Swimming Tip Tuesday: Back Crawl
Our back crawl Swimming Tip Tuesday of the week: Take a breath every time an arm completes a full cycle.
A breath is taken every time an arm completes a full cycle. Try breathing in as one arm passes your ear and exhale as the other arm passes.
Breathing, something we do every single day of our lives. Breathing in passion, and breathing out results! Breathing, given it is something we do involuntarily, 
should be easy enough to do in the water! Integrating our movements to sync up with our breathing requires a little more thought than expected. Though while swimming on our back a swimmer has the added advantage that their face is out of the water for the duration of the stroke. So, when do we breathe? In any exercise, we want to exhale on the effort and inhale during the recovery phase.
In back crawl the effort is when the arm is re-entering the water, during the push phase. While the recovery phase is when the water enters the air, or exits the water, both of these elements are what compose a complete cycle of back crawl arms. Understanding the basic mechanics of the stroke it should be easy to break down when to breathe.
However, when back crawl is done both arms move juxtaposed. Meaning one arm is always in the opposite phase to the other. To get around this conundrum, the swimmer can focus on one arms cycle and co-ordinate their breathing in time with that arm. Our dominant arm can vary from sport to sport, so an easy way to find out which of the two is a swimmers’ dominant arm, is to take note of which arm the swimmer start their stroke with. When the swimmers dominant arm is out of the water they must remember to inhale, similarly when the swimmers dominant arm is in the water, they must remember to exhale.
Swimming Tip Tuesday: Minimizing Energy
Our Swimming Tip Tuesday of the week: Minimize how much energy you’re using by holding your glide as long as you can.
Swimming Tip Tuesday: An example of a swimmer in full glide potion
Whether you are swimming competitively or for leisure, being in the water requires a bit more energy. This is simply due to the increased resistance one has to work in. It is also well understood among veteran swimmers that swimming is about efficiency and energy conservation. In simple words, swimming is about getting the most bang for you buck. The sport of swimming is to craft each movement to generate optimal levels of power and propulsion for the least amount of output, allowing us to fatigue at a much slower rate in comparison to many other sports.
For those of us progressing through the lifesaving program, mastery of our strokes helps us to minimize our energy expenditure. Here are some examples of how to do that for various life saving skills.
The 15 meter underwater swim
Pro tips:
- Utilize the wall; in doing this, one should become spring like bending at the knees and pushing hard off the wall until ones legs are straight.
- Furthermore we want to keep our hands forward in front of us as if we were doing a superman/ front glide. The longer we can keep our body streamlined the less drag we experience the faster and further we move through the water allows us to minimize the stress of holding our breathe.
- Breathing techniques; for some the stress on the cardiovascular system while holding our breathe can hinder us. A useful trick, to increase the length of our breath, is to blow our bubbles out of the nose. This can be accomplished by humming – forcing the air out of our nose at a much slower rate.
Any Timed Swim
Pro tips:
- 1 – Tip one also applies here (please see above). To elaborate on how this helps us during a time swim, we save energy and allow the initial force to do most of the work for us.
- 1a- Flip turns allow us to utilize the wall explained in tip one (please see above).
- Emphasis on how we kick is important. The further apart our legs separate as we flutter kick, the more drag we create, which ultimately slow us down. Keep your kicks small and steady. By doing this we minimize how much energy we waste in recovery between kicks and instead perform more like a continuous motor boat.
Overall minimize how much energy you’re using by holding your glide as long as you can. As well as being a more efficient technique, this is a good way to establish some rhythm and control in your swimming.
Swimming Tip Tuesday: Butterfly Arms
Our Swimming Tip Tuesday of the week: The arms extend forward and kept shoulder width apart. The palms should face downwards.
Today’s Swimming Tip Tuesday is an Advanced Tip! As we progress throughout swimming, we challenge ourselves to learn more complicated strokes, and more competitive and competition oriented strokes. If this is where your interest lies, look more into Aqua Fun Academy’s ASAC program. The Link is provided below:
https://www.aquafunacademy.ca/asac/
Butterfly is one of the most co-ordination heavy strokes, similar to Breaststroke. However Butterfly also requires well-conditioned upper body strength, and flexible shoulder mobility. This stroke can be learned in steps, for today’s Swimming Tip Tuesday we will focus on the arm movements associated with the Butterfly.
