This is not the part of your body where you want to put a lot of work.

Put all the work in the middle of your body, the part of your body made for propulsion.

Arm-driven swimmers are injuries waiting to happen. It is only a matter of time and repetition.






WHERE THE P0WER IS

Where the power is and is not in core-driven swimming
Applies to all strokes

Small muscles that do a lot of work or large muscles that do a little work, which sounds better to you?


FREESTYLE BREATHING

Keep one eye in the water as you breathe
No need to look at the sky

It's one of the little things we have to get right.

Your head acts much like a steering wheel when you swim, so it's important to keep the top of your head pointed where you want to go. If you bend your neck while you breathe it makes tracking a straight line difficult, so don't be a bendy straw. Keep a long straight neck in line with your spine throughout the stroke and keep a long straight neck when breathing.

Don't take too long about this, the window for breathing is small. Breathe and quickly reset your head to a neutral position, looking straight down. Exhale continuously underwater through your nose, come up empty, ready to breathe through your mouth.

Breathing only on one side is, over time, stressful for your neck and shoulders. If you're not comfortable breathing to both sides, you won't be comfortable rotating to both sides. Freestyle is rotation and linetation to both sides. If you favor breathing to one side spend a week or two only breathing to your weak side, and soon rotating either way will be natural and easy.

• Bring up a long straight neck (in line with your spine), return a long straight neck (in line with your spine).
• Torso rotation makes breathing easy.

Fit the breath into the stroke so it doesn't interrupt moving forward. Make it a small event not a big event.



RESISTANCE

"Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object." Bruce Lee


Water resists your movement — a lot. Run, as fast as you can, 25 yards in waist deep water and you'll learn all about resistance. You'll learn how real it is.

For swimmers, balance, posture, and alignment minimize resistance.

At least half of swimming is minimizing resistance.

Water has a dual nature. The water under you supports you, if you let it. The water in front of you examines and resists you.


More about water density




SWIM AROUND YOUR LONG-AXIS

"All of the elite swimmers of the world rotate their bodies along the long-axis, the axis that their body is moving down the pool, while swimming freestyle and backstroke. They don’t just rotate a little bit. They rotate a lot." Gary Hall, Sr.

Swim around your long-axis

Keep your head and neck on your long-axis as you swim, keep your head and neck on your long-axis as you breathe, set the catch and hold water close to your long-axis, recover close to your long-axis, but, most importantly, rotate your hips quickly around your long-axis. Freestyle and backstroke are rotation strokes, hip-driven rotation strokes, around your long-axis.

She has an intimate awareness of her long-axis

Yes, a figure skater rotates far more than a swimmer, 360°+ versus 180° for a swimmer, but the idea is the same: Rotate around your long-axis.

Freestyle and backstroke are long-axis rotation strokes
Rotate your hips 180°




INTERNAL SHOULDER ROTATION

"A thumb-first freestyle hand entry is internal rotation of the arm and closes off, pinches, the soft tissues on the inside (medial) arm, and disallows adequate reach and therefore a less than optimal catch.” Dr. Erik DeRoche

This is internal shoulder rotation and should be avoided in any sport
Internal shoulder rotation causes shoulder impingement injuries
Finish any reaching, throwing, or hitting motion with your hand little finger down

For swimmers this means:

FREESTYLE

Hands are vertical, little finger down, throughout the stroke. Hands and forearms are close to your long-axis throughout the stroke. This keeps your shoulders in a natural position.

Do not rotate your arm down and under your body. This is also internal shoulder rotation. This forces your shoulder into an unnatural position.

Freestyle is an arms in front of you stroke, not an arms under you stroke.


BACKSTROKE

Thumb leads the recovery, hands enter the water vertical, thumb first, close to your long-axis. This keeps your shoulders in a natural position. Then rotate your hips vertical as you set the catch, hand horizontal, little finger down.


BUTTERFLY

Hands exit the water little finger first. Palms lead the low recovery. Hands enter the water vertical, little finger first, not thumb first.

This keeps your shoulders in a natural position. Of all the strokes, butterfly has the most potential for shoulder injury, so swim fly this way.

Hands enter the water vertical, little finger first.


• Internal shoulder rotation, anywhere in any stroke, is harmful.
• It causes shoulder impingement injuries (rotator cuff tendinitis or shoulder bursitis).
• Keep your shoulders in a natural position.

