Tight Line Focus

Swimming tall with a tight line allows you to slip through the water at a higher speed, using less energy. For at least part of every workout, you should focus on maintaining a tight aquatic line. Almost all expert swimmers talk about posture as the most important element of their stroke. And it is something they work on constantly. When masters swimmer Ray Gandy was asked what he would be thinking about for his double crossing of the English Channel (about 60 miles of swimming), the first thing he said was body position.

Technique Focus Points

Belly button to spine. Pull your belly button towards your spine. This tilts your hips and helps to flatten out the curve in your lower back.
Tuck your lower ribs. This connects your chest to your hips, and completes the job of flattening the curve in your lower back.
Grow your neck. Pull your chin in towards your spine. This will make you taller in the water.

What to Watch For

Don't be a slouch! When swimming you never relax your core to the point where you body becomes loosely connected head, core and leg segments. When your coach describes swimming at endurance speeds as relaxed or easy, what he really means is relaxed like sitting up straight in a chair or easy like staying in the aero position on your tri bike.

Tight Line Focus Workouts

More Information

Video Clips - Watch any of the Natalie Couglin video clips and note that she always talks about body position first. It is somehting the best swimmers in the world focus on regularly.
Required Reading - See the Emmett Hines' article What Floats Yer Boat. Newer swimmers will be doing many of the exercises described here during our 30-minute sessions. All swimmers should read the section of this article entitled "What’s all this hoo-haw about posture?"

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