The new TYR Hurricane Freak of Nature. 100% 40 cell Yamamoto rubber.
“An incredibly innovative and forward looking design. No other wetsuit in the world has that.” – Chrissie Wellington
To read more please click here.
Limits will fall.
Swimming technique, if you do 1 thing wrong you will set the whole balance out. Swimming is a little different to the other disciplines. To get faster you need to train faster but to go faster you need to nail the technique, to nail the technique you need to do drills and you need to do the drills slowly. Okay so it’s not much different. But not many athletes realise that.
I very often see people swimming as fast as they can, displacing water in all directions other than backwards. If your technique is poor then going faster can only be sustained for a short period. Efficiency is a key ingredient to swimming success.
If you think that swimming 1.5 – 2km per session 2-3 times per week is good enough to get you through the swim of an Olympic distance triathlon, then you would be right. But to improve you would quite literally need to double your efforts.
Another thing I see all too often are coaches who put good sets together for their squads, but provide little to no technique specific coaching. If you are already in a squad make sure that you ask your coach give you some technique correction. I cannot emphasize enough, the importance of developing good swimming habits.
If you’re not in a squad, find a coach. If your budget is tight, I would then suggest going for 4 lessons every alternate month for 4 months. Thereafter a once a month check-up would suffice. This is the bare minimum if swimming is not your strong point.
Make sure you understand how to do the drills correctly. Drills make for a great pre-speed set warm-up or as a good recovery session after a big race.
Below are several links which should help you gain a better understanding of why technique is so important, what makes a difference and how to go about it.
http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swimming-kick/
http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swimming-kick-secret-tip-legs-video-series/
http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/using-a-pull-buoy-while-swimming/
http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swim-less-swim-faster/
http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swimming-technique-7-tips/
http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swimming-technique-understanding-it-all/
If you have any question regarding swimming I will be glad to assist. Keep an out for my open water swimming piece coming soon. Follow me on Twitter @NicMuhl or find me on Facebook – Nic Muhl & Once Inspired.
Happy Swimming
Nic
Kicking is quite a debatable issue and sometimes a sore point amongst coaches and swimmers alike. Some swimmers simply cannot kick and trying to get a swimmer to kick as a coach is not often as easy as one may think. There are a number of reasons why some swimmers have a strong kick and why others simply don’t move when doing kicking drills.
In triathlon there is quite a debate regarding how necessary the kick really is. Many believe that using a kick simply as a means of balance and having a short fast arm stroke is the answer. Whilst this is true in some cases, this is not applicable to every athlete.
The amount of thrust generated by swimmers depends mostly on the range of motion of the foot. The greater the plantar flexion the greater thrust produced by the kick. Thrust or propulsion is generated when the legs are drawn back together as opposed to when they are separated. From the point of separation the foot at the surface is drawn down whilst the deeper foot is drawn up. Emphasis should be placed on the down kick.
Foot range of motion can be increased through stretching. For plantar flexion, stretch the foot and toes down and back, increasing the angle between top of the foot and front of the leg.
Now that we have spoken of the importance of the feet during kicking let’s talk about the knee.
Knee bend once again depends entirely on the individual. Ideally the less knee bend the better, however runners and cyclists traditionally have very poor plantar flexion and some knee bend is required in order to achieve the correct foot angel relative to the water.
I am willing to bet that many of you that have a poor kick have tried to kick with a straight leg and it made absolutely no difference. When you bend your knees you may even tend to move slightly faster but not nearly fast enough. The reason why the bend in the knee helps is because it corrects the angle of the foot relative to the water. By bending the knee the foot is more perpendicular to water thus creating more resistance and generating thrust. Ideally you want to kick with a straight leg which means that you require greater plantar flexion and stronger hip flexors. Here are some exercises and drills to get you moving.
Vertical Kicking
Go to the deep end of the pool. It should be deep enough to allow you to kick vertically without touching the bottom. Point your toes and keep your chin above the water. You should feel your quads and hips. You can use fins but ensure that you warm up properly first and do some plantar flexion stretches beforehand.
Push offs
Go underwater and push off the bottom in a streamline position. Try and keep you body out the water for as long as possible by kicking vertically. Do not use fins for this.
Use Fins
Fins help with ankle flexibility. However make sure that you aren’t using something too long. Something around the length of Zoomers are ideal. Just please don’t use your fins for the entire session. Dedicate some sets to using fins. A nice way to incorporate using fins and better your all round performance is to introduce butterfly drills to your warm up set using fins.
Sit on Your Feet
Sitting on your feet (kneeling) can greatly improve your ankle flexibility. The “Child’s Pose” is perfect.
Just Stretch
In a seated position point one leg out infront of you. Extend your feet and push your toes toward the ground. Hold for 20 seconds.
Use a smaller kick board
By using a smaller kick board you are forced to stabilize more. When is comes to the turn try doing a tumble turn whilst keeping both hands on the board. This isn’t easy, but practice makes perfect.
Kick on your back
Kicking on your back simply helps work some other muscles aiding stability.
So as you can see the kick is quite a serious issue. Kick differs from person to person but if you can master the kick there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t use it.
Many triathletes think that it’s better if they don’t kick while they swim in order to save their legs for the bike and run. But surely if kicking makes you a more efficient swimmer then it would be better? Well if you didn’t believe it here are some videos as to why you should kick, courtesy of The Race Club
Pull buoys are useful tools in helping you improve your swimming. Every swimmer should use one. It’s just that simple. Please see below a nice piece on using pull buoys taken from http://www.goswim.tv/.
You take a piece of foam, hold it between your thighs, and go swim. Could it get any simpler? Well, yes. Here are some pull-buoy dos and don’ts that will help you EXCEL on your next pull set. And for triathletes: Learn how to use your pull buoy to simulate wetsuit swimming in the pool.
Why Do It:
Some swimmers and coaches have banned pull buoys from their tool kit, arguing that they give you a false sense of balance, that they inhibit core rotation, and that they’re more like a binky than a pool tool. But when used correctly and in moderation, pull buoys have many benefits.
Pull Buoy Dos:
1. Use a pull buoy that’s the right size and buoyancy for you. Young swimmers will find it difficult to manage a large pull buoy, and really young swimmers — under age 10 — probably shouldn’t use them at all. Young swimmers and lighter swimmers will do best with a small pull buoy, like one shown at the right. If you are a larger swimmer, or if your legs are dense and heavy, you might find it helpful to use TWO pull buoys for extra buoyancy.
2. Use a pull buoy that feels comfortable to you. They come in all shapes and sizes. If you have a two-piece buoy, experiment with the cord adjustment until it works for you.
3. Wear the pull buoy as high as possible. The lower it is, the harder it is to hold.
4. Keep your front end LOW in the water. The idea is to minimize resistance. So…look DOWN and just slightly forward… and press in on your sternum. This is a key focal point for triathletes. When you wear a wetsuit, the extra buoyancy tends to make your head and torso ride higher in the water. Also, when you’re swimming in open water, there’s a tendency to look forward rather than down. The result is that you often swim “uphill” in a wetsuit triathlon. Wearing a pull buoy simulates this “uphill” position…and gives you an opportunity to learn how to correct it. So the idea is to look down and press in on your chest when you wear a pull buoy. Learn what this feels like in the pool, so you can get the same feeling when you’re wearing a wetsuit.
5. Point your toes! This reduces drag and let’s you rotate a bit more freely. It also lets you get maximum power from your pull. If you feel like you are the slowest person in the pool during a pull set, try pointing your toes and see what happens. It can make a HUGE difference.
6. Engage your abs. AKA suck in your gut…pull in your stomach. This gives you a longer, straighter bodyline, and can help you swim a bit faster with less effort.
7. Breathe less often than normal. Using a pull buoy takes a huge burden off your leg muscles — some of the largest muscles in the body. This gives you an aerobic cushion and you should DO something with it, rather than swim as if you were on an oxygen tank. Use the extra air as an opportunity to extend your breathing pattern by one or two strokes. You might be surprised at how good this makes your stroke feel, and how easy it is to do. It might feel so good that you decide to try it all the time! (Just one of the benefits of using a pull buoy.)
