DAY FOUR

LESSONS FROM ANGEE

1) KICKS ARE A PROBLEM. SHE TOLD ME TO KICK FASTER AND KEEP MY TOES POINTED. 

2) SHE TOLD ME TO STRAIGHTEN MY HIPS OUT.

3) FOR THE HANDS SHE SUGGESTED THAT I STRETCH OUT MY HANDS AS FAR AS POSSIBLE AND BRING THEM OUT OF THE WATER ABOVE MY HEAD.

4) THE HAND SHOULD NOT SLAP THE WATER BUT SHOULD ENTER THE WATER AT AN ANGLE.

LESSONS FROM THE OTHER TRAINER

1) SHE SAID THAT MY KICKS ARE SMALL AND THAT I NEED TO SPREAD MY LEGS. THIS WOULD GIVE ME MORE POWER TO MOVE QUICKLY THROUGH THE WATER.

2) THE KICKS SHOULD BE JUST ON THE WATER SURFACE. THEY SHOULD NOT CREATE SPLASHES IN WATER.

3) SHE TOLD THAT WHILE BRINGING THE WATER BACK FROM MY HAND I SHOULD BRING THE WATER AS FAR AS MY HIPS AND THEN TAKE OUT MY HAND FULLY OUT OF WATER.

4) THE HAND EXTENSION SHOULD BE AS FAR AS POSSIBLE OUT IN FRONT.

5) SHE SAID I SHOULD JUST RELAX IN WATER AND NOT MOVE MY HANDS QUICKLY. SHE TOLD ME TO FOCUS ON THE HAND MOVEMENT AND DO IT SLOWLY BUT PROPERLY. WITH LESSER HAND STROKES ONE CAN REACH OUT MORE AND COVER MORE DISTANCE.

6) FOR BREATHING SHE SAID THAT BREATH ON THE CORRECT SIDE AND WHEN THE RIGHT HAND IS NEAR THE HIP IN WATER. JUST TILT YOUR HEAD ENOUGH SO THAT THE EAR GOES INTO THE WATER. SHE SAID JUST FEEL AS IF SOMEONE HAD TAPPED ON THE SHOULDER. DO NOT PUT YOUR HEAD OUT IF THE ARM IS COMING OUT OF WATER AS THIS WOULD RUSH WATER IN FROM THAT SIDE. DO NOT PUT THE HEAD OUT IF THE ARM HAS JUST GOT IN. AGAIN THE WATER WOULD RUSH IN THE NOSE.

7) DO NOT TAKE YOUR HEAD OUT STRAIGHT. THIS PUSHES THE LOWER BODY DOWN AND RESULTS IN SINKING. BREATH IN WITH THE HEAD TILTED SIDEWAYS AFTER TAKING THREE TO FOUR STROKES. BREATH IN EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT OUT OF BREATH.

DAY THREE

LESSONS FROM THE DAY:-

1) KICK FROM THE HIPS. KICKING FROM THE KNEES REQUIRE MORE EFFORT. 

2) DO NOT SUBMERGE THE WHOLE HEAD IN WATER. JUST SUBMERGE ENOUGH SO THAT YOU LOOK DOWN. MORE SUBMERGENCE WOULD OFFER MORE RESISTANCE TO THE FLOW AND REQUIRE MORE EFFORT. PARTIAL SUBMERGENCE OF HEAD WOULD LEAD TO EASIER BREATHING.

3) DO NOT HOLD BREATH INSIDE THE WATER. BLOW OUT NICE AND EASY. WHEN OUT OF BREATH COME OUT AND BREATH IN. BREATHING IS IMPORTANT OTHERWISE YOU WOULD GET TIRED VERY EASILY.

4) TO GET THE KICKS BETTER FLOAT ON YOUR BACK. PUSH YOUR STOMACH UP AND KICK HARD TO CREATE SPLASHES OUTSIDE THE WATER. PUSH THE HEAD BACKWARDS ON THE WATER SURFACE AND JUST RELAX. ALSO BREATH EASY. ALSO KEEP YOUR TOES POINTED.

5) FOR THE HAND MOVEMENT, GLIDE YOUR HAND ON THE WATER SURFACE AND DROP THE WRIST TO PUSH THE WATER BACK. REACH AS FAR AS YOU CAN WITH YOUR HANDS. WORK ON THE LEFT HAND. RIGHT ONE IS GOOD.

6) FOR FREE STYLE THE HAND SHOULD ENTER AT AN ANGLE ON THE WATER SURFACE. IF THE HAND IS SLAPPED ON THE WATER SURFACE THEN AIR WOULD GET BETWEEN THE HANDS AND THE WATER. PUSH THE WATER BACKWARDS TOWARDS THE HIPS. 

7) COMBINE ALL THE THREE MOVEMENTS THE BREATHING, THE HANDS MOVEMENT AND THE KICKING WITH THE LEGS IN ONE SINGLE MOTIONS. REMEMBER THE RHYTHMIC BREATHING BY TILTING THE HEAD SIDEWAYS AND LETTING THE EAR GET INTO THE WATER. PRACTICE WITH A NOODLE.

DAY TWO

LESSONS OF THE DAY

1) IMPROVE YOUR KICKING. EXTEND YOUR LEGS AS FAR AS YOU CAN. KICK FROM YOUR HIPS. LET YOUR HIPS ROLL. KICKING WILL HELP YOU FLOAT. STRAIGHTEN YOUR PAWS OUT. THIS HELPS IN KEEPING THE LEGS STRAIGHT. DO NOT BEND AT THE KNEES. BRING YOUR HIPS UP.

2) ABOUT THE BREATHING. EXHALE IN WATER WITH YOUR NOSE AND MOUTH.  WHEN INHALING, BREATH WITH YOUR MOUTH OPEN. DIFFICULT TO BREATH WITH YOUR NOSE AS WATER GETS IN.

3) IN FREE STYLE SWIMMING TILTE YOUR HEAD SIDE WARDS AND OPEN YOUR MOUTH TO BREATH IN. DO THIS TO YOUR FAVORITE SIDE. ONLY. WHEN THE ARM IS BACK TILTE YOUR HEAD TO BREATH.

4) STREAMLINING JOIN BOTH YOUR HANDS UP OVER YOUR HEAD AND GLIDE OVER THE WATER SURFACE AND JUST KICK. CONTINUE AS FAR AS YOUR BREATH ALLOWS. MOST DIFFICULT. NOT NOT DIVE DOWN. TRY STAYING UP.

5) IN FREE STYLE THE ARMS COME OUT OF WATER AND PULL THE WATER BACK. INTEGRATE THE BREATHING WITH THE ARM MOVEMENT. BREATH ONLY AT YOUR FAVORITE SIDE BY ROTATING YOUR HEAD 90 DEGREES.

6) THE TOUGHER PART IS INTEGRATING ALL OF THEM IN ONE MOTION. THE BREATHING, THE ARMS AND THE KICKS. SO FIRST FOCUS ON MAKING THE KICKS VERY NATURAL TO THE BODY MOVEMENT IN WATER. 

7) DO NOT LOSE YOUR BREATH. ONCE THE BREATH BECOME DIFFICULT THE WHOLE MOVEMENT IS JEOPARDIZED. 

DAY ONE

Went swimming today. The feel of the water is overwhelming. Things that I learnt today are:-

1) point your head downwards. this pushes your lower back up.

2) take deep breathes and exhale out in the water with your mouth. 

3) kick with your legs. use your hip and stