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2021 Tokyo Olympian Brad Tandy recently visited the Race Club in San Diego to improve his freestyle swimming technique.  Coach Gary and Brad discussed how to breath in the 50 freestyle.  In our previous video on Breathing in Freestyle, Coach Gary Sr tested the drag difference between blowing bubbles during a hyper streamline and holding the air in.   The results of our drag study showed a 9.1% reduction when the bubbles were being exhaled.  In this video Coach Gary furthers his investigation into this technique using the Velocity Meter technology with Brad.  We also learn how the Emperor Penguins and Cruise Ships use this technique in their respective environments.  Find out if this swimming technique can make a difference and it may help you decide how to breath in your own race! 

2021 Tokyo Olympian Brad Tandy recently visited the Race Club in San Diego to improve his freestyle swimming technique.  Coach Gary and Brad discussed how…

The Race Club has been busy working on a project we’re excited to share with our members. Just a couple of weeks before the Olympic Trials, we received a visit from two exceptional swimmers. One of those swimmers is South African Olympian and Race Club legend Brad Tandy.

There is so much we can teach swimmers about backstroke technique before they even put a foot in the water. Not only can we teach them good form outside of the water, but we actually think it’s easier to do so before getting in. In this video, masters swimmers Rich and Laura go through a set of dryland exercises to learn the proper backstroke pulling motion.

Although Rich and Laura are both longtime swimmers, there was still plenty for us to correct in their backstrokes. We first start with a simple body rotation drill. Next, we have swimmers raise their arms to shoulder level and continue rotating. After a few rotations with hands at shoulder level, we have them raise their hands above their heads. This gives us and the swimmers an idea of their shoulder rotation and where they might be limited. It also helps them loosen up and feel just how far their shoulders should rotate in backstroke.

Next, it’s time to incorporate the pulling motion. We often see swimmers pulling out too wide and not pushing water back for long enough. The key here is to enter the water pinky down and almost immediately break the elbow. This allows the hand to come straight down and push water back for longer, giving us maximum propulsion.

Do Air Bubbles really make us faster Swimmers?

I have to admit, when a Masters swimmer, Kris, who is also a marine researcher in the Florida Keys, stopped me one day during workout and asked me if the air bubbles under the swimmer’s bodies made them faster, I didn’t know the answer.

Main Set: Lung Capacity

This week we released a video on the benefit of releasing air bubbles under your chest while swimming freestyle. This has shown to reduce drag in our velocity meter studies.

The Correct Pulling Motion for Sprint Freestyle
Although much attention has been directed to using a high elbow pulling motion in freestyle, at The Race Club, we do not believe that is the best pulling technique for the 50-meter sprint event.

Main Set: Pulling Motion

With this week’s video release focusing on freestyle pulling motion, it’s only fitting to provide a main set our Race Clubbers can use to practice what they’ve learned.