How to Swim... But Not Like Michael Phelps

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Did you know that Michael Phelps once said, “You can’t put a limit on anything, the more you dream the farther you get.” Michael Phelps was an astonishing swimmer. He won several Olympic medals, but sadly he has retired from the Olympic field.

I am here to tell you how to swim, but not like Michael Phelps.

I will be explaining the basics of swimming freestyle. Freestyle is one of the easiest strokes to learn. This stroke consists of 10 elements for a perfect freestyle stroke.

• Number 1, head position.

Body position in the water is the most important component to swimming efficiently, and the position of your head dictates the position of the rest of your body. Look forward, with your hairline cresting the surface of the water in front of you.

• Number 2, reach forward.

With each stroke, make sure you are extending your arm to its maximum length. Many swimmers place their hand in the water in front of their head and begin their underwater pull. Instead, concentrate on placing your hand in the water about 15 inches in front of you, and then reach forward an additional 6 inches by extending your arm from your shoulder.

• Number 3, body rotation.

Body rotation is somewhat related to reaching forward, in that by pivoting your body with each stroke, you facilitate your shoulders extending forward at the end of each stroke. When your right arm is fully extended in front of you, your body should be pivoted right.

• Number 4,”hourglass” pull

When you are pulling your body through the water with your arms, you want to maximize the amount of water pulled. Since the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, the last thing you want to do when swimming is pull your arm through the water in a straight line. Instead, practice an S shape, so that if you were to pull both arms together simultaneously, the resulting path would resemble an hourglass silhouette.

• Number 5, finish the stroke

Even some of the world's best swimmers end up shortening their strokes when they get tired, pulling their hands out of the water prematurely at their waist area rather than by their upper thigh. As your arms complete their underwater hourglass pull, they should fully extend behind you, by your sides, so that your thumbs graze the side of your thighs below your suit-line.

• Number 6, sprint flutter kick.

Kicking takes up a lot of energy, which is why it's often relegated to the last lap of an event. Sprinters rely more heavily on kicking, but regardless of your specialty, it is important to master a kick that works for you. Too often, swimmers end up creating added resistance with an incorrect kick that actually serves to slow them down!

• Number 7, distance crossover kick.

Distance kicking differs from sprint kicking in that it's not meant to propel you forward as much as it's meant to keep your rhythm while helping you stay afloat. Indeed, in longer races, attempting a sprint flutter kick will put you into oxygen depletion within laps, and you will crash and burn.

• Number 8, breathing head position.

When turning your head to breathe, make sure to turn it 90 degrees to the side. Many swimmers make the mistake of turning their head about 100 degrees so that their entire face are above the water's surface. You want to try to keep your head parallel to the surface with one eye above and one eye submerged. Turning your head any more is unnecessary; it requires more effort and can result in increased resistance as your body corkscrews out of control.

• Number 9, breathing pattern.

It is best to breathe on both the left and right sides. This serves to even out your stroke and keep your body balanced in the water. Swimmers who only breathe on one side tend to have an uneven stroke turnover, and they miss out on what their competition is doing on their blind side. They can also end up swimming in an arc rather than a straight line in open water.

• Number 10, starts and finishes.

When pool swimming, most people disregard the importance of their takeoff and their finish. Even when pushing off the wall for a set of repeats, take the time to streamline with your arms clasped behind your head in a v, with your hands together. Finish each repeat with a strong stroke into the wall, rather than slowing down and coasting in with your head raised.

I asked a parent of one of my students "while watching your son during the lessons did you as the parent learn anything?" She answered, "Yes, I learned basic swimming techniques that could be taught outside of the water. With these skills I was able to help my son practice swimming on dry land on days he did not have lessons. These drills helped him improve tremendously." I also asked my high school swim coach why he thought form was important. He answered, "Form is like a prerequisite to swimming. Without it a swimmer will never improve. They can try as hard as they'd like but if they aren't swimming in correct form it's almost as if they are swimming in place. Form is not only important for speed and improvement, but also for their swimmer's health. With improper for a swimmer can become deformed in that their muscles shape to the way they swim. For example if I swim and only breathe out one side, my muscles in my back and neck will grow so that I will only be able to turn my head a certain amount on the opposite side that I breathe."

If you would like to learn more about different strokes and their technique please come back next month for the new post.

Works Cited

Kostich, Alex. "10 Elements of a Perfect Freestyle Stroke - Part 2." Web log post.

