Last week was strictly a rotation focus, using the Torso Rotation drill as a base exercise. This allowed you to focus on even rotation to both sides utilizing both your upper and lower body as drivers.
This week is position focused, and the Side Kick drill was the base. There are many ways to do work on your side. We want to use it here to set up body position at full extension. Being in the right place here has the body up near the surface, streamlined, and the extended arm ready to make the next catch.
DRILL – Side Kick:
The Side Kick Position is the position at the start of each pull. You are creating a powerful platform on which to build your arm stroke. By facing your armpit down and your elbow to the side you enable your first hand and forearm motion to be downward moving along your line of travel. This is crucial. You’ve heard it’s good to maintain a “high elbow” or “elbow over wrist over hand”. These are correct but can only happen if you are first set up physically to do it. You'll always land here if you're perfectly balanced.
This is Sun Yang as he sets the world record in the 1500m in London. You don’t get much better. He’s breathing here and holds a perfect line from his hand, through his shoulder, to his hips. His left foot is higher than this line, creating no drag.
Michael Phelps in the same position from above (non-breathing side). He makes a straight line from fingertips to toes on his right side.
Phelps from below (check out the double-jointed elbow). Perfect lines on the right and left side. As he pulls with the left, there is little resistance side-to-side. As he extends the right, even though that side is much lower, his right leg is up out of view, producing little resistance as it gets ready to kick down.
The Position:
- One arm extended out front and one along your side. Eyes on the bottom, head down and pressed to shoulder, palm flat, armpit points down, elbow points to the side. The arm by your side is held along your hip. When rotated properly, this arm should be “dry”.
- Same arm is out all the way down. Switch at the end.
- Once your upper body is set, rotate your torso and hips up as far as possible without changing your upper body orientation. You’ll stay in this position for the length, kicking at an angle.
- Your body angle should not change as your head is the only thing moving besides your kick.
- When you need a breath, slowly rotate your head up, lean it back against your extended shoulder, balance and breathe.
Warm-up (600):
200 easy
200 kick 25/swim 25
4x50 build from slow to fast within each 50
Drill (200):
200 Side Kick Drill – 25yd with one arm extended, 25yd with the other, and strong kick throughout
Main Set (1000):
On the beep you should be fully rotated (45-60deg from horizontal) into perfect Side Kick position with hips at the surface and the LOWER leg’s heel AT THE SURFACE (as Phelps does). You’ll have to push that leg up straight with your hip, as if doing a Superman on that side.
5x200 (or more) increasing rate by :05-:10 each 200 – try to get down to 1:00 for at least one 200. Some of you will be able to go faster still.
Each 200 is broken down like this: 50 kick driven, 50 pull driven, 100 balanced
Cool Down:
200 easy free
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