SPEED TECHNIQUE
There is a very popular belief that only a very small percentage of swimmers are actually blessed with what we refer to as “feel for the water” or the ability to dectect the flow of water around their hands and body. And, there is absolutely nothing a coach can do about it except rejoyce when they end up with a “natural” in their squad.
At AST we cannot accept this premise because we are convinced that the majority of individual swimmers start with a considerable amount of latent “feel for the water” which all to often is maimed into disuse by industrail methods best suited to the programing of robots.
At AST we believe that this so called elusive commodity “feel for the water” can be developed through the use of very sound teaching/coaching methods.
It is said the humans have not truly learned something that we do not own a skill until we have all but forgotten how and when we learned it. A swimmers command of a skill, be it speaking another language or the performing of a swimming stroke, is not truly complete until it becomes second nature to them.
Learning to detect the flow of water around a hand or body can become second nature when natural learning is encouraged.
Swimmers learn quicker when they are included in the the process and virtually teach themselves. Please do not misunderstand us, we are not suggesting that we as coaches and teachers allow swimmers to swim “any old way”, far from it. We ate saying that as coaches we should take steps to devise, and then teach/coach drills which will nudge our swimmers toward learning for themselves the specific natural movements known to be most efficient and successful.
A dedicated coach should strive to surmount the by-the-numbers methods, and instead look for the symphony of movement that is reflected in great stroke technique and learn or relearn to think in terms of
- Moving mass
- Momentum
- Clean alignments
- Shifting forces
- Subtle nuances of timimg
Which all should be seen within a framework of Fluid mechanics, Kinesology, Physiology and Psychology
Just as music is more than so many notes that have been strung together, so inspired swimming ismore than just so many levers and units of force.
The traditional approach to swimming technique training has been to focus upon improving physical strength in the swimmers muscle groups and a constant repetition of outdated drills.
We use a parametric principle of teaching technique which is based upon the knowledge that any muscle cannot work to their full potential without the support of the swimmers neural system, tendons and ligaments, coupled with a corrected functional posture for the particular stroke. The essence of our technique session is therefore a program in which the swimmer is working on improvement of one variable (Posture, Line or Balance for example.) while keeping the other variables constant. Variables are labeled as "parameters".
Since there are an infinite number of parameters and combinations which influence the swimming technique of any particular person depending upon their flexibility, past training, present and future goals it can be seen that an individual technique program must be developed for each and every swimmer/client.
If you are like 99.9% of swimmers your body is out of alignment when you race or during your pool practice session. This misalignment is the result of incorrect kinetic postural patterning and compensation via poor instruction. This results in stored tension and shortened levers.
So, what is Kinetic Posture?
According to the academy of Orthopedic Surgeons posture committee as far back as 1947, posture is:
"That state of muscular and skeletal balance which protects the supporting structures of the body against injury or progressive deformity, irrespective of the attitude in which these structures are working or resting. Under such conditions the muscles will function most efficiently..."
The key to the above statement is Balance, for it is balance or its antagonist imbalance that appears to be one of the major influences in creating structural misalignment resulting in poor performances and or injury. Indeed there is much evidence to suggest that chronic neural imbalance can result in Postural Distortion Patterns that lead to the cumulative injury cycle. This appears to make sense, especially if the kinetic chain concept is applied to the equation.
In any sport the Kinetic Chain can be best described as a movement system consisting of myofascial (muscular), Articular (joints) and neural (motor) components with each being dependent on the others for optimum performance, both statically and dynamically.
This movement system requires precision of movement based on the alignment and mechanics of each joint as well as how these joints are recruited to create a movement pattern. In simple terms, the movement produced at any joint in the neural kinetic chain directly affects the joints above and below it. Dysfunction in any one of these systems will have direct and detrimental effect on the function of its neighbours.
Clearly then, there is much to concern ourselves with when applying any technique change to those that swim, competitively or for fitness, as every programming decision we make will affect the systems of the kinetic chain. This is obvious of course, but have you ever stopped to think of it in this way before? Now 'understanding the why becomes much more important?
Why Do These Imbalances Occur?
Firstly, as we stated earlier we are ALL imbalanced to some degree; even if our posture is considered optimal. This is because there is actually an inbuilt ideal imbalance between the muscles crossing any joint e.g. Knee extensors /flexors, plantar flexors/dorsiflexors.
This is simply a reflection of the functional roles of these muscles and beyond the scope of this introduction. The muscle imbalances that we must concern ourselves are those that create neural technique alignment distortions that affect structural function.
About Swimming Technique:
In our own way we all have a perspective of what constitutes good technique in swimming; we often compare our techniques to those of champion performers. If our swim technique is similar to the 'role model' then the technique must be good... but, is that assumption correct? This assumption is often the presented case by other swimming companies.