N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.

Kristi Mcdougal. Parent of student swimmer.

Michael Allen. High School Swim Coach.

Cause and Effects of Swimming

Swimming is the one sport that works every muscle in the body. Swimming has many health benefits, and it helps with arthritis pain for the elderly. Along with excellent effects, swimming also has bad effects to our health. Swimming competitively can worsen our lungs as well as strengthen our heart. The positive effects of elite swimming outweigh the negative effects.

Here is a chart that shows the pros and cons of swimming in chlorinated pools:

Pros	Cons
Healthy heart	Can cause asthma
Helps arthritis pain	Respiratory problems
Improves cardiovascular conditioning	bloodshot eyes
Improves muscle strength	Itchy skin
Improves endurance	Dried-out hair
Improves posture	Bleach-y smell
Improves flexibility
Helps with relaxation

Swimming is great for the heart, and according to Lifescript Magazine, the health benefits of swimming are almost unmatched by any other sport. Swimming improves cardiovascular conditioning, muscle strength, endurance, posture, and flexibility all at the same time. The cardiovascular system in particular benefits because swimming improves the body’s use of oxygen without overworking the heart. It improves the muscle strength by exercising every major muscle. The best strokes for over-all boy toning are freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke. Swimming increases endurance by simply following the phrase, “just keep swimming.” That phrase got me through many tough workouts. These workouts were not pleasant and at times I felt like I was going to pass out and drown, but by telling myself to keep going I put mind over matter and I improved my times much faster. The swimmers posture and flexibility is improved by the continuous swimming in a balanced form. Swimming is known to decrease blood pressure and cause most swimmers to relax while they are swimming. Because swimmers are constantly regulating their breathing, swimming causes more blood to flow to their muscles which in turn causes them to relax. Of all the benefits to swimming, improvement to the cardiovascular system is the most valuable.

Although swimming has many health benefits, swimming in an indoor pool also has negative effects. Someone who practices everyday and is continuously in the pool can gain lung problems. The chemicals in the pool, such as chlorine, can cause someone to develop asthma and respiratory problems. According to a study of young athletes in Quebec City, asthma is epidemic among competitive swimmers. Most swimmers develop the problems after they take up swimming. Almost all the competitive swimmers suffer from inflamed lung tissue, those who spend the most time at the pool show the most damaged lung tissue. In a study published in the European Respiratory Journal, 70 percent of 32 elite swimmers suffered from airway hyper-responsiveness. With this disease, the bronchial tubes twitch or spasm excessively to cold air and other stimuli. Swimming has proven to be extremely beneficial to our body’s look and feel, but our lungs pay the price. I have not personally been affected nor do I know someone who has, but studies show that a swimmer could have respiratory problems and not ever realize it.

Although lung problems are caused by the chemicals in the pool, such as chlorine, they are not necessarily the main source. Instead, according to an article in the European Respiratory Journal, problems begin when the chlorine mixes with proteins in the water, such as shredded skin or hair, creating chloramines. Chloramines settle at the top of the water where swimmers tend to breathe while swimming. They are sucked deep into the lungs without the swimmer ever noticing. These chloramines cause swimmers to have lung problems over the course of a few months of continuous elite swimming. Chloramines not only cause respiratory problems, but chlorine itself also causes bloodshot zombie eyes, itchy skin, dried-out hair and a pungent bleach-y smell that is a side effect of swimming constantly in a chlorinated pool. Some respiratory problems in elite swimmers are caused by swimming constantly in chlorinated pools filled with invisible chloramines. Some places such as the YMCA ask swimmers to shower before they jump into the pool to decrease the number of chloramines, but as I have noticed not many people follow that rule. Respiratory problems in swimmers are not caused by the chlorine directly, but by the chloramines that are made by the chlorine in the pool.

Salt water pools have reduced the amount of lung problems in elite swimmers showing that the chemicals in the pool are what are causing these swimmers to develop these terrible problems. Salt water pools are becoming more popular to hotels and public places because of the health benefits to their guests. Although saline pool systems are costly, their operating costs are generally lower according to the Mother Nature Network. Saline is much better for the environment, but a side effect of having a saline pool is the corrosion damage that is usually not associated with pools that are sanitized by the frequent dumping of ozone-depleting chemicals. This corrosion happens relatively slowly when the salt levels are low. The generator cells require cleaning every 90 days before the calcium build up within the cell housing becomes one big block. The exchange of chlorinated pools for saline pools has proven to be extremely beneficial to swimmers health.

