The Swim Stroke Doctor provides an extensive program of stretching routines and dryland exercises specifically designed to enhance swimmers’ agility, balance, coordination, strength, and stroke mechanics. Below is a summary of the key components:
Stretching Exercises:
Stretching is critical for swimmers as it supports flexibility maintenance, injury prevention, and overall performance enhancement.
Target Areas: Swimmers should focus on dynamic stretching that targets the entire body, including the head, neck, shoulders, back, arms, core, and legs, to optimize performance.
Proper stretching techniques are essential for preparing the body for in-water training sessions, ensuring muscles are primed for activity and reducing the risk of injury.
Dryland Exercises:
Objective: Dryland exercises, conducted outside the water, are designed to complement in-water training by targeting specific aspects of stroke mechanics.
Mechanics Focus: These exercises allow swimmers to refine their stroke mechanics through focused drills, enhancing technique and efficiency.
Caution: Swimmers should discontinue any exercise immediately if they experience discomfort to prevent potential injury.
Stretching
Streamline Stretch – Front View:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and gaze forward. Extend your arms overhead, ensuring your biceps press against your ears. Position your hands flat, one on top of the other, with your thumbs tucked into your palms. Keep your fingers together and engage your core throughout the stretch.
Streamline Stretch – Side View:
The streamline stretch emphasizes optimal body posture and head alignment. Extend your arms and hands vertically, with fingers reaching toward the ceiling.
Horizontal – Fingertip View:
Maintain a horizontal arm and hand orientation from a fingertip perspective. Ensure proper hand control by keeping the palms flat, fingers stiff, and thumbs tucked in.
Hanging Stretch – Front View:
Extend your arms overhead and grasp the pull-up bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width. This position effectively stretches the LAT muscles and elongates the spine, promoting flexibility and improving overall range of motion.
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Dryland Training
The exercises outlined below will enhance your swimming performance by improving body control and strength. Incorporating dryland training into your routine helps develop the muscle groups essential for effective swimming technique.
To maximize your progress, record your dryland activities using your cellphone. Reviewing these recordings will allow for self-evaluation and refinement of your technique.
Vertical Jump is #1
The vertical jump is crucial for improving swimmers’ starts and turns by developing fast-twitch muscle fibers, endurance, and strength.
To perform the exercise, start with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides, and fingertips pointing downward. Squat down until your knees form a 90-degree angle. As you jump, raise your arms overhead and drive your knees toward your chest, pointing your fingertips upward. When you land, let your legs absorb the impact to prepare for the next repetition.
Practice this drill behind the starting blocks before a swim race to enhance your performance.
Foot Flex:
Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you. Begin by pointing your toes away from your body. Then, flex your feet upward by rotating your ankles, bringing your toes toward you.
Ensure your knees remain flat on the ground throughout the movement. This exercise enhances ankle flexibility and strengthens the lower legs.
Streamline Sit-Ups:
Start by lying on your back in a streamlined position. Engage your core muscles to lift your torso from a horizontal to a vertical seated position. Keep your legs stationary throughout the movement, focusing on maintaining a straight body alignment as you perform the exercise.
Alternate Kicking:
Maintain a streamlined body position while activating your core muscles to elevate your legs to an angle of approximately 30 degrees. Begin alternating your kicks, ensuring your feet come close to the ground with each heel touch. Control of the kick is essential.
Keep your back flat against the floor, legs extended, and toes pointed. Once you are proficient with this technique, progress to holding your arms overhead in a streamlined position, with your biceps squeezing your ears.
Arm Spin – Alternating Rotation:
In this drill, your arms rotate in opposite directions in a simple spinning motion to loosen the shoulders. Begin with 10 rotations. Perform the standing spin drill at 60% to 75% of your swimming speed to help establish core balance and promote effective shoulder and arm rotation.
Arm Spin – Reverse Rotation:
This exercise involves rotating the arms in the opposite direction to promote shoulder balance. Begin with 10 rotations.
Arm Spin – Freestyle: Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, lean slightly forward, and rotate your arms in a circular freestyle pattern at 75% speed. Ten rotations.
Arm Spin – Freestyle Build:
This exercise is designed to gradually increase arm speed. Rotate your arms in a freestyle manner, focusing on the movement from your shoulders to your fingertips. Escalate the rotation rate from 75% to full speed. Be careful and pay attention to your form, as it is the most important aspect of this drill.
Wall Streamline:
Before entering the pool for practice or a meet, incorporate this wall exercise. Stand with your heels against the wall, keeping your back flat and torso upright. Extend your arms toward the ceiling, ensuring your biceps squeeze your ears. Feel the streamline and observe that your arms, pointing upward, do not touch the wall. A proficient streamline is essential in swimming and serves as the foundation for every stroke. Engage your core and fully extend your arms.
The truth is there’s no hidden formula.
Consistency beats intensity. Progress trumps perfection. Fundamentals win over trends.
Again and again.
Warning: If you experience any discomfort or pain during exercise, stop immediately and consult your trainer.
