Fluid Swimming

FLUID SWIMMING: video 57 minutes

Some swimmers seem to flow effortlessly through the water. Would you like to swim like that?

The secret to effective swimming is flexibility and joint range of motion. To swim well, you must be able to perform powerful movements while causing as little resistance or drag as possible.

In this videotape, I teach you how much joint range of motion is necessary to swim well, how to safely increase you joint range of motion, what to stretch, how to stretch, how long to stretch and how much force to use. As usual, I have developed a couple of tools which will make your stretching more effective. I developed the *ROM strap for more effective upper body stretching, and to turn loose the power you have in your legs, I developed the RACK for stretching ankles.

Increasing joint range of motion will give you access to better positions and movements you may not have realized were possible. Once you increase your joint range of motion, then it is necessary to strengthen the muscles which allow you to quickly get to the new and better positions. I have included a series of dry land exercises to develop this strength.

In my work with Stanford University swimming, I learned that once an improvement is made in joint range of motion, swimming efficiency improves almost immediately. Each time we swim, each stroke we take, we are searching for the most efficient way to get from here to there. I have found that almost no one at any level of swimming skill, from the absolute novice to world record holders, ever makes a mistake in this search. We all search for and do the best movements we can. As soon as you have access to a better movement or position because you have increased your joint range of motion, you will do it because it feels and works better. It is simpler than I once thought. You do it because you can.

The video includes lots of underwater footage shot with the Snooper underwater video camera to help you understand the impact joint range of motion has on swimming.

Dr. Marty Hull