8. Focus on your pull. This seems obvious, but lots of swimmers simply zone out when they put on a pull buoy. The point of a pool tool is that it helps you focus on a particular aspect of your stroke. So when you’re pulling, pick one part of the pull — hand entry, catch, elbow, release point, etc. — and pay attention to it.
9. Focus on your pushoffs, streamlines, and breakouts. The pull buoy gives you a boost for doing all these things a little better, stronger, and longer. Go with it.
Pull Buoy Don’ts:
1. Try not to kick. It gives you an unfair advantage over other swimmers in your lane who are not kicking, and who are trying to focus on the pull. It’s OK for your feet to shift a little for balance, but don’t make whitewater.
2. Don’t always do flip turns. Wearing a pull buoy can help you improve your open turns for breast and fly (and free). The pull buoy forces you to keep your legs together and to tuck efficiently. It also increases your awareness of your foot/toe position during the tuck. Try to keep the toes pointed (and even overlap your feet) during the tuck.
Spoilt by TYR 5 days ago I will now be racing in the TYR Hurricane Category 5 wetsuit. This wetsuit is absolutely amazing. The technology is fantastic and so is the fit.
The tapered neck is a winner. Nice and low, and unlike other suits with low necks, this one actually seals, and very well.
The panel layout is simply genius. Adding bouncy in all the right places and flexibility where you need it most. Sure, part of the plan is to add bouncy but unlike a lot out there, TYR has taken this one step further and has paid attention to body position. By placing certain panels in certain places, and by using a combination of various thicknesses TYR really have developed the perfect wetsuit. TYR have called this clever bit of technology the 360° Core Stabilization System and it goes a little something like this:
“Five core stabilization panels precisely target the muscle groups to elevate the swimmer ensuring optimal body position and preservation of core strength over the long-term of the swimming race.”
Most wetsuits on the market certainly help with bouncy but how about shape?
Another thing that stood out for me was the Form Fitting Wrist Cuffs – “Multi-stretch cuffs at the wrist allows powerful strokes while keeping water from entering the suit.”
Also, the Free R.O.M Zones work very well too. These are panels specifically placed eliminating constriction and allowing the swimmer to achieve a long reach while placing no strain on the shoulder.
And the final stand out:
Quick Release Ankle Cuffs – “Tapered legs allow the ankle of the suit to reverse and open for a quick and effortless removal during T1”
I guarantee you that none of the above is any form of marketing, smoke or mirrors. It’s genuine and it seriously makes a significant difference.
I actually needn’t say anything more. The TYR Hurricane Category 5 is phenomenal. It will make you swim faster. What more do you want?
Yes, I too am very excited to go get wet! The TYR Hurricane Category 3 is quite simply a phenom of a wetsuit.
You know what they say: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But not always. I’m here to tell you that you really can improve your freestyle while swimming fewer miles. There are three tools that you can use toward this end: swimming slower, watching other swimmers and visualisation.
Swimming Slower
Vince Lombardi said it best: “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” In swimming, the effort to go fast often results in imperfect practice. You’re so focused on getting to the other side of the pool as quickly as possible that you can’t think about the elements of good technique and your form gets sloppy.
Before you go fast in the water, you must learn how to correctly swim slowly.
Stroke technique can shine if speed is taken out of the picture. With practice, your muscles will memorise each new movement so you can eventually recreate it without thinking as you swim faster and faster.
Use your practice at the pool to focus on one aspect of freestyle at a time. Do not look at the clock when you are improving technique. Instead, feel the water moving and watch the lines on the bottom of the pool to judge if you are going faster. Drill sets should not be performed on timed intervals. Instead, use a specific amount of rest between sets.
Some technique flaws are only visible when athletes swim slowly. If Sally always swims as fast as possible, using a six-beat kick and a quick stroke cadence, it may appear that her body position is correct, with her hips and legs at the surface. But her velocity and flailing arms may disguise a tendency for her legs to sink. If Sally cannot keep her body in horizontal alignment when she is swimming slowly, a major technique flaw has been discovered. In this case, Sally should work on floating (or swimming so slowly she doesn’t move at all!), improving her core strength and relaxing in the water. Eventually she will be able to swim at her familiar fast pace with much less energy expenditure.
