One of the FASTEST Freestyler’s I’ve ever seen is actually one of my best friends, Allison Schmitt. Allison won Gold in the 200m Freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics and she’s a great example of someone who not only swam fast–but kicks FAST the entire race! Allison does a few things right with her kick during the race which I’ve highlighted in her analysis below: 1.) She consistently keeps a
Hey all, thanks for being patient! I’m back home and back at it with the content game. If you follow me on social media you know that recently–I traveled to Dallas, TX to speak at my first ASCA clinic—I had a fabulous time! Overall, I was really stoked for the opportunity and received some great feedback on my two talks as well. Here’s a little sneak peek into one of
Recently, Coach Abbie was featured on @AussieSwimCoach’s site for an in-depth interview. Abbie and Stephen ran across each other by the likes of the internet (hey, we both love ❤️ social media), and during Abbie’s stint overseas last Fall. Stephen coaches outside of Sydney, Australia and has been long-time swimming fan. To hear more about Abbie’s journey and how Swim Like A. Fish came about–be sure to tune in below!
Welcome back to Part III of our series on Freestyle Breathing. In this part of our series, Coach Abbie decided to analyze one of the world’s FASTEST swimmers, Nathan Adrian, and help teach you the BIG difference between Nathan’s breath and the rest of the world’s! In case you missed Part II of this series, click here. Otherwise, let’s get started… Traditionally, coaches have always taught swimmers to breathe in
Welcome back to Part II of our series on Freestyle Breathing! This week we will be discussing the 2 DIFFERENT technique styles of Freestyle breathing and more specifically, the timing of the breath. In case you missed last week’s post, which discussed HOW-TO breathe while swimming (not just in Freestyle), click here to read that. Otherwise, let’s get started! As most of you all were taught, the breath in Freestyle
Have you ever wondered what the proper Freestyle breathing technique is? Did you know there’s actually more than 1-way to BREATHE in Freestyle? In Swim Like A. Fish’s latest series, we are dissect all aspects of breathing in Freestyle and more! Freestyle breathing is a FUNDAMENTAL component to having an efficient stroke. Just like we discussed in our breathing series, having a swimmer get a consistent source of oxygen is
Whether your a new swimmer, triathlete, or a competitive swimmer, everyone struggles with Freestyle Kick. Most athletes are not born with an innate ability to plantar flex their feet. In fact, everything we do outside the water contradicts what we do inside the water. Below are 3 quick tips to help improve your kicking speed and ankle flexibility–fast! 1.) Improve Your Plantar Flexibility Performing an ankle stretch to increase plantar
Welcome to Part III, our final segment about how amazingly awesome the pinky finger is! This week, we are going to dive even deeper into how your pinky finger affects your lower extremities (not just your Freestyle Pull). Last week we introduced the POS system. (Yes–it’s definitely a better idea to read Part’s I & II if you haven’t before continuing on ) Once again, the POS system is composed of the gluteus maximus, latissimus dori, and
Last week, we touched on why it’s important to engage your Pinky Finger during the Freestyle Pull. I would recommend reading Part I before Part II, as you will have a better understanding of this application. This week, I’d like to dive deeper into this subject and specifically focus on why properly engaging your pinky and ring fingers during the Freestyle Pull–actually makes your Freestyle Pull stronger. Let’s do a test. Stand
A lot of times swimmers have issues with their hand entry at the beginning of their Freestyle pull. As coaches, we see may swimmers crossing-over their body, entering with their thumb, slapping the water up top–a complete spectrum of different entry types. All of these entries, besides the ideal one (we will get to that one in a second) affect how much water a swimmer can pull during Freestyle. Why?