Video Stroke Analysis Part I

Harvey MacKay, motivational speaker, business owner and author of Beware of The Naked Man who Offers His Shirt, once indicated that his successes over the years was built on having a coach and that in business as well as in life practice makes perfect. Though he did add one important and dramatic word: perfect practice makes perfect. So the question to ask is this: In the world of swimming how do we take that advice and create success? MacKay goes on to tell an interesting and relatable scenario: “If you are a golfer and go out and play/practice seven days a week and have a loop in your swing, what are you doing? You are perfecting a practice era. You have put a ceiling on how good you can become.”
Now back to swimming. Many swimmers I have observed over the years have put self-imposed limitations on their swimming success. Many show up at the pool diligently prepared to swim, workout in hand, to implement the golden rule of “practice makes perfect.” Reflecting back on MacKay’s ultimate wisdom and insight, he indicates one needs to practice the right concepts over a long period of time in order to obtain the success one is striving for - perfect practice makes perfect. But, if you don’t know what to practice other than a prescribed workout determined before you set your head on the pillow to sleep that come hell or high water you will get your 3,000 meters in this very day, than you are no better off than the wayward golfer perfecting a loop in his swing. I have said over the years and hold to it that “many swimmers have become very good at doing it very bad.”
This would be a great time to step back from the edge of the pool and have a coach evaluate what is going on with your swimming above and, most definitely, below the water. Many times what you see on the surface can be compared to an iceberg, not much of an issue going on at the surface. But often a very different story below the waterline and in many cases that is where the underlying issues begin. One thing that may help is taking the time to have a video stroke analysis completed which in itself can be priceless. No doubt it will reveal the good, the bad and the ugly. And, for some, they would rather give a speech to a room full of people before watching themselves on video. However, ask yourself the simple question “how bad do I want to improve?” and you will get past your fear.
When conducting the stroke analysis, I will have my client swim a warm-up of 500 meters. This allows the swimmer to get comfortable and create some kinesthetic awareness. This also gives me the opportunity to get a good look from above while calculating their distance per stroke, stroke rate and establish their overall efficiency. Most important is to try and minimize wasted motion. The number one question I ask my client is: “So what do you want to get out of this session?” Undoubtedly they look at me bewildered and answer “faster in the water of course!” Of course, what a stupid question. I will capture video from up to nine different positions, more if necessary, to best determine what is going on under the surface. I look for overall body positioning, overall balance, head positioning, hip rotation, kick, recovery of the arms and hand position. Is there consistency with the entry? Are there dropped elbows? Are they pulling across their body or across the centerline?
A whole lot of stuff is going on simultaneously and understanding that most swimmers are simply looking for an opportunity to create an effective and efficient stroke, I break it down into four quadrants: the reach, the catch, the push and the pull. After the filming, I create a swim analysis and sit down with my client to review the video. I go over each segment in slow motion and stop frames so they see and really understand what I consider the “ah ha” moment or “do I really do that?” Next comes the part that many swimmers do not want to hear. I tell them to minimize their yardage for the next couple of weeks and concentrate on drills. This can be a real problem for my clients who are triathletes. So drills are in order, but which ones?

Frank Sole, Endurance/Swim Coach @ Lifetime Fitness, Scottsdale, AZ
USAT Level I Coach
480-252-3552
frank_sole@yahoo.com