Watching Other Swimmers
Why do all the swimming yourself? Let others do some for you! Go underwater at your local pool, buy a DVD, surf the Web or watch a swim session. How do you know that you finally understand the basics of freestyle technique? When you start making mental notes and correcting other swimmers’ technique. If you can see flaws in others’ strokes and know how to make corrections, you are becoming aware of how to move through the water.
Pay attention to both the correct and incorrect techniques you see in other swimmers.
For example, when you watch Athlete A swim, you might notice he has a very relaxed arm recovery with high elbows. In your next swim, visualise his arm movement and try to mimic it. Let’s say you also noticed that Athlete B’s hands crossed the center line of her torso (a no-no). Keep this image in mind when you are swimming and think about where your hands are during the pull.
Visualisation
You can use visualisation to practice correct technique when you’re not even in the water. You can have swim practice right where you are sitting. Click your watch over to stopwatch mode and close your eyes. Start the watch and mentally swim 100 metres of freestyle. Think about every stroke, breath, turn and kick. Stop the watch when you are finished. Try to mentally swim your average race pace.
Becoming a better swimmer takes time and practice, but swimming more is not the only way, and often not the best way, to improve. By bringing your mind into the quest to become a better swimmer—specifically through slow, mindful swimming, paying attention to other swimmers and using visualisation techniques—you can make faster progress with less time in the pool.
Written By Sara McLarty
Sara McLarty coaches swimming at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. Do you have a swim question you would like to have answered in this column? Send it to swim@competitorgroup.com.
Taken from http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com
Oh how I love to get new things… even if it’s just to try out the latest and greatest. I have been blessed to swim in 2 Xterra wetsuits, the Vector Pro and the Vendetta. These are the flagship suits from Xterra and I really enjoyed them both.
Unfortunately the Venetta was one size too big which meant, for me, that it was a little loose in the small of my back allowing water to wash around as I moved. So therefore I will just talk about the features of this suit rather than my personal swimming experience in it.
The Vendetta is Xterra’s most technologically advanced wetsuit— it is the most flexible and buoyant wetsuit ever made.
FLEXIBLE
• 5mm front and 3mm back of neoprene
• Fully coated with the slickest possible Nano-Super Composite Skin
• Maintaining an industry leading 0.02 drag coefficient
BUOYANT
• Front panel, from neck to ankles, has X-Air Buoyancy Cells, tiny air pockets embedded throughout the neoprene
• X-Air paneling keeps your body high in the water, thereby reducing drag and increasing speed
CUTTING-EDGE DESIGN
• Anatomically correct arms— each arm and shoulder is made up of 6 individually cut panels of 1.5 mm thick neoprene
• Panels follow the natural curve of the swim stroke, allowing faster and smoother swimming with less effort
• Seam-seal technology uses a triple layer of glue and double-blind stitching to ensure waterproof and long-lasting seams
Now onto the Xterra Vector Pro, which I loved. It has won more Ironman races than any other wetsuit. Just incase you needed to know.
FLEXIBLE
• 5mm front and 3mm back of neoprene
• Fully coated with the slickest Super Composite Skin coating
• Maintaining a 0.03 drag coefficient
BUOYANT
• Maximum legal thickness for increased buoyancy
CUTTING-EDGE DESIGN
• Anatomically correct arms— each arm and shoulder is made up of 6 individually cut panels of 1.5 mm thick neoprene
• Panels follow the natural curve of the swim stroke, allowing faster and smoother swimming with less effort
• Seam-seal technology uses a triple layer of glue and double-blind stitching to ensure waterproof and long-lasting seams
The Xterra Vector Pro gave me a shape that I have never experienced in any suit. My hips stayed nice and high and there is loads of buoyancy in the chest. The panel layout is fantastic. The flotation vs. flexibility characteristics of this suit is, dare I say, perfect.
