Discover your life aquatic

Dry Land Practice

• Getting into glide position ("Y" pose, finding references, keeping head fixed)

• Three essentials:
  • Head and spine alignment
  • Degree of rotation
  • Arms:
    • Lead arm extended, not stretched or tense
    • Back arm relaxed, but held snugly against hip and inner thigh
• Practice different postures in the mirror and also with eyes closed to develop a sense of where your body is in space, without the distraction of water. This skill will help you problem solve and refine your technique with more ease.

Pool: Kicking Review (5 minutes)

• Start with kicking on your front (prone)
• Main kicking focus points:
  • knee press
  • point toes
  • return leg straight to neutral position with a straight and naturally relaxed leg.
• Then add a flowing, rhythmic kick hitting those positions.

• Kicking in glide: which side feels best? Be sure to lead with your knee and feel pressure on the top of you foot / fin to ensure an efficient kicking motion.

Pool: Focus: Discovery in the Glide Position (30-40 minutes)

Discovery: How do you know the three essentials of the glide (head/spine, degree of rotation and arm positions) are in place?

• Using mirrors for feedback, exploring positions that feel different, good and unstable for a range of possibilities
  • Head alignment (relaxed neck, nose down)
  • Degree of rotation (thoracic rotation)
  • Arms in position (relaxed but held close to hip and thigh, front arm extended but not reaching)
• Practice mini-laps kicking in glide with those three focus points with and without fins.
• Try 3-4 strokes without breathing to stay warm and discover how the three essential of glide (one at a time!) changes stroke awareness.

Pool: Head Turn for Breath Introduction (5-10 minutes)

• If you need to, practice controlling your exhalation through the nose while standing stationary in the water. Try to prolong the exhalation and make it continuous.
• Practice the glide drill while exhaling continuously through your nose and maintain your buoyancy.
• In glide, practice turning your head to a breathing position while exhaling continuously. Breath is not the goal here, your goal is to maintain your glide and just turn your head. 
• If one side feels easier, check the fundamentals of glide: head and spine alignment, degree of body rotation and arm positions.
• Remember that if you struggle or have any difficulties with this practice, to simplify by returning to non-breathing focus points (glide without a breath) to create a better foundation for more complexity.