Swim Laps to Music

Bored swimming laps?. Check out this mp3 player for the pool.

Water in your ear?

try this potion of 50/50 mixture using equal parts of rubbing alcohol and distilled white vinegar. Put the mixture in a clean eyedropper bottle. The alcohol will kill germs and evaporate any water that's trapped in the ear. Use several drops after swimming. Tilt your head and pull your earlobe to get the mixture into the ear canal. This will help cure swimmer's ear or prevent it from happening in the first place.

Island Health and TC3 Offering Discounts to swim

Island Health and Fitness usually charges $11 for drop-ins to use their pool, but if you show your email confirmation when you register you can swim for $6.

TC3 pool is also open to the community for $1.50. Here is their schedule and info.

Getting into the right pod-Make sure you list a time in the Registration Form

All swimmers are assigned to a pod for safety reasons. Pods organize how swimmers enter the boats and water. If you don’t enter a swim time on your registration form, you will be placed in a pod which might not be appropriate.

To estimate how long it would take you to swim a mile go to a pool, swim for about 5-10 minutes to warm up and then time yourself for 4 lengths. Take that time and multiply it by 21. That will give you a ball park time for the total swim. For example: if it takes you 3:00 to swim 100 yards (4 lengths), multiply that by 21 (2100 yards), it would take you a little over an hour (63 minutes) to make the swim. You might need to add a little time to account for the difference between swimming in a pool and swimming in a lake.

Marrie's Training Plan starting May 4, 2009

Last year I gave Betsy East a 14 week training plan that got her in really great shape for the lake swim. Click here. It was a very basic plan starting with 20-30 lengths 2-3 times per week up to 80 lengths. You can mix in drills and other swimming strokes.

Approximately 84 lengths is equivalent to the distance across the lake.

Sample 8 Week Training Plan

If you are STARTING FROM SCRATCH here is a great training preamble from Ruth Kazez that will get you ready to train for the lake swim. This will take 2-3 weeks depending on your skill level.

Once you have gotten your feet wet try this six week Training Plan. It is simple and filled with a lot of variety. You can mix in some stroke drills and practice your flip turns!

How to do a freestyle flip turn in a pool

Another great video from YOUTUBE:

How to do an open turn in the pool

This is an amazing teaching video from YOUTUBE:

Freestyle Drills

• ARM CATCH UP. This drill is by far the most effective drill you can do to improve your freestyle swimming. While performing one arm stroke keep the other arm outstretched in front of your head and do not move it until the other arm has finished the stroke. Let’s say you start moving your left arm, keep your right arm stretched in front of you and do not start the right arm stroke until your left hand has touched your right hand. The benefits of this swimming technique is that you are forced to keep the arm stretched in front of you while the other arm is performing the stroke, that way enhancing the the streamline position of the body and the the push back of the active arm. Try to make a pause with both hands in front of you before starting the next arm stroke, this will make sure the body position is kept properly. As you push back with the arm stroke make sure to outstretch the other arm to go to catch the water in the far front. Well…, pictures are worth a million words, have a look at this video to get an example of the arm catch up freestyle drill.
  

• ONE ARM FRONT. As for the arm catch up drill, the one arm front drill is meant to improve the efficiency of the “gliding” phase of freestyle. The one arm front drill consists of repeating the arm stroke of only one arm with the other arm stretched in front of you. Do one lap stroking with the left arm and the next stroking with the right arm, breath normally in the direction of the arm stroke. As the arm stroke is completed take a rest with the hands on top of each other and both arms stretched, then start the arm stroke again. Make sure to focus on the push back phase of the arm stroke as well as on the outstretched of the resting arm. Have a look at this video to get an example of the one arm front freestyle swimming drill.
  
• ROLL OVER DRILL. This drill will help you improve your body rolling. Make an arm stroke, go for breathing and keep rotating your shoulder until you reach 90 degrees. You will find yourself laying with one side of your body toward the bottom of the pool, with one arm along the body, the other stretched in front of your head and in breathing position. Pause for a little while and start the recovery of the arm. As the hand of the recovering arm reaches the shoulder level break the movement and then go for rotating back the shoulder, your head and start the next arm stroke. This drill makes you focus on all the fundamental parts of the arm stroke and on the importance of the rotation of the shoulder to perform them correctly. Have a look at how Alexander Popov does the roll over drill.

Kicking Drills

Freestyle Kicking Drills

Challenges of breathing in freestyle swimming

1. Not Getting Enough Air. There are a couple of reasons this typically happens in freestyle. First, make sure you breathe out all of your air before you rotate to take a breath. When learning, some people try to exhale and inhale while they are rolling to the side for air. There simply is not enough time for this! Your exhalations should only be in the water in the form of bubbles. At first the timing may seem difficult, but eventually you will get used to it. Second, you may be sinking as you breathe. Make sure you are rolling to the side to breathe, and not rotating your head and looking straight up.
2. Extended Arm Sinks While Taking a Breath. This is mainly a balance issue. While you breathe to one side, your other arm should be extending. For many swimmers, this extended arm pushes down into the water (elbow drops) and they are sinking while trying to inhale.
3. Sucking In Water While Taking a Breath. In practice, this will sometimes occur because of #1 and #2 above. In the lake, the waves may cause the inhalation of water instead of air (bilateral breathing will help here as well). Try practicing the one-arm drill. To perform the one-arm drill, swim a full stroke with one arm while your other arm rests at your side. Breathe on the opposite side of the stroking arm. This is a difficult drill and takes some practice, but it will pay off!
4. Bottom line is to relax and practice taking deep breaths before you start.

Breathing Drills

Stretching Exercises

Reaching-up Shoulder Stretch: Place one hand behind your back and then reach up between your shoulder blades.

Arm-up Rotator Stretch: Stand with your arm out and your forearm pointing upwards at 90 degrees. Place a broom stick in your hand and behind your elbow. With your other hand pull the bottom of the broom stick forward.

Single Heel-drop Calf Stretch: Stand on a raised object or step. Put the ball of one foot on the edge of the step and keep your leg straight. Let your heel drop towards the ground.