This is the practice pool we used for our class. We were in the building to the right for our dry land exercises and to watch the videos. It was a bit chilly in the morning, but still way nicer than back home in Duluth!
It was crazy, although I was tired Saturday night after the first day of camp, I had trouble sleeping just due to not being able to turn my brain off with all the things we had just learned. Sunday morning we started early at 730am. We spent some time going over our videos, critiquing ourselves and each other. We of course get very critical, but the change from Saturday morning was pretty drastic. Then we got back in the pool and we all looked TERRIBLE. So we went back through the progression of drills. One length, one swim thought, one drill. Then going back a different one. Focusing only on one thing helped a bunch. After about 20 minutes of that, we were back to where we were at the end of the day on Saturday and everyone felt better.
A bunch more drills and practice. This time pairing up with someone else in the class to watch our technique and give us pointers. Another quick video session then back in the classroom for a while. A bit more dry land, some discussion and video analysis, and then back in the pool for another solid 2 hours. Lots of full stroke work, again focusing on single things with each length. Then 3 lengths at the end with the instructor videoing and talking over it to give us pointers.
So while I had a good swim stroke, I had some significant fundamental issues. The biggest of which was my hand entry. I was reaching really far forward before entering the water. The video shows my elbow entering well before my hand. I also tend to push my hand towards the centerline rather than staying out wide. Those two things were causing my hips to drop and increasing my drag. By the end of the weekend I was doing that much better and I could really feel it. However I will need to practice it significantly because it is not natural yet.
So how do I know I got better? Two things come to mind.
First, in my masters swim class, we have done drills where we try to swim a length of the pool taking 3 breaths, then 2 breaths, then 1, then none. I have always struggled with this. I end up doing it in 1 breath, but I power through it and my heart is racing when I am done. On Sunday morning, I was regularly swimming a 25 yard length of the pool without taking a breath and it was EASY. Almost like I could do that all day.
The second is my stroke count. I am always a 17 strokes per length person. That hasn't changed in the last year or so that I have actually counted it. Yesterday I was doing length after length after length at 13. Easy. We did a tempo drill and I got it to 12 strokes! I was shocked.
So I am anxious to get back in the pool at home and put some of this stuff into practice.
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