Fly

[taxi service]

My son (just 13) is getting worse at fly. His problem seems to me to be that the whole stroke is too slow (I have to say most of his strokes look too slow to me!) and he goes down deep when he pulls for each stroke - almost looks as if he is trying to touch the bottom of the pool. Arms always clear the water and arms and legs together, so no danger of being dq'd, but it is very frustrating to watch.
Occasionally in training he will do it right so I know it can be done!
Any suggestions?

[Linny]

Have his other strokes changed at all? Looking at what you've posted I wonder if this is just a symptom of him growing. Some boys grow so quickly and so much at around this time that it's almost like they lose control of their limbs because they haven't worked out how long they are yet. When your hands have suddenly grown and your arms are a couple of inches longer it isn't really any surprise that you splash a bit more and can't pull like you used to because your muscles haven't caught up yet. If this is the case then don't worry, just encourage him and look after him so that he doesn't become disheartened.

If it isn't just down to a gowth spurt, it is a coaching issue and really should be left to his coach although I know how frustrating it is to watch believe me.

[Nanu]

Totaly agree, My son went from 5' 0" to 5' 7" over the summer hols in the year he was 13. His strokes went to pot. fortunatly he has a fantastic coach who has him back on track.

[Pete]

Taxi Service
Your son needs to make his coach aware of the problem so that they can work together on it. It sounds like your son is swimming a one kick stroke with glide and dive. Lots of kicking, lots of specific drills designed for this problem; preferably with fins to gain confidence would be a suggestion. At the end of the day your son's coach is the one that knows his swimming best so he/she should be able to deal with it successfully.

[Juicy Lucy]

Originally Posted by Pete

...It sounds like your son is swimming a one kick stroke with glide and dive...

I agree. His leg-kick needs some attention. It's difficult suggesting what should be done to rectify the problem because he will be swimming in a session and will have to do the work which is being set.

He needs to do some strong push-offs - holding the streamlined position - with a rapid leg kick. (say 5 or so kicks). The legs determine the rhythm on fly to a great extent. After he has got used to doing this 'flippy' leg-kick he should let his arms 'join in' with the rhythm. The big temptation is to go back to the big heavy leg-kick when using the arms. He must resist this at all costs.

When coaching, I've used this with my girls who were weaker in the arms/shoulders than the boys, with good results. The problem with fly is that if you want to be any good at it you've got to do it until it comes out of your ears. When he is given 'own choice' it would benefit him if he chose to swim butterfly, even if he starts at the back of the freestyle lane. After a while he won't be at the back any longer and he'll enjoy keeping up with the others, and annoying them in the process.

All good fun!
JL

[taxi service]

Thanks for all the replies. He is growing but not yet in the major growth spurt (5'6" at the moment, likely to be over 6') and his other strokes are OK. It is just as Pete said with his stroke.

[lane4]

Patience from you, your son, and the coach is the key. Judge his technique when he is 18 not 13. A lot can, and will change in that time. Really bad age group flyers can become extremely good in adulthood through natural development and good coaching.

[OutsideBurner]

(I have to say most of his strokes look too slow to me!)

At least he's learning how to be an efficient swimmer, rather than ploughing up and down a pool everyday in an inefficient manner. At the age of 13 he should be aiming to do between 14 and 16 strokes a length (SCM) on freestyle and backstroke, and between 8 and 10 on Butterfly and Breaststroke.

[taxi service]

Originally Posted by OutsideBurner

At least he's learning how to be an efficient swimmer, rather than ploughing up and down a pool everyday in an inefficient manner. At the age of 13 he should be aiming to do between 14 and 16 strokes a length (SCM) on freestyle and backstroke, and between 8 and 10 on Butterfly and Breaststroke.

I shall have to try counting his strokes now! He is swimming in Surrey developments this weekend so if I can get a seat in the gallery close enough to see, counting will take place...