Swim Stroke Analysis

On New Year's day 2010, I made resolution to learn how to do flip turns in the pool. Now, I'm pretty good at them. But that's about all I'm good at in the water. It's definitely my weakness of the three triathlon disciplines, which means there's plenty of room for improvement. NOTE: Of the three disciplines in Ironman, the swim is the least emphasized. Even though the distance is 2.4 miles, and that kinda sounds like a long way to swim, it only takes about an hour to complete. Compared with the bike and run portions of such a long race day, an hour is nothing.

I've finally reached a level of comfort with the water with my breathing and kinesiological awareness that I feel very coach-able right now. I've recruited swim coaches (and friends) Mike Pater and Justin Karp to help me improve my swim technique. They've given me a tons of help!

SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS
Positives: I have pretty good rotation, my arms are no longer spinning like helicopters but instead have somewhat of a glide, I can breath to either side (where the waves aren't coming from), I finally feel comfortable

Negatives: My hands are flat, my hips are low, my chest is high, my legs are limp, my chin is up, my cadence is unpredictable

Now that I know my action points, when I try to work on all of these, my brain is confused, so mental focus will be the most important. It will require a ton more repetition to build muscle memory. I will also have to re-learn how to flip turn since tucking my chin properly throws off my vision and timing (not that flip turns are important in an open water race). And finally, no more swimming with a crutch-- the pull buoy has to go. Once in a wet suit, the buoyancy will resemble a pull buoy and it will feel like a relief, but for now...man up and learn how to keep activated and elevated.