Another thing I love is the neck. If you have a problem with necks sealing and chafing the Xterra neck mechanism great. Although I wouldn’t call the neck piece perfectly comfortable it definitely works very well. It seals fantastically and for me, not chafing was a blessing. Just be careful when you attached the zip-puller Velcro to the neck piece. If you place it too high, it will leave you with what might look like a hickie from one of the Twilight characters.
The only downer I found was that the zip didn’t seal perfectly, but that might have been a little easier to notice because of the water that was seeping in was 12 degrees Celsius. I’d give the Xterra Vector Pro 9 out 10.
If you want to get your hands on one of these beautiful crafted suits you can contact me via the contact page.
Happy swimming
Thank you to Dean Kruyer and the guys from Xterra Wetsuits
When you’re really hungry and you don’t have a lot of money, you go for the value meal. Whether it’s a sandwich, a side salad and a drink or whatever, the value meal usually gives you the most calories for the least amount of money.
An oddly similar phenomenon happens during swim training as well: You are hungry for improvement in your swimming yet have a limited budget of time and knowledge to spend on it. It’s a sad reality, but most triathletes just don’t have the time or money to invest in a good swim coach to watch and correct their strokes. Sometimes the closest thing to a coach available is a spouse, training partner or lane-mate who may share a piece of advice during practice. Athletes training solo can glance over at the faster swimmers and try to mimic their smooth strokes or, as a last resort, one can utilize swim tips from a world-class swimmer in a triathlon magazine.
The challenge for the uncoached swimmer is that there are so many nuances of the freestyle swim stroke to copy and so many tips for technique improvement to choose from that finding the most integral aspects can seem daunting. Which facets should you work on first? Which tips will result in the most improvement? See where I’m going with this?
Here are what I consider to be the most seven important aspects of freestyle to focus on. My “value meal” of swim tips applies to everyone: fast and slow, beginner and advanced, pure swimmer and triathlete.
1) Don’t hold your breath. The feeling of being out of breath is caused by carbon-dioxide buildup in the lungs. A steady and constant exhalation out your nose and mouth while your face is in the water will prevent this unpleasant phenomenon. Inhaling on every third stroke is a good breathing pattern to use because you will breathe on both sides of your body and get plenty of oxygen.
2) Relax, relax, relax! This advice seems so simple … until you start swimming! The best swimmers in the world look like they are gliding along the surface of the water. You cannot fight the water; it will always win. Instead, relax your whole body into the water and channel your power exclusively toward moving your body forward. Practice the simple art of floating facedown on the surface.
3) Align your spine. On dry land, stand up tall and look straight ahead. Notice how your neck is in alignment with your spine and your face is pointed forward. Take that position into the water. The waterline should cut the center of the top of your head and your face should be pointed at the bottom of the pool.
4) Remember to glide. The swim stroke differs from a cycling pedal stroke or a running stride because it is disconnected instead of continuous—or should be. In running there is no separation between each stride and the next, and in cycling the rotation of the cranks is continuous. In swimming, each stroke should be separated from the next with a brief glide. When your arm enters the water above your head, let it stay fully extended for a few moments before you start the catch phase. Don’t be a windmill.
5) Rotate, but don’t over-rotate. Body rotation is an art form. Those who get it perfectly are beautiful as their bodies cut through the water like a knife. The secret is they don’t over-rotate. If the bottom of the pool is 0 degrees and the side of the pool is 90 degrees, your torso should never go past 45 degrees on either side. Remember, your head and lower legs do not rotate with your torso and hips; keep your feet kicking straight up and down.
6) Never cross the forbidden centerline. Under no circumstances should either arm ever cross the centerline of your body. At the entry point of the stroke, drop your arm in the water directly in front your shoulder. Flare your arm out during the catch, sweep back and slightly in during the pull, and finish with your hand next to your thigh. The movement should look like a question mark. Keep your fingertips pointed at the bottom of the pool.
7) Kick from your hips. Relax your knees. Point your toes. Think about slapping the tops of your feet on the surface of the water; they should be making a small splash. If you feel tired and sore in your hip-flexor muscles, you’re doing it right!
*Written by Sara McLarty, Taken from http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com
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