1. Off Season Swimming With TEAM Pursuit Athletic PerformanceCoach Al Lyman, CSCS, FMS, HKC PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

2. Tonights Discussion Should you really spend time now, trying to improve? Common roadblocks to success Whats the most important body part for swimming success? Basic concepts and essential attributes Assuming I might want to improve, where should my focus be? Strategies for improvement Review: Common roadblocks to success Q&A PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 3. Common Roadblocks To Success 1.A lack of an appropriate progression from A to Z (baby steps).2.Impatience (relates to #1).3.An unwillingness to CHANGE (pride and stubbornness).4.Not seeing the learning process as a journey of discovery and growth an fun adventure (relates to #2).5.Impatience (relates to #1 and #4).6.A lack of necessary flexibility (and an unwillingness to make a commitment to improve it relates to #2, #3, and #4).7.Time management.8.A lack of enough L.S.D. to make it ALL palatable! PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 4. Question: What is the most important body part for swimming?Answer? (Hint) Every human movement, thought, or feeling, is a precisely timed electric signal traveling through a chain of neurons a circuit of nerve fibers. PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 5. Your Brain Hard Skills Myelin Swimming correctly is a hard skill (vs. a soft skill) Groove a groove = easy! Change a groove = hard! Baby steps - slow it down - attentive repetition Sweet spot at the edge of your capabilities Practice makes myelin myelin makes permanent! PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 6. Basic Concepts Efficient swimming is summarized by these two You want to learn to REDUCE DRAG. This means rigidly maintaining a relaxed and streamlined position during every phase of the stroke. You want to generate MORE PROPULSION. You do this by leveraging your arm strokes by rigidly holding relaxed correct technique. PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 7. Fundamental attributes that every single good swimmer possesses: Efficient (and correct) technical SKILLS / HABITS. High levels of FLEXIBILITYo arms/shoulders/back/ankles. Swim specific neuromuscular STRENGTHo the muscular strength that comes by moving well (correctly) and consistently. A willingness to LEARN and CHANGEo while at the same time, enjoying the process of learning and changing. PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 8. How can you apply this to YOUR swimming? Commit to never taking another incorrect stroke Chunking: small pieces, one at a time Practice-practice-practice, in and out of the pool Slow down be aware of what you are doing Drill over short distances - one skill at a time Combine swim practice with appropriate dryland (strength and flexibility) training PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 9. Where Should My Focus Be?The Catch High elbow / early vertical forearm: o Analogy: paddling a canoeo your forearm is the paddle Not propulsive: o it is preparation for the propulsive phase of the stroke (the pull) A very specific hard skill requiring perfect, progressive repetition to develop Requires swim specific strength to hold over time, without deterioration PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 10. Source: Haydn Wooley Future Dreams 11. PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 12. PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 13. Strategies for Improvement The focus of your off season swim training should be: developing the correct neural pathways by practicingonly good form, not reinforcing bad habits. developing more flexibility to allow for correct movement patterns. developing swim specific coordination and strength to be able to do what you know you should do. the focus is NOT on the pure strength of the muscles, but on their correct coordination. PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 14. If flexibility is a limiter, commit to stretching daily, and before and after each and every swim.Master correct catch technique OUT of the water first, before attempting to apply it IN the water.Practice progressive drills regularly, doing them slowly and thoughtfully. When you are drilling, focus on improving only one skill at a time.Use any and all tools that you have available to you, to progress from one stage to the next stage.Video yourself regularly to ensure youre swimming correctly.Swim short segments of easy intervals to help you first change habits and then instill them until they become the natural way you swim. PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 15. 4 Steps to Developing Swim Specific Strength 1. Dry-land practice: grooving the groove of a correctcatch High elbow early vertical forearm (EVF)2. Tubing exercises: 1. elbow pops 2. full catches See video3. Relentless drill practice Short segments; focus on only 1 skill at a time4. Small bits of full stroke swimming (baby steps) Done for only as long or as many strokes as you can doperfectly PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 16. PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 17. Common Roadblocks To Success 1.A lack of an appropriate progression from A to Z (baby steps).2.Impatience (relates to #1).3.An unwillingness to CHANGE (pride and stubbornness).4.Not seeing the learning process as a journey of discovery and growth an fun adventure (relates to #2).5.Impatience (relates to #1 and #4).6.A lack of necessary flexibility (and an unwillingness to make a commitment to improve it relates to #2, #3, and #4).7.Time management.8.A lack of enough L.S.D. to make it ALL palatable! PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE 18. Questions? Thank YOU for joining me! PURSUIT ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE