Tri Swim Coach
Tri Swim Coach Newsletter #24
August 31, 2004
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In This Issue:

- Summer Olympics
- Olympic Swimming vs. Triathlon Swimming
- Denver Swim Bootcamp 9/11/04
- Thanks to All the Responses for my Upcoming book!
- More from Tri Swim Coach in 2 Weeks!

Tri Swim Coach
www.triswimcoach.com

Summer Olympics

Dear Friend,

I hope you've all been enjoying the Olympics. I was thrilled to
watch the swimming, even though it meant being a little sleep
deprived last week from staying up late! Just in case you were
wondering, today I have an article for you about Olympic competitive
swimming vs. Tri swimming.

Enjoy!

www.triswimcoach.com

Olympic Swimming vs. Triathlon Swimming

by Kevin Koskella, www.triswimcoach.com

While watching the swimming events in the Olympics last week, I
started thinking about how different the freestyle stroke is (or
should be) for Olympic sprinters and amateur triathletes.

Many people in the triathlon world think they need to just emulate
Ian Thorpe to have a faster time, or have a similar stroke to
Michael Phelps to cruise through the swim. For most amateur
triathletes, trying to learn from these swimmers is like trying to
learn Portuguese when you really want to learn Spanish. There are
similarities, but not enough to get you by.

Don’t get me wrong- Thorpe, Phelps and many of their major
competitors have some of the best freestyles in the world, and parts
of swimming science are based on things these guys do in the water.

The problem is, most of the freestyle events in the Olympics are
actually sprints.

The 50 is over before you can blink, the 100 is an all-out sprint,
and the 200 and 400 are both controlled sprints. The 800 is more of
a middle distance event, while the 1500 (mile) is really the only
pure distance swim in the meet. So can we learn from the mile
swimmers at the Olympics? Yes, a little. The swimmers generally have
lower stroke counts, and aren’t relying on their kick as much as the
sprinters.

But those swimmers don’t have to do a long bike and run after they
swim!

So, they can put everything into their swim, and their strokes come
out looking a bit different than what we are teaching the beginning
level, non-swimmer triathlete. Although we can’t use a
one-size-fits-all approach to freestyle strokes, there are many
aspects I have pointed out that have helped triathletes all over the
world that don’t come from a swimming background:

-Keep a low stroke count
-Rotate the hips
-Reduce the intensity of your kick
-Keep your elbows high
-Glide with each stroke

These same tips do not all necessarily apply to Olympic level
swimmers. These swimmers have reasons for doing things differently:

-They may have a fast turnover rate and a high stroke count for
sprinting
-Their hip rotation is not as pronounced- they don’t have as much of
a need to “conserve energy” as a triathlete does
-The kick may be very intense and strong, especially for the shorter
events

Most of the Olympic swimmers have been practicing for many years,
and some have perfected a stroke that is less than ideal for a
non-swimmer doing a triathlon (i.e. Janet Evans is considered the
best female swimmer of all time, and had a unique straight-arm
stroke that very few have been able to master)

So watch and admire these world class athletes, but be careful what
you try to emulate and don’t feel bad that you’re not moving through
the water with the same ease and grace (or speed!) they are!

For workouts & drills, click here to see the Complete Guide to
Triathlon Swimming
www.triswimcoach.com

Thanks to All the Responses for my Upcoming book!
I want to thank everyone that responded to preview my upcoming fat
burn/weight loss/healthy living e-book. I'm sorry I couldn't respond
to all of you individually as there were an overwhelming number of
responses.

The book is due out TOMORROW and I will send something out about the
special discount I will give to this group the first week!

Take care and don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend!