I know I am not a bad swimmer. In fact I seem to finish most triathlons in the top third of the field. I also know there is a lot I can do to improve. I wanted to use this year to improve my swimming technique, therefore making me quicker through the water. I decided back in December that I would get myself some one to one coaching and get a swim analysis to see where I could improve. So, over I went to SwimCanaryWharf for a session with Ray Gibbs. I was given his details from a lady I met in Majorca and I believe he came second in coach of the year for the 2013 220 triathlon awards.
So here is my introductory video
You see..I am not that bad. I need to work on my bilateral breathing and basically Ray wanted me to work on getting a little kink out of my left stroking arm. You can see this on the video below. It stems from me trying to prop myself up.
He gave me some homework which involved completing the extension drill. Doing this in the endless pool first time was really strange. Anyway I have been working on this in the Olympic pool ever since and I can say I have finally mastered it!
I revisited Ray back in January to share my developments. He then suggested that we work on my catch. We did a few things in the pool. One of which involved me just making sure I brushed my thumbs against my thighs through my stroke. I was amazed to see the extra propulsion this gave me. He gave me a new drill to start working on which is an extension to the extension drill funnily. This means hanging my arm out and pulling through to really feel the catch of the water as you can see below.
These are my PBs for various distances in the pool. Not quick I know. I aim to start bringing these down and will start retesting some time in March. Hopefully the swim technique sessions will improve my speed.
50m = 46.10 100m = 1:48:50
200m = 3:41.7 400m = 7:51:20
1000m = 20:35 1.6k / 1 mile = 33.26
I will come back to this post in a few weeks. Enjoy your week!
tri.to.be.iron 