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Swimming Technique: General Principles

The water is a very different environment than the dry land, as it were, to which we are all accustomed.
Human beings are not natural swimmers. In fact, we are pretty awful at it. We do not have natural fins,
blow-holes, perfectly streamlined buoyant bodies, or gills. We do not have natural skin for the water so
we have to shave and wear tech-suits if we really want to go fast; and even then, compared to some fish
our size, we hardly seem to be moving through the water at all.

On the dry land, we are perfectly content to walk upright on a solid surface where gravity is dependable.
Yet, the underwater environment is so foreign to us that astronauts in the space program train
underwater to simulate the weightlessness of space! While suspended in the water, there is no solid
surface from which to push off and the effect of gravity is nullified somewhat by buoyancy. As we know,
however, disorientation is not the worst case for human beings in the underwater environment. Just
like the deadly emptiness of space, if a human being is not prepared for the underwater environment, it
could also prove to be fatal.

We cannot enter the harsh environment of space without wearing suits that cost millions of dollars;
but, human beings can negotiate the underwater environment because water has mass and pressure.
It’s not easy to master, however. Even the most gifted athletes require years of conditioning and
consistent daily practice to develop the neural connections necessary to “feel the water” and be able to
rhythmically coordinate all the muscles in the body in order to manipulate the water in such a way that
the swimmer’s body is propelled through the water at high velocity with the least amount of resistance
using the least amount of effort.

OK, great, how do I “manipulate” the water?

Because of the free flowing space-like qualities of water, it will not cooperate with the swimmer’s
actions very easily. Therefore, the water must be manipulated using a form of physical diplomacy,
requiring the correct physical attitude towards the water. If the swimmer tries to incorrectly “show the
water who is boss,” the swimmer might churn up some water but not go anywhere simply because the
water is free to flow around their hand if the swimmer presses too vigorously without any leverage.

The swimmer must, instead, be an aquatic diplomat. The correct physical attitude is to “meet the water
halfway” in a sort of symbiotic relationship whereby the swimmer must feel where the slow stable
water is flowing and match the pressure of the water so that the swimmer can grab onto a mass of
water and gain leverage. Swimming, in a sense, is like trying to climb a horizontal liquid ladder where
the rungs actively try to avoid your hands.

Swimming well requires a majority of all of the muscles in the swimmer’s body to be functioning in
unison with the water. A very common mistake is to follow a prescribed motion over and over despite
what the water is telling the swimmer. Rhythm is extremely important, but no one stroke should
be exactly the same as another. The swimmer’s brain must constantly feel for the water through
the body’s sense of touch through the skin, determine how to adapt to the fluctuations in the water
currents, and then tell the muscles how much to deviate and how much pressure to apply.

This can be very exhausting mentally and physically. Physical exhaustion not only affects strength and
aerobic capacity but it also affects the swimmer’s ability to “grab” onto the water. Because we have a
limited supply of energy to perform these difficult feats we need to conserve energy when we can, and

spend it when we must. Motion is energy and can be conserved by not spending more energy than is
needed to maintain that motion in a forward direction. Once in motion, only resistance to the water
will reduce velocity. By reducing resistance it requires less energy to maintain velocity than it takes to
generate it from no movement in the first place.

After a solid start and a clean entry, for the first brief moment, all the swimmer has to do in order to
conserve forward momentum is to maintain a tight streamlined position, i.e. eliminate resistance. As
long as the initial velocity is maintained, there is no reason to begin the kick towards the breakout
immediately. Only when the velocity drops below an ideal rate does the swimmer begin to kick towards
the breakout.

Conservation of energy is used in all four of the competitive strokes. In the short axis strokes (Butterfly
and Breastroke) there is a recovery phase built into the undulating rhythm. Breastroke, in particular,
has a very important recovery phase in which the energy generated from the pull and then the kick is
conserved through the glide. By pushing the swimmer’s body with a powerful kick into an extended
glide, breastrokers can dramatically increase the efficiency of their stroke-rates.

In the long axis strokes (Freestyle and Backstroke) there is a simultaneous work while recover phase
in each individual stroke cycle where one arm works to generate velocity while the other rests and
recovers to the catch position. For this to be more efficient and rhythmic, an active shoulder and hip
rotation will assist the swimmer’s ability to catch and drive the water past the hips.

If understood and applied, these general principles become an integral part of the overall philosophy
behind a swimmer’s outlook on training and competing and are essential to understanding how elite
swimmers are able to perform incredible feats. Because we are human and not fish, in the sport of
swimming, the stronger, taller, bigger, more agile athlete is not necessarily going to possess a greater
grasp on the water than an experienced swimmer who may lack those qualities. A well-blended mix of
power, focus, and a sensitive finesse is required in order to swim efficiently.