Long Axis Technique

Hello!

As apart of our E-Learning Experience, we will provide you with important information on water safety and learn-to-swim skills, as well as swimming technique, breaking down the mechanics and explaining why these skills are most efficient. Additionally, test your knowledge with a short quiz at the end of each worksheet. These online exercises will help us think about the approach to each skill and the proper technique of all four competitive strokes, as well as racing starts, turns and finishes. Below is some helpful information on the most important points. We should always be thinking about and practicing these fundamentals until they become good habits!

Let’s start with Freestyle and Backstroke! Both of these strokes are very similar. They are called long axis strokes – our body is enlongated and rotates from side to side. If we want to swim FASTER we need to have a stretched, horizontal and streamlined body, from head to toe – even when we push off the wall!

Main Points:

• Long Body
• Steady and level head
• One Goggle Breathing (Freestyle)
• Roll and Reach to The Catch
• Starting Position: Every time we leave the wall! One hand up and one hand down, palms facing down.
• Push off the wall, in your tightest streamline – Our arms squeeze our ears, one hand on top of the other and stretch!

Head & Body Position Drills:

Drills break down each stroke into its different movements. When we work on each movement of a stroke separately and correctly, we can perfect our stroke. Below are two important drills DSC does for Freestyle and Backstroke, they should be familiar to our swimmers as this is everyday practice lingo.

1. Backstroke and Freestyle 11 Kicks and Roll Drill – Keeping a still head position, kick 11 flutter kicks in starting position and then take an arm pull
2. Backstroke and Freestyle 3/6/3 Drill – Keeping a still head position, kick 6 flutter kicks in starting position, take 3 arm strokes and repeat

**Attached is a short quiz on Freestyle and Backstroke starting position and head and body position. Remember our body position is determined by the position of our head – if our head is up our legs go down. This creates resistance against the water which will make swimming difficult and slow.

How many underwater dolphin kicks should we attempt to do off each wall when swimming Freestyle and Backstroke?

Should we breathe on our first Freestyle stroke off each wall?

When swimming Backstroke, where should our chin be?

Is Backstroke legal if we leave the wall on our stomach?

Which answer is correct when taking a breath swimming Freestyle?