Why is streamline important in swimming

I like to tell my young year old swimmers that swimming is like a choreography, a dance, a series of dance moves that they should go through in the water. Making the choice to streamline makes it easier to start making other choices while you swim that you may not initially want to do.

Steve Hoffler is a genius when it comes to teaching swimming. I love the way he does things and much of our work here is built upon his brilliant instruction and drills.

Position 11 is transformative. My office is above the lap swimming pool, and I have a window that looks out over it. Their effort is inspiring, though their technique could use some work. We laminated our SwimSheets and Visual Guides from the Digital Lesson Plans and put them on the pool deck so anyone can use them for reference. I want them to improve. I want them to get better, and I know that if they begin streamlining, their freestyle swim will also improve. Streamline is putting your arms directly above your shoulders and then tapering in above your head.

You know how to stretch your arms above your shoulders if you streamline often. Stretch your arms then into position 11 with every stroke, and take advantage of your long arms, your habit, and what you already know how to do. Streamline graphic from the book Swimming Fastest by Ernie W. Maglischo The main force that we are fighting in the water when we learn to swim is gravity.

Ok, now we know what slows us down in the water. So, how can we decrease these drag forces to become faster and more efficient in our swimming? And as we said above, the more waves you generate around you, the more wave drag. Keep the streamline tight 2 Hold your streamline when you push off the wall or right after start.

Here we get into the term of real streamline and the form and friction drag reduction. Arms are fully straight and are squeezing your head right behind your ears. Always look down when swimming freestyle and up when you swim backstroke.

By extending your body forward in a straight line we are aligning our body into a more streamlined position, thus reducing our form drag and more than likely wave drag as well 5 Wear a swim cap Wearing a swimming cap reduces the frictional drag since the surface on your head is more smooth.

A swimming cap keeps the head smooth 6 Remove excess body hair Smoother, hairless skin reduces the friction that the swimmer body is subdued to in the water, thus making the swimmer glide better in the water. The suits compacted the body into a more streamlined position and helped the body with friction.

And here you have it. Get more tips on how to swim faster by subscribing to my YouTube channel joining our growing Swimator Facebook community following us on Twitter swim. Improve your friend's swimming!

Enter your email to subscribe. Swimming articles you might also like:. How To Swim Faster Easier? If you have watched the Olympics or any competitive swimming race, you may have noticed that competitive swimmers push off of every wall in what is called a "streamline position. However, streamline position is not just for elite level swimmers. It is fundamental to every stroke we swim, no matter at what level. This includes the fastest and most popular stroke swum by CrossFitters, triathletes, and the general public—freestyle.

One of the worst things as a coach is watching your swimmer nail a turn only to push off, instantly lose speed and barely make 3m before surfacing. I am going to say that whichever you choose you need to ensure you are as long as possible so that your front profile is as small and narrow as possible. Once you think you have your streamline down, you should then measure and practice it.

Then make some readjustments and try it again. When you are consistently making a good distance then you can start adding in a kick. Second, the less obvious, the ability to streamline carries over to body position while swimming the bit between the walls I mean. If you can hold your body correctly to streamline, then you can hold it correctly to ensure your high in the water.

Why do people not streamline or put effort into practicing it? I have come across a number of reasons:. As you begin to tire during a race or training session the little things begin to slip. The solution is to get used to focusing on working off the wall and forcing yourself to come off the walls correctly no matter how tired you are.

You also need to get used to analysing your turns as you do them, if you make a mistake be aware of it instantly and make a mental note not to make it again.