Best Tips for Swimming with Less Effort

Introduction to Swimming Techniques

• The video presents the best tips learned from five years of research and over 20 years of swimming experience by the presenters.

• A new format is introduced, aiming to provide more useful information for faster learning.

Challenges Faced by Aaron

• Aaron excels in sports like running and cycling but struggles with swimming, unable to swim more than 100 meters without stopping.

• The goal is to help him swim efficiently as he prepares for an Ironman competition that starts with a 3.86 km swim.

Identifying Key Issues

• Aaron's main problems include poor water balance and high CO2 tolerance, leading to panic and increased heart rate while swimming.

• Instead of focusing on minor details like arm crossing or knee position, the approach will tackle larger issues first for quicker results.

Basic Exercises for Improvement

• The first exercise involves pushing off the wall to simplify learning and focus on basic skills, which benefits swimmers at all levels.

• Emphasis is placed on improving horizontal balance and CO2 tolerance through specific exercises designed to reduce panic responses in water.

Breathing Techniques

• Adults often misjudge their control over CO2 fear; this instinct can trigger panic even if they lose amygdala function during stress situations like cold showers.

• A simple exercise called "busitos" helps reduce this reflex by practicing slow exhalation underwater after taking a breath, gradually increasing difficulty over time.

Progressing Through Exercises

• After mastering initial breathing techniques, Aaron learns to push off further while maintaining better body alignment in the water. He struggles initially but improves with guidance on body positioning during pushes.

• As he practices pushing off correctly, he begins achieving longer distances underwater while maintaining proper form despite some challenges with his legs rising too much during pushes.

Overcoming Obstacles

• Denise faces her own challenges trying to lift her feet while swimming; she believes kicking harder will help but finds it ineffective based on advice from online videos that don't work for her situation either.

• Meanwhile, Aaron discovers that engaging his core muscles allows him to swim farther successfully, marking a significant improvement in his skills as he progresses through various challenges presented in training sessions.( t =241 s )

Returning After Break

• After a long day at work followed by little sleep, Aaron returns to practice but finds his skills have regressed slightly due to lack of consistent practice.( t =268 s )

• He resumes previous exercises focused on breath control before attempting longer swims again.( t =286 s )

Final Adjustments

• To address ongoing issues with sinking knees during strokes, a pull buoy is introduced between his legs; this helps elevate them and reduces unnecessary leg movement.( t =303 s )

Swimming Technique Improvement for Aaron

Initial Challenges with Swimming Technique

• Aaron struggles to maintain his feet's position while swimming, despite multiple attempts. His determination is evident as he continues to try the full crawl stroke.

• After returning to the wall, Aaron successfully pushes off and swims three strokes without breathing, but he does not understand why this works better than before.

Achieving Balance in Water

• Once Aaron gains speed from pushing off the wall, he manages to maintain balance for a few seconds and completes three strokes without breathing. However, his breathing technique deteriorates when attempting longer distances.

• The instructor explains that 88% of the body weight in freestyle swimming is submerged underwater. Only a small portion (12%) should remain above water for optimal balance.

Understanding Breathing Techniques

• When more of the head is out of the water during breathing, it becomes significantly harder to swim efficiently—up to 35% more difficult if the entire head is above water.

• The instructor emphasizes that elite swimmers also keep most of their bodies submerged; thus, achieving an efficient swimming style involves finding a balance between being under and above water.

Correcting Breathing Habits

• To improve Aaron's breathing technique, he is advised to keep one-third of his face in the water while inhaling. This adjustment conflicts with his body's habitual movements.

• A new challenge introduced involves swimming 25 meters on his side while only partially lifting his face out of the water for breaths.

Focus on Kicking Technique

• Before refining Aaron's breathing technique further, it's essential to correct his kicking method. Observations show that effective kicking starts from the hip with minimal knee bending.

• The proper kicking motion resembles a whip-like action where movement travels down through the leg to the toes. This requires practice and understanding before progressing further.

Next Steps in Training

• After discussing techniques, it's suggested that Aaron take time to stretch and have breakfast before work. Future videos will continue focusing on improving kicking techniques.