全浸式自由泳Freestyle made easy--Lesson 1(01)

小臭贝

Mastering balance is the key to success in the TI drill sequence. You may find it easier to learn balance with a partner. We call this Team learning. In team learning, the head coach provides supporting assistance while the swimmer masters the positions and learns to relax.

Drill 1 Balance on your back
  To start balance on your back. The head coach positions your head so water touches the corners of your goggles. And your face is parallel to the surface. We call this hiding your head. As Tobey tows, Jeniffer starts kicking lightly, just flicking her feet upward and ruffling the surface. Listen to your kick, quieter is more effective and more relaxing. When Suzie sees that Joe’s kick is relaxed and streamline. She releases him but continues leading. Her draft helps Joe maintain a light efficient kick. Resume towing if you see any hint of struggle. As Tobey is towed, she memorizes her head position and the feeling of a long clean bodyline to maintain that sensation after release.
  Practise tow and release repeatedly until you feel the same ease solo you feel while being towed. As you practice solo, focus mainly on keeping calm water at the corners of your goggles and lay back until your hips and legs feels (lying,live, light?). Don’t worry how far or fast you go. The goal is to kick as gentle and quiet as Katherine shows here.

Drill 2 Sweet spot
  In “sweet spot” , balance should be even easier and you kick more effective. As Joe tows Suzie, he makes sure her head is hidden and stable then helps rotate barely enough for the knuckles on the right hand to clear the water. Then he watches carefully for a relaxed kick and a long clean line from head to toes. When he sees that Suzie is balanced and at ease. They repeat on the right side. When you practice solo, focus on a long, straight bodyline with your legs inside your body (‘s order) Continue to feel as if you being towed and slipling through the smallest possible hole in the water.
    When you master balance on both sides, you can pratise rotating from “sweet spot” to “sweet spot”. As Terry demonstrate in this endless pool. Rotate gently and without disturbing the water.

Help for weak kickers
  You don’t need much of kick to swim efficiently, but a poor kick can make the drills more of challenges than they should be. This exercises can improve your kick enough to drill smoothly. Towing helps you relax and keep you kick gentle and compact. This is far more effective than kicking harder. Try to feel the same after released as you did while being towed. Even if a short distance. This will help imprint the right habits. Patiently increase your solo drilling bit by bit. Learning to relax is far more important than kicking hard and fast.
Vertical kicking
Vertical kicking improves your efficiency by teaching you to kick from the top of your leg like a pendulum. This will increase your propulsion and reduces drag. Stand stall and kick with a long supple leg. Link in your leg from hip to toe and keep you kick compact. A tight steady kick like Katherine’s takes less energy than a wide slower one. You can scull your outstretched hands for support as you learn the position. As your kick improves, fold your arms as Joe does. The most important role of your kick is to help rotate your body. Improve you feel for this by practising quarter rotations every few seconds. If you feel vertical kick is helping your efficiency. It’s helpful to start back balance of “sweet spot” with a bit vertical kick then lay back into position as Katherine does here.

Drill 3 Lengthen your vessel
In our next drill, lengthen your vessel, you’ll learn that you move faster and more easily with a longer body line. With Tobey towing, Jeniffer rotates to “sweets spot”, pauses to check her balance then sneak her lower arm forward making her body line longer and more slippery. Suzie checks Joe’s head spinal alignment then begins towing on his hand to emphasize the long vessel feeling. She also positions his hand just below the surface. Joe balances effortlessly. Because he lays back with his head hidden. He also extends his body line from fingertips to toes to slip through the smallest possible space in the water. After release, use the lightest kick to keep moving, keeping your feet inside the same space your body travel through. Take the time to be comfortable and slippery on both sides before moving to the next drill. As Jeniffer demonstrates, it’s a relaxed kick and a slick body line. Not effort, that make the difference.