When beginning the Butterfly, the arms should move forward in a circular motion forward. Rotating at the shoulder and reaching the hand in front of the body as far as possible, and then pushing the arms down along the sides of the body. This is done to condition and build flexibility within the shoulders. When the stroke is performed both arms will move in unison, however to practice the sweeping motion, swimmers can use a flutter board and practice one arm at a time.
To begin generating more explosive power through the stroke, the swimmer will adjust the movement of the hands through the water. With the palms facing down the swimmer will draw one half of a keyhole through the water, swiftly pulling the arm up and out of the water. Similarly to the first movement this can also be practiced one arm at a time with the use of a flutter board. Once the swimmer is comfortable begin to practice the move in unison, remembering to breathe once the arms exit the water and enter the recovery phase.
Now that we’ve analyzed circular motion, and how to generate power, we can move into the recovery phase of Butterfly. The recovery phase of a stroke is usually when the arms exit the water. As the arms come up out of the water, we want the backs of the hands to face each other, extending the arms forward and keeping them should width apart. At this point in the stroke, we want to take advantage of our time out of the water, and take a deep breathe in.
To see Butterfly in motion by none other than Michael Phelphs himself, refer to the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd67PMryIT0.
Swimming Tip Tuesday: Ice Safety – Clear Blue Water
Our Swimming Tip Tuesday of the week: Clear blue ice is the strongest and safest form of ice.
It’s very important to consider the colour of ice. Clear blue ice is the strongest and safest. It forms when the temperature has been at least -8ºC for three consecutive weeks. The colder it gets, the faster blue ice will form. At a minimum thickness of 12 inches, blue ice will even support a large vehicle such as a mid-size pick-up. According to the Lifesaving Society, clear blue ice needs to be at least four inches thick to support a person and at least 12 inches for a mid-
size pick-up. And of course, stay clear of grey ice.
Blue ice occurs when snow falls on a glacier, is compressed, and becomes part of the glacier. Air bubbles are squeezed out and ice crystals enlarge, making the ice appear blue. Small amounts of regular ice appear to be white because of air bubbles inside them and also because small quantities of water appear to be colourless. In glaciers, the pressure causes the air bubbles to be squeezed out increasing the density of the created ice. Large quantities of water appear to be blue, as it absorbs other colours more efficiently than blue. Therefore, a large piece of compressed ice, or a glacier, would appear blue.
Blue ice is exposed in areas of the Antarctic where there is no net addition or subtraction of snow. That is, any snow that falls in that area is counteracted by sublimation or other losses. These areas have been used as runways (e.g.Wilkins Runway, Novolazarevskaya, Patriot Hills Base Camp) due to their hard surface which is suitable for aircraft fitted with wheels rather than skis.
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Swimming Tip Tuesday: Using a Kick Board
Our Swimming Tip Tuesday of the week: Don’t lean the weight of your body on the board. If you’re comfortable in the water, leaning slows you down.
On this week’s Swimming Tip Tuesday, we’re going to discuss the use of a flutter board (also known as a kick board) during our swim practices. A kick board is often used during kicking drills, hence the name. A common beginner habit is to put the upper half of their body over-top of the kick board. Why is this problematic? First of all, it does not allow the swimmer to build their upper body strength. It also does the swimmer a great disservice by altering the their body position. By propping the upper body onto the kick board, the swimmer has created an arch in the back that would normally be smooth. Thus slowing them down when they perform the skill without the aid of a kick board.
Swimming Tip Tuesday: Streamlined position
To correct this the swimmer wants to hold the base of the kick board, keeping the hands inline with the shoulders, or maintaining that the arms are straight as possible. This challenges the swimmer to maintain a horizontal body position from the tip of the head, through the back, and down to the toes. The swimmers kick should happen just under the surface of the water, creating a ripple effect as the swimmer kicks rhythmically. Whether the swimmer practices their kicks on their front (stomach) or on their back, the swimmer needs to maintain a streamline body position.