Many swimmers rotate their arms not their hips, which is a mistake




10 TIPS FOR A BETTER FREESTYLE TURN

Better to accelerate than decelerate as you go to the wall

1. Look straight down as you swim, glance forward briefly to place the turn, then drop your head to start the turn.
2. Better to accelerate than decelerate as you go to the wall. The energy you carry into the turn is recycled off the wall.
3. To begin the turn, drop your head and give one light butterfly kick. This starts the tumbling motion.
4. Legs go straight over, not off-axis.
5. Leave the wall looking up, not down. Turn over after you leave the wall.
6. You can store and release energy in your legs, core muscles, and arms. Try pulling your hands down behind your head when you are on the wall.
7. Leave the wall quickly, don't get stuck on the wall.
8. It's one continuous fluid motion, no stopping and starting.
9. Add a few underwater butterfly kicks after you leave the wall. Two is good, but four is better.
10. Appreciate the fastest you'll go in the pool is when you leave the wall, so be as long and straight as you can.



FREESTYLE RECOVERY

"The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be." Bruce Lee

No high-elbow recovery
A high anything recovery is an unbalancing weight above you
A high anything recovery is stressful for your shoulder

RECOVER LOW AND STRAIGHT FORWARD

Reset your hips vertical — this clears the space so you can pull your hand and forearm in close to your long-axis — and recover low and straight forward.

• This is the most efficient recovery, it has the least arm movement off the water.
• This is the most effective recovery, it is the only recovery that sends your energy straight forward.
• This is the most balanced recovery, with the weight of your arm close to your long-axis, you can rotate your hips faster, easier.
• This is the safest, most shoulder-friendly recovery, your elbow is as far away from your scapular plane as possible, and is the easiest motion for your shoulder to repeat thousands of times.

Lifting your arm far from the water is a waste of energy and is one of the causes of shoulder injuries.


✔ Keep your hands and forearms close to your long-axis throughout the stroke.
✔ Keep your hands vertical, little finger down, throughout the stroke.


COMBINE HIP ROTATION WITH THE RECOVERY

Launch your body forward
Rotate your hips like you mean it
Generate more torque

The recovery is more than just a time to recycle your arm forward, it's an opportunity to launch your body forward. Set the catch, rotate your hips hard — like you mean it — as you toss your arm out long and low over the water, little finger down, so the entire length of your arm falls into the water at the same time. When your whole body is involved (vs. just your arms and legs) there is more distance per stroke, lots more.



BALANCE

If you are balanced well, your arms are light and move quickly and send energy forward easily. If you are not balanced well, your arms are heavy and move slowly and don't.

With a slight downhill aquatic line you can recover in a slightly downhill direction, so your arms are light and move quickly and send energy forward easily.

Move your balance point far forward and lean on it
Keep a neutral head and a long straight neck in line with your spine


TEMPO

Every motion in swimming starts slowly and ends quickly, so start the recovery slowly and end it quickly.

Slow then fast.


REDUCE THE APERTURE

Focus your energy

Look straight down while you swim. Water should cover the back of your head, then let the inside of your bicep graze the side of your head (behind your ear) as your arm enters the water. This tightens up the front of the stroke and sends your energy straight forward.


THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF YOUR ARM ENTERS THE WATER AT THE SAME TIME

The entire length of your arm enters the water at the same time from just above the surface of the water. This keeps your arm relaxed, best sends your energy forward, and sets the catch far out in front.


The best swimmers return their arm to the water softly, without disturbing the water much, which is only possible with a low recovery close to your long-axis.

We define best as swimmers who have exceptional distance per stroke.




ROTATION DRILL

This simple practice drill teaches the basics of freestyle, balance and rotation. Include this drill in every swim.


HOW TO DO ROTATION DRILL REALLY WELL

Small kicks are preferred over large kicks. The kick starts high in your body, not at your knees. Kick with the front and soles of your feet. Breathe with body rotation and then quickly reset your head to a neutral position, looking straight down. Keep your arms tight to your side.

Your legs will tend to curve behind you. Don't, stay straight in the water. A straight, slightly downhill body line makes this drill much easier. Move your balance point forward. Lean on your shoulder.

Here, Natalie Coughlin does the drill.