Hi folks,
As Rick Fee has improved my swim performance by focusing on conditioning, rather than technique, we noticed that my pull boy times are much better than when I swim without. The difference can be as much as 11 seconds over 100 yards, taking me from a 1:28 to 1:41. I hate that, and I wondered why it was happening. I feel the same, either way. But as we say in Feldenkrais, “Just because it feels right, doesn’t mean it is right.” I don’t like being addicted to the pull boy, even though wetsuit swims are much like using a pull boy workout. During our last workout, which included 24×100 off the wall at 8×1:50, 8×1:45 and 8×1:40, I alternated pull boy no pull boy, and I noticed that without the pull boy I was clearly ‘dragging some kind of anchor.’ Rick took a look, and couldn’t see anything obvious, and my hips weren’t dropping, so he brought a camera, and generated some initial videos to help us diagnose my problem.
FitOldDog With Pull Boy:
FitOldDog Without Pull Boy:
Our initial conclusions from these video clips are that the problem(s) lies in my legs, including a ‘wayward kick’ with my left, and a general dropping of both of my legs, even though my hips stay high. I also think that my stroke is a little wide, and my elbows could be a little higher for a better catch.
What is your diagnosis? All help would be much appreciated, as I would love to complete a sub-one hour Ironman swim time, and I know it can be done.
PS Thank you Rick, for being such a great coach, and FitOldDog’s advice is to find such a coach and incorporate video into your technique development.
Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.
Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.
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