However, the fact that champions vary in the observable features of their performance suggests that merely copying is not the smartest way to reach peak performance. Thus, it is important to realize that there is no 'one' correct technique. People are different and good technique varies according to many individual characteristics such as body size and shape, strength, physical maturity and flexibility.
Today, information about swimming technique comes from a variety of companies presenting their ideas on faster swimming. While these companies claim to base their program on the fastest and it is true that the fastest swimmers have more effective technique than slower swimmers, even the fastest swimmers have technique limitations.
Therefore, modeling your technique on the latest swimming ideas or model (even if it presented as the ideal stroke) can result in the adoption of ineffective technique elements. Poor technique often results from a technique that is modeled from the elements of the latest advertised trend, as opposed to the elements of fast swimming.
How is this problem?
A problem arises when this model or avatar becomes “conventional wisdom.” According to Nobel Laureate Harold Kroto...
"People are generally willing to accept conventional wisdom without any supporting facts.”
Many smoke and mirror misconceptions have been assimilated into the conventional wisdom of swimming and have, consequently, slowed swimmers’ progress.
This presents a dilemma. If swimmers can look different and still be performing well, how do we assess technique and identify faults in order to improve it?
Open water swimmers, Competitive swimmers, Triathletes and Lap Fitness swimmers need to be aware that the 'ideal' movement pattern does not necessarily have a particular appearance.
Rather, the 'ideal' performance is one in which the movement obeys the important mechanical and physiological principles relevant to the skill. This principle lies at the very heart of our teaching and coaching.
The Neural Concept:
The neural concept is in fact an evolutionary idea because now the swimmer is also involved in working towards bettering his technique. By doing this the swimmer is doing the evaluation, getting immediate feedback on their movements and guiding the stroke on the basis of this information.
The Neural Concept refers to a swimmer’s intuitive ability to recognize and effectively handle the water. It is generally believed that a swimmers appreciation of the neural concept of the water is an elusive quality that is unique to the talented athlete; with swimmers of only average ability not having any hope to emulate the acute sensory perception of the talented motor genius.
Nevertheless, we have proven that by heightening the sense of neural awareness and by learning how to interpret these neural sensations of moving pressure, balance and alignment swimmers of average ability can acquire the subtleties of advanced stroke technique. Talented swimmers coached in this method will likewise achieve greater expertise.
Water will flow when any force acts on it; and a swimmer’s hand should always propel against the pressure of moving water. The force exerted by a skilled swimming stroke causes the water to flow in a distinct pattern.
The AST methodology teaches swimmers how to feel for the ideal water flux reaction to their personal stroke mechanics and thus receive instant feedback on their efficiency.
This approach teaches swimmers amongst other things how to:
- Control the in-built ‘Flight - Fight – Freeze’ mechanism within the human system.
- Alter their skeletal posture for maximum application of power.
- Anticipate, control, and manipulate the water.
- Learn that their arms, legs and torso function not only as a propelling instrument but also as a skilled and sensitive shaper of the water.
Connecting the Sensory Neural Information with Stroke Effectiveness:
The AST method will short circuit the swimmers motor- learning process and renders the complex simpler. The deliberate intention of our system is to cause an immediate connection between sensory information and stroke effectiveness.
Through providing instant meaning to neural awareness, our methodology adds a new perspective and direction to traditional the established methods.
So effective is our evolutionary methodology that it we use it even in the early stages of learning.
Swimmers both age-group and masters rapidly improve their ability to seek out and recognize ideal water movement reactions.
We believe that it is unnecessary to burden a swimmer at any level, with the academic considerations - valid though they may be - such as lift, drag, ideal angles of attack, and which movement planes to emphasize.
Talented swimmers, when exposed to our neural technique method, develop unusual dexterity in directing and channeling water flow efficiently. Even accomplished swimmers improve their techniques when made aware of the exact flow reactions they can anticipate; in fact, they become enthusiastic and keen to learn more about the process.
Our Mission:
Our mission is to coach the swimmer in the natural neural application of swimming technique in the water, by showing the swimmer how to use their sense of touch to interpret and improve stroke effectiveness. Our method encompasses the four following tasks:
1... Describe and explain the flow reactions of the water that can be anticipated during each phase of a skilled swimming stroke.
2... Demonstrate and explain hand-forearm rotation and elbow bending and how these mechanisms set up the ideal flow around the swimmers hand and forearm in all the swimming strokes.
3...Demonstrate flow-shaping skills and explain how they shape ideal stroke patterns for the individual swimmer, in combination with the sensitizing procedures and explanations on how they can be used to simulate specific flow reactions.
4... Emphasize the importance of regular practice. Thus ensuring constant repetition by swimmers of all the procedures outlined in the preceding tasks