Another common beginner mistake is to lean into the kick board. How do we spot a swimmer who is leaning into the board? Assuming the swimmer is holding the base of the kick board you will notice one of two scenarios. In scenario one the swimmer will have propped the kick board on an angle either pointed upwards towards the ceiling or down towards the pool floor. In scenario two, the swimmer is holding the top of the kick board, with the majority of their upper body resting on the kick board the body will be arched at the hips which is also incorrect. If the swimmer is holding the kick board correctly, you will notice that the kick board is parallel with the surface of the water, regardless is the swimmer is holding at the base or the sides of the kick board.
Note: the kick board is held at the sides most often when practicing dolphin kick, or whip kick rather than flutter kick.
To develop this skill correctly practice in distance increments, allowing the swimmer to perform the skill correctly over a small distance and then building on that distance and giving feedback when they begin to lean. By doing so you will strength the swimmers body and muscle memory. Knowing what it feels like to perform a skill properly is half the battle.
Happy swimming! Until our next Swimming Tip Tuesday!
Swimming Tip Tuesday: The Whip
Our Aqua Speed beginner breaststroke #TipTuesday of the week: Concentrate on bringing your feet to your hips rather than your knees to your chest.
Breaststroke being the challenging and complex stroke that it is, here’s another Swimming Tip Tuesday to get you closer to perfecting it.
A common beginner mistake when doing breaststroke occurs during the whip phase. When doing the whip, beginners often bend in two places. Bending at the hips as well as at the knees. Bringing the knees under the abdominal and chest region. This is problematic because now the swimmers centre of buoyancy has 
shifted. They become an anchor and sink as they try to execute the whip. The whip is when the legs separate in a circular shape behind the swimmer to propel themselves forward. With their legs under the chest and adnominal region the whip phase happens awkwardly underneath the body, pushing the swimmer up rather than forward. This overall action slows the swimmer down significantly.
Another common beginner mistake once a beginner is told to bend their feet to their hips, is that they aim their knees down at the pool floor; yet again creating an anchor. This new body position causes the swimmer to sink and gives them no space to execute a complete circular whip. As a result of where the knees are in the water, and the need to create a circular motion, swimmers often change this and whip separating the knees before the ankles, which look like the way a frog swims.
In order to correct this, the swimmer must bend so their feet pull back towards their hips, as well as aiming their knees towards the wall their feet used to be facing. It is in this new body position that we remain almost streamline, keep our centre of buoyancy so we do not sink. Furthermore this new body position allows the swimmer to execute a proper whip propelling them forwards through the water.
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See you again right here for another Swimming Tip Tuesday!
Swimming Fit Friday: Meal Prep
For this week’s Swimming Fit Friday I would like to share with you a personal fitness tip based on my life as a swimmer.
Swimming has been a significant part of my life for many years. Swimming has been many things for me, I have swum for recreation, I have swum to earn a living, and I have swum to stay physically active. Swimming has given me an opportunity to grow myself as a leader through various leadership courses, such as Bronze Cross, Bronze Star and many other lifesaving courses. It has challenged me to break down my craft and re-master it over and over.
My Fit Friday Tip for you is to: remember to fuel your body with good foods to maintain your energy throughout the day.
I think many of us, myself included, have had some painfully early mornings. Not enough time to eat, much less thinking of eating. We justify a drastic lack of preparation by equating it with simply not having enough time. Having no time before school, before work, before swim practice. For a while I accepted this as my truth. “I don’t have the time,” I would say. Until it dawned on me: it wasn’t a lack of time, it was a lack of preparation! My priorities were mixed up. You can’t be on the top of your game if your body doesn’t have the right tools to get it done. By skipping breakfast or that pre-workout meal, we have deprived our brain and body of nutrients; of energy! As a result, our practice routines get sloppy, we can’t kick faster to make that distance, to beat that time swim, to tread water for one more moment.
