New Year’s Swimming Resolutions: How to Improve For the Upcoming Year

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New Year’s Swimming Resolutions: How to Improve your Swimming for the Upcoming Year

As a new year begins, New Year’s resolutions are an excellent way for swimmers to set goals and work toward improving their performance. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a new swimmer on a team, there are always areas where you can improve. Here are some suggestions for New Year’s resolutions that swimmers might consider:

Dolphin Kicks

Some swimmers count the dolphin kick as the fifth stroke because of the benefits it provides. This is why swimmers should turn to multiple dolphin kicks off each wall, whether they are practicing or swimming in a meet. You don’t want to lose any speed when you push off the wall, so utilizing dolphin kicks is a great way to keep your momentum moving forward. To improve your dolphin kick, here are a few tips you can try:

Practice proper body position: Make sure your body is in a streamlined position with your hips

Use your core muscles: Engage your core muscles to keep your body straight and stable as you kick.

Kick from your hips: The power for the dolphin kick comes from the hips, so make sure to initiate the kick from there rather than just using your legs.

Keep your feet close together: Keeping your feet close together will help you maintain a streamlined position and generate more power.

Work on your flexibility: Increasing your flexibility can help you get a bigger kick, so try incorporating stretching into your routine.

Practice, practice, practice: The more you practice the dolphin kick, the more comfortable and efficient you will become. Try incorporating it into your swim workouts and using it during turns and starts.

Streamline

A successful streamline is when your body is aligned to move through the water as quickly as possible with the least amount of resistance. Most of the time, you can achieve this position by putting your body in a straight line, with your arms in front of you and your legs together and behind you. Maintain a low profile with your head and chin against your chest. By doing this, a swimmer’s body forms a long, narrow shape, and cuts through the water with little resistance. To get an effective streamline, there are a few key things you can focus on:

Position: Your body position is the most crucial factor in creating a streamline. You want to keep your body as straight as possible, with your head, shoulders, and hips all aligned. This will help you slice through the water with minimal resistance.

Hands: Keep your hands together and close to your body, with your thumbs touching and your palms facing each other. This will help you maintain a more streamlined position.

Feet: Point your toes and keep your feet together, which will also help reduce drag.

Starts

A good start requires a combination of proper positioning, explosive power, timing, and practice. Focusing on these key elements can improve your start and give you an advantage. A strong start is one of the most effective strategies for gaining ground in a race. Swimmers can work on improving their explosive starts off the blocks in a variety of ways: 

Develop strength and power: A powerful lower body, particularly in the legs and hips, is essential for a quick and explosive start. You can work on developing this strength and power through exercises like squats, lunges, and plyometrics.

Practice proper technique: Swimmers must develop the proper technique for their start, including correct body alignment and a strong push-off. This can be achieved through repetition and consistent practice.

Use visualization and mental rehearsal: Visualizing and mentally rehearsing the start can help you execute the technique better and feel more confident when you get ready to step onto the block.

Turns

When in a race, one of the most straightforward ways to gain ground is to take advantage of the turns. Even though it’s only a transitory phase of a race, it can be one of the most valuable tools you have if done properly. The repetition of turns will help you become more comfortable and confident with the technique. To improve your turns, there are several techniques you should know how to do correctly:

Practice your flip turns: To perform an efficient flip turn, push off the wall with a strong kick and tuck your body into a tight ball as you flip over. Extend your body and start your stroke as you come out of the flip.

Use your arms to help with the turn: As you approach the wall, use your arms to help pivot your body. This will allow you to make a sharper turn and get back into your stroke more quickly.

Use your feet to push off the wall: When you push off the wall, use your feet to help generate power and momentum. This will help you make a quicker and more efficient turn.

Focus on your body position: Proper body position is important for efficient turns. Keep your body as straight and streamlined as possible as you approach the wall, and keep your head down to reduce drag.

New Year’s resolutions are an excellent way for swimmers to look for ways to improve their performance in the pool for the following year. The point of making resolutions is to follow through with them, and the more effort you put into improving your swimming, the greater the likelihood that those improvements will become habits.

Have a great swimming year!

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