Often times people get really worn out early, or they get a tightness that they can't seem to shake for the remainder of the workout. If it's an endurance thing, then that's something you've got to work through, but, more often than not, it's caused by stroke inefficiencies and not doing the little things that keep you zipping through the water for longer. Here are some of the most commonly neglected "little things" that will really make a difference in how you feel, both in the short-term during the workout and immediately after, and in the pace at which you can gradually grow your swimming workout sets.
1) Turns and breathing. Way too often people will get lazy and grab the wall, or breathe in and out of turns. Yeah, in the immediate, that quick gasp of air makes you feel better, but you'll pay for it down the stretch. Your stroke will unravel faster over the course of your stint in the pool that day and, more importantly, you won't improve as fast as you'd like to. Don't breathe right in and out of the wall. A good rule of thumb is don't breathe while you're in between the flags and the wall. Your body position in the water is compromised, you lose momentum, and you spend more energy returning to a hydrodynamic position right before you tuck for the roll.
2) Maximizing streamline. You've got to hold this as long as possible. If you're popping up through the surface of the water prior to the flags, you're not being disciplined enough. Really stretch out that streamline position, lock out your elbows, and really focus on pinching the nape of your neck with your biceps. This will make you faster off the walls and blocks, and you'll save a lot of much needed energy for when your stroke really counts (drill sets, technique work, etc).
3) Consciously focus on your breathing pattern. Depending on your skill level, you should be breathing on alternating sides to maximize the symmetry of your stroke, and you shouldn't be gasping at every opportunity. Obviously, at the end of the workout, you're going to unravel and get tired. Don't let that become an excuse for going from a guy or gal who breathes every 7 strokes to allowing yourself to devolve into breathing every 2. Maybe drop down to 5, but focus on making your breaths fluid and in the natural roll of the stroke. Stick with your pattern. In the long run, you'll be thanking yourself because this is where the long-term benefits and improvements come from.
4) Crossing over. Your hands, when doing freestyle, should enter the water in front of their respective shoulders, plus or minus 10 degrees. As people get tired, they often start to "cross over" and plunge their lead hand into the water either in front of, or worse yet, to the other side of their head. Needless to say, this makes your stroke an unsightly, wiggly mess. Moreover, you're creating disturbances in the water in front of the least hydrodynamic block of your body! You're slowing yourself down, not only because of the decreased reach and efficiency of the long stroke, but also because you are creating cavitation right in front of you that you then have to force yourself through with added effort.
Focus on the little things. They go a long way. If you do, you'll be guaranteed to see faster improvement, slower "burn-out," and you'll get a lot more out of your workout, both physically and mentally. Swimming is a mental sport, just like the rest of them. If you can be mentally tough enough to focus on the little things, the seemingly insignificant, you'll become more physically tough, too.
1) Turns and breathing. Way too often people will get lazy and grab the wall, or breathe in and out of turns. Yeah, in the immediate, that quick gasp of air makes you feel better, but you'll pay for it down the stretch. Your stroke will unravel faster over the course of your stint in the pool that day and, more importantly, you won't improve as fast as you'd like to. Don't breathe right in and out of the wall. A good rule of thumb is don't breathe while you're in between the flags and the wall. Your body position in the water is compromised, you lose momentum, and you spend more energy returning to a hydrodynamic position right before you tuck for the roll.
2) Maximizing streamline. You've got to hold this as long as possible. If you're popping up through the surface of the water prior to the flags, you're not being disciplined enough. Really stretch out that streamline position, lock out your elbows, and really focus on pinching the nape of your neck with your biceps. This will make you faster off the walls and blocks, and you'll save a lot of much needed energy for when your stroke really counts (drill sets, technique work, etc).
3) Consciously focus on your breathing pattern. Depending on your skill level, you should be breathing on alternating sides to maximize the symmetry of your stroke, and you shouldn't be gasping at every opportunity. Obviously, at the end of the workout, you're going to unravel and get tired. Don't let that become an excuse for going from a guy or gal who breathes every 7 strokes to allowing yourself to devolve into breathing every 2. Maybe drop down to 5, but focus on making your breaths fluid and in the natural roll of the stroke. Stick with your pattern. In the long run, you'll be thanking yourself because this is where the long-term benefits and improvements come from.
4) Crossing over. Your hands, when doing freestyle, should enter the water in front of their respective shoulders, plus or minus 10 degrees. As people get tired, they often start to "cross over" and plunge their lead hand into the water either in front of, or worse yet, to the other side of their head. Needless to say, this makes your stroke an unsightly, wiggly mess. Moreover, you're creating disturbances in the water in front of the least hydrodynamic block of your body! You're slowing yourself down, not only because of the decreased reach and efficiency of the long stroke, but also because you are creating cavitation right in front of you that you then have to force yourself through with added effort.
Focus on the little things. They go a long way. If you do, you'll be guaranteed to see faster improvement, slower "burn-out," and you'll get a lot more out of your workout, both physically and mentally. Swimming is a mental sport, just like the rest of them. If you can be mentally tough enough to focus on the little things, the seemingly insignificant, you'll become more physically tough, too.