Meal preparation has become a big part of my life. It’s a priority in order to keep my life functional, because you do have enough time in the day. It’s just recognizing when that is for you. To help with your own journey, I’ve included some recipes I’ve used to make getting the right fuel for my body easier. Now this list isn’t the end all, be all of what YOU should eat. Everyone is different, and requires different things for their body. That being said, most people will agree that reducing junk food in your life is always a plus.
Leftovers for lunch. I tend to over cook for dinner to save on food labor. My favourite leftovers are lasagna, one pot chicken with potatoes, and…
Dad’s Sheppard pie:
- Potatoes
- Ground chicken, beef, or turkey
- Veggies of choice
- Cheese
After mashing the potatoes and cooking the meat of choice, layer the potatoes, meat, veggies, cheese, potatoes into a medium sized pan and bake until potatoes turn a golden brown. Add cheese on top if wanted.
I also like to have Stuffed Bell Peppers:
- Cut a bell pepper in half
- Stuffed with ground beef, chicken, or turkey
- Add some egg whites to hold it all together.
As well as Egg muffins:
1 Cut up peppers (or whatever veggie you like!)
1 Cut up Mushrooms (optional)
1 cup of Shredded Cheese
6 eggs – you may use egg white, or the whole egg yolk included.
Butter of Margarine
Mix in a bowl pepper, mushrooms, shredded cheese and eggs into a bowl
Grease muffin pan with Butter or Margarine
Then pour into muffin pan
Let sit in oven for 15mins
Eat what you like and freeze the rest. Warm up in the microwave for an easy breakfast!
These are my quick picks, but nothing compared to the infinite options available to you out there. A quick Google search will get your meal prep plans going pretty quickly.
Until our next Swimming Fit Friday – Happy Eating!
Swimming Tip Tuesday: Butterfly and the Crown
Our Aqua Speed front crawl #TipTuesday of the week: Your body should be led by the crown of your head with your shoulders and hips horizontal, as you swim forward.
On this week’s Swimming Tip Tuesday we’re going to discuss butterfly and body positioning throughout the stroke. A common beginner mistake when beginning this stroke is to focus primarily on the pull of the arms. Usually swimmers lead with the hands and sway to the side that is the strongest. As our arm strength improves on both sides of the body, we want to consider changing what we use to lead our body from end to end.
Today’s Swimming Tip Tuesday tip is that your body should be led by the crown of your head with your shoulders and hips horizontal, as you swim forward. As we’ve discussed in a previous Swimming Tip Tuesday, swimming butterfly correctly requires you to keep your head set solidly in a downward-facing position. By doing so the crown of our head is closest to the top of the water, and as we rise to breathe, the shoulders come into alignment with our head.
By using these smaller points on the body to guide us through the water, we minimize the amount of drifting from side to side due to differences in muscular strength in the arms. As well as improve the speed with which we get from end to end. The less time the swimmer has to spend correcting their trajectory the better off they will be.
Furthermore by maintaining the hips in alignment with the crown of our head, we reduce the amount of swinging and drag happening around the lower body. By reducing drag the water is working with the swimmer instead of against the swimmer. This is the importance of streamlining the body as much as possible. Since the arms must break that alignment to propel us forward, keeping the crown of our head, the shoulders, and the hips in streamlined position will improve our overall stroke.
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See you again right here for another Swimming Tip Tuesday!
Swimming Fit Friday: The Meaning of Health
On this week’s Swimming Fit Friday, we’re going to talk about something a little different from my typical fit tips. This Swimming Fit Friday, I want to talk about common misconceptions of health and fitness, and how those play out.
To start this conversation we’re going to look at a general societal idea around body image. The idea of what a “healthy” body looks like has changed over the years. Prior to the industrial era, the wealthy elites of the era could afford an abundance of food, and could also afford to do little physical labor. As a result a more heavy-set body type was the ideal and thus health was attributed to this body type. As society has changed this same body type has been re-attributed to being unhealthy. As society continues to change the ideal model of health has turned in a lean, fit physique.
