I have heard it said, that the most important
and influential school teachers, are those that teach kindergarten.
Similarly, I believe that the coaches that have the biggest influence on
the future of a swimmer, may just be Novice group coaches and Learn to Swim
Instructors. For the last few years I have been working to develop and
grow the Northern
Lights Swim Club Learn to Swim Program, and most recently, I
have taken over as the coach of the NLSC Anchorage Novice group. In both
capacities, I have come to realize the importance of teaching young swimmers
how to engage their cores and maintain their connectivity while swimming.
I have recently begun taking regular classes at Studio One
Pilates in Anchorage. The classes have really made me
contemplate the effectiveness of what I have been teaching my swimmers.
What drills and exercises are actually engaging my athletes in a way that
translate into future success in the water? What can I improve?
What do I need to learn?
It wasn't long before I realized that my
swimmers learn arm and leg movements relatively easy, but the effectiveness of
those movements are limited by the strength and stability of each athletes
core. Think about your only developmental athletes and you will begin to
understand what I am saying. There is a lot of stimulus in and around each
of them, but are they really engaging their bodies effectively?
I have begun focusing on three basic abdominal
muscle groups:
- Rectus Abdominis - for short axis power and stability
and turns
- Obliques - for long axis strokes and torsional power
- Transverse Abdominis - general core stability
It is important to realize that these muscles don't really
work independent of each other. That said, athletes need to develop a
cognitive awareness, a feel if you will, for each of these groups. Their
ability to consciously engage each these muscle groups will enhance their power
and connectivity while swimming.
Rectus Abdominis
I was
watching my Novice swimmers struggle with flip turns, and I pulled them out of
the water to instruct them. "Use your abs", I said. They
all know where their abs are, but none of them could actually flex them when
asked to. Thinking on my feet, I asked them to place their hands on their
upper abs, just below their sternum. I then asked them to laugh.
They could all feel their abdomen tighten below their hands. We literally
spent the next few minutes practicing laughing! It has ended up being one
of the most effective awareness drills in my toolbox.
Actual
development of the Rectus Abdominis muscles is pretty straight forward. I
like two, in water, exercises. First, dolphin kick on their backs in a
streamline position. I like to use fins because it seems to encourage a
bit more abdominal engagement. Fins also let them feel some speed and
feel more effective. Feeling speed and progress in the water is
important, and fins help with this.
My second
exercise uses somersaults. I send them off on a 25 or 50 in which they
perform a somersault every 5th stroke (hand hit). Before I send them off,
I prompt them to use their laughing muscle to begin each somersault.
Obliques
The need
to effectively engage the obliques, especially in long axis strokes, is pretty
obvious. Oblique torsional strength and control allows for effective arm
and leg movements, and minimizes the need to engage muscle groups that may take
the body out of alignment.
I start
with the swimmer out of the water. While holding their head in my hands,
and asking them to keep their feet planted, I ask them to twist. For some
of them, this exercise is a bit more difficult than you might think. I takes
some coordination and thought.
In the
water, I have a few exercises:
- Kicking on back with fins and
hands at side, I ask them to rotate each shoulder and hip toward the
ceiling after every 10th flutter kick. I watch them closely to make
sure they aren't just shrugging their shoulders out of the water.
- Kicking vertically, with fins, and
hands either streamline or crossed over the chest, I ask them to turn
first to the right, and then to the left. It is important to make
sure they don't twist by taking themselves out of alignment
(leaning/lunging).
- Kicking streamline, with fins,
horizontally, in a streamline. Send them off on a 25 or 50, I ask
them to rotate to the right, and then to the left, with a 1/4 turn every
5th kick. Again, it is important to make sure they don't initiate
their twisted by taking themselves would of alignment. Many of them
will try to use their heads to initiate this twisting motion. Be
sure to encourage torsional movement initiated from the core, rather than
the extremities.
Transverse Abdominis
This
layer of muscle is beneath the other abdominal muscles, and strengthening it is
tricky. For young swimmers, it is probably impossible to isolate, and
develop, the transverse abdominis on it's own. That said, some basic
isometrics can help younger swimmers to begin to engage this fundamental
stabilizing muscle.
- Isometric leg lift - While on
their backs, with their hands underneath their hips, have the swimmers
lift their legs about 6 inches off the ground while lifting their head
just off the ground. This does not isolate the transverse abdomnis,
but I believe it activates it. This exercise also stimulates the
rectus abdominis. Have them hold this for 15-30 seconds for three to
five repetitions.
- Planks - While propped up on their
forearms and toes, have your swimmers hold their entire body in a straight
lined (including their head). Have them hold this for 15-30 seconds
for three to five repetitions. Be sure to make corrections to their
body positions during each rep. Don't let them raise/drop hips or
head out of line with the body.
I don't
really have any in water drills for the transverse abdominis, but the dryland
exercises with create awareness. I use words like "feel the
tightness", or "flex your belly" when I want to try to engage
this muscle while swimming.
Conclusion
I think
it is important for the developmental swim coach/instructor to constantly be
engaging the muscle groups outlined above. If we wait until they are more
advanced age group swimmers, we may have allowed them to develop bad habits
that misalign them in their swimming. These bad habits can be nearly
impossible to overcome.
Take the
time while they are developing to engage the core and promote connectivity.
I believe it will pay off in the long run.
No comments:
Post a Comment