Affecting Changes in Stroke Technique

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This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week comes from Tim Murphy, head men’s coach at Harvard University. Murphy who was an assistant men's coach at the 2001 World University Games in Beijing, recently received the American Swim Coaches Association’s Bronze Award of Excellence. Murphy’s advice is on producing effective changes in stroke technique.

Murphy’s Tip
Like most coaches, we at Harvard look for opportunities to raise the skill level of our athletes in the water. In using an underwater video for technique review, we have found that videotaping may not be enough to produce effective changes in stroke technique. Experiential education both in the water and on dry land is a key component to making stroke corrections.

Due to the repetitive nature of swimming, most athletes do not know exactly what they are doing in the water. It is important to let them explore their stroke in addition to using video feedback; this will give the athlete a starting point to work from.

We have all had athletes who, when asked to make a change, did not perform the new skill correctly, even though they thought they were. However, by allowing for this exploration before asking for the stroke correction, you will close the gap between actually performing the skill correctly and merely thinking they are doing it correctly. We also do comparison swimming. With this concept, athletes swim with their old stroke and focus on one aspect of the stroke to become familiar with what it feels like. Gradually, they shift into a new stroke and make the technique change. In the end, we have them compare the differences. It is important to educate the athlete in how to recognize what they are actually doing compared to what they think they are doing. In this way, they will learn what it feels like to perform the change in technique correctly. This process can allow for an effective change in their stroke as opposed to a perceived change, which will save time and effort in the long run for both the athlete and the coach.