I recall a conversation with a friend of mine in the field in regards to being taken seriously. We had come to the conclusion that you needed to look like society’s idea of health. We as the experts needed to look toned and muscular. Otherwise, our clients and a wider audience would be less receptive of our information regarding health. This comes with consequences, as it sets the foundation for fat shaming for devaluing individuals due to presumptions around health that are in all honesty far from accurate.
The concept of an ideal body type is incredibly detrimental to the health of society as a whole. It is the misplacement of what we as a society value, we prioritize fitness and thinness over health. There seems to be no room for fat in our idealized vision of health, and it is this exclusion of fat that has created an obsession with food and weight and self worth. It is this exclusion and rejection that creates illness like anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive exercise disorder. When we prioritize fitness and thinness over health, we continue to perpetuate fat shaming that deteriorate the quality of life for those who do not fit into the mold.
For those who come back every week, or for those of you who stumble to this page by chance I would like you to take away that health is much more than weight. Weight is not the singular indicator of whether or not someone is healthy. Health is more complicated then weight, health is more complicated than body size, and health is something that is influenced by a multitude of factors.
Health is about improving our life condition through our environment, the quality of air and water, and the food we have. Health includes what our work life provides and if it allows us to have the basics, food, and shelter. Our interpersonal relationships with others influence health. We humans are social creatures and interaction is a fundamental need. Health is also comprised of our mental wellbeing and the resources we use to help maintain it. Is self-care something we have time for? Or does our quality of life deny us the opportunity to properly take care of ourselves? In regards to health, exercise should not be a punishment for eating a donut, or for eating at all. It should be a celebration of movement for the sake of movement! Our enjoyment of exercise should be a form of self-care, not weight loss. Every body is different and my center of health may look vastly different to yours. We should exercise for the enjoyment and what that activity does for you, the individual on a basic level.
It is important to know that you the individual do not owe society anything. I may have mentioned this before, but you do not owe society health, thinness, or fitness. You just need to be you. A person is valuable because they are a person.
If you’ve stuck with me till the end of this post, thank you! You have value, you are human and I hope you enjoy exercise because it makes you feel good.
That’s all for this weeks’ Swimming Fit Friday!
Learn more about our Health and Wellness programs here: https://www.aquafunacademy.ca/health-fitness/.
Swimming Tip Tuesday: Breaking Rules
Our Aqua Speed front crawl Advanced #TipTuesday of the week: To isolate and improve calf and core strength, it is okay to kick from the knees instead of the hips.
On this week’s Swimming Tip Tuesday, we’re going to discuss building muscle in the lower leg, by doing a highly unorthodox front crawl drill. This drill will allow the swimmer to make improvements in not only front crawl, but also butterfly!
To do this, we’re going to break a couple rules. When we first learn to swim, one of the key rules is to kick from the hips, rather than the knees, trying to bend at the knee as little as possible. This golden rule of flutter kick is told to us over and over again. Today, our advice is to kick from your knees. Instructors like myself will cringe when reading this but hear me out. The improvements we’re going to make by introducing this drill will be spectacular!
a pool buoy or pull float.
When swimming, we generate a significant amount of power and forward propulsion from the legs, generally the thighs, as we spend most of our swim time kicking from the hips. To improve our overall leg strength, and to improve strokes like butterfly (where our dolphin kick happens at both the hips and knees), you’ll need a pull float or a pool buoy. See the image to the right.
The swimmer should place the pull float between the thighs, squeezing them together. The swimmer should then practice their front crawl with a kick from the knees. When performing this, the swimmer will move slower, as we are using some of the smaller and less developed muscles in our lower leg. The swimmer will also be using core strength to maintain a horizontal body position and activate the abductors (the muscles that pull the legs towards the centre of the body). Most importantly the swimmer will begin to improve leg strength in the calves. The swimmer should do this drill at a minimum of 2 times in a general practice to improve calf strength.
Some rules are meant to be broken. Remember when you switch back to doing your unassisted front crawl, you should return to kicking from the hips. As we’ve discussed before, kicking from the knees without the pool buoy will disrupt the flow of water, increasing drag acting on the swimmer, who will then slow down and sink.
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See you again right here for another Swimming Tip Tuesday!
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