"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." - Bruce Lee
My friend Jana of e3tricoaching, who is an amazing triathlete (4 x Kona finisher who placed in her AG), suggested I see a swim coach that she has been to. So I contacted Gemma Hollis of Push Glide Kick and I am so happy I did.
Gemma uses the Swim Smooth approach. She is kind, straightforward, and super encouraging! We hit it off right away! I am a nervous person and she made me feel extremely comfortable.
I opted to do the Swim Smooth Video Analysis Session. The session begins with video filming both above and below the water. Below is video footage of my swim.
Next you receive a full analysis of your swim that is recorded for your keeping. This was important to me because I am a note taker and here I had visual and auditory notes that I can refer back to as often as I need. During the analysis, Gemma also compared my stroke to other swimmers, so I was able to see the correct form and its efficiency. I was able to see measurements and angles of my stroke and where it should be. I was able to see what needed improvement but also what I was doing right.
See the link below for my full video analysis.
The final part of the session was the correction. I got back in the pool to work on what we had discussed. I wore bone conduction headphones while Gemma spoke into a microphone, so I could make corrections during my swim. This was more helpful to me than discussing it after. We worked on several drills to correct my form. Right away I could tell a difference. The main things we worked on for me was head position and breathing, rotating my hips, and my catch. I was lifting my head before turning to breathe. Not only was this causing drag, but I was losing my bow wave and this is why I was drinking water. And once I started rotating my hips other things started to fall into place like better breathing, more of a reach, and better kicks. We worked on some drills to better my catch. I could tell I was using muscles I don't typically use. And I no longer had the windmill effect going on. I could actually feel myself gliding thru the water.
Also with the Swim Smooth Approach, you get access to The Swim Guru which gives you videos, drills, and workouts all catered to what your needs are as a swimmer. You get homework to help you continue to focus on your areas for improvement.
I have to be honest, I thought I would pick up a few pointers, but I had no idea how much I would learn in 90 minutes. So if you haven't had a video analysis done I would highly recommend it. It would be beneficial to swimmers of all levels.
I hope this helps YOU as well!
