Long-Axis Balance Focus
If your body is not balanced around your long axis, you are creating
too much drag. Maintaining good head-to-toes balance is so important that
the long-axis balance drills are done by beginning swimmers and Olympians
alike.
Technique Focus Points
- Connect the head and chest blocks. Grow your neck tall and
pull your chin back towards your spine. Think "neck tall, chin
back".
- Connect the chest and hip blocks. Use your abs to lock your
hips and chest together. Think "belly in".
- Lean on your lungs. Press your lungs in to the water to balance
your body like a log at the surface.
What to Watch For
- Head high.
- Hips dropped.
- Legs deep.
- Chin on chest (that's not neutral on the spine)
Long-Axis Balance Focus Workouts
- Group Workout
- To perform a key workout, use the Group workout and swim the freestyle
(non-drill) sets at EN2 pace.
- To perform a recovery workout, cut the freestyle set distances in
half (including warm-up and cool-down), and swim all freestyle sets
at EN1 pace.
More Information
- Video Clips - Look at
any good freestyle swimmer - the one thing all styles of freestyle have
in common is good long-axis balance. Look at any of the Natalie
Coughlin clips.
Return to Workout Directory.
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