Swimming has proven to be the sport for me by giving me the stress relief I need, but I no longer swim competitively mostly because since I have graduated I haven’t been able to find an adult swim team. Swimming gives us the push we need to get that great look and feel to our body, but at a price. It shows that dedicated swimmers may have lung problems but they will be stress free and fit. I love breathing, but I love swimming more, and both can be done as long as a swimmer can keep up with their health along the way.

Works Cited 

Hickman, Matt. "MNN - Mother Nature Network." MNN - Mother Nature Network. N.p., 27 June 2011.Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

Konkel, Lindsey. "MNN - Mother Nature Network." MNN - Mother Nature Network. N.p., 11 Jan.      2012. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

Lifescript Editorial Staff, ed. "The Health Benefits of Swimming." Women's Health Issues. Lifescript      Magazine, 02 Aug. 2006. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

Reynolds, Gretchen. "Are Indoor Pools Bad for Your Lungs?" Are Indoor Pools Bad for Your Lungs Comments. New York Times, 22 July 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

My Swimming Experiences!

In my personal experiences, swimming is the most demanding sport I have ever encountered. Swimming requires great dedication and tons of endurance. This daily obligation I decided to add on to my busy schedule took much time away from other daily obligations. When I swam on a team, it took many hours of studying out of my schedule. I would swim for hours, but when I got home, I was too exhausted to do anything else. Competitive swimming is extremely demanding. Personally it takes more time and effort than any other sport I have ever played, and I have played many sports throughout my life. Swimming was the most team demanding sport also. Swimming took as much effort from one person as it did the entire team. Even though at a swim meet we swim alone it’s the team support that is important. We push each other to get better and work harder. In my experiences, the swim team I was on was much closer and more encouraging than any other sport. I made many friends swimming on my team and I still support my former teammates at all of the swim meets. Also I loved swimming with my team so much that I still practice with them from time to time. I learned how to be supportive and work as a team while swimming on this team. It was a life changing experience for me and I will use my ability to work as a team on projects in college, and in my work force.

Swimming is a huge passion of mine. I used to spend so much time in the pool when I was little my parents thought I was going to turn into a fish, but thankfully I didn't. I swam with the Kings Mountain High School swim team for 3 years and I loved every minute of it, from the hard practices to the easy days where we played water polo. It was all very exciting for me and I would do it all over again. I would stay after practice for extra practice just because I loved being in the pool. I didn't start swimming until my sophomore year, because I was very shy as a freshman and didn't know many people that were on the team. Once I joined I made many friends and I was no longer shy around any of them. Since a swim team doesn't have a limit on their roster, then we could have as many people on our team as we wanted.

Despite that we had no limit to our roster, my first year swimming was the first time any cuts were ever made. The tryouts were held so that the top 3 people in each event were automatically on the team. I swam 3 different events so that I could be automatically set on a team, but my first 2 didn't go so great. The last event I decided to try was butterfly, I was very nervous when it came to this event because I had never swam butterfly and here I was about to swim 100 yards of it. Luckily only 2 other people wanted to swim this event so as long as I finished I was on the team. After all the events were completed the coaches talked it over and only decided to cut a few people off of the team.

My first year was the hardest for me, I was attempting any event I could trying to find the one that fit me best. I swam backstroke every meet because I was very good at it, but I knew there was something else that I could be good at and love at the same time. We had one away meet the entire year, and at that away meet I found my calling. The 500 Freestyle. I swam this event one time, and once was all it took. I was hooked I swam this event every meet. The 500 Freestyle is 20 laps all at once. I then learned I was an endurance swimmer.

My senior year I was swimming was the best year I had ever swam. I dropped over 5 minutes on my 500 time. Since I was a senior I wore a jacket that showed that it was my last year. This jacket is shown in the picture above. My coach pushed me very hard to become better than I ever was that year, and even though I didn't make regional times, I still made a personal best and was very proud of myself.

Now that you have a background of my swimming experiences. I would like to tell you what this blog will be about. I will research several swimming related topics and elaborate on each one. Some of those topics include, "What is Sports Technology?," "Side Effects of Long Term Swimming," "Water Temperature Side Effects," "Benefits of Swimming," and so on. Please check back regularly for updates and new stories. If there are any parents that would like to teach their children how to swim you can check out my website by clicking here, or you can click the link on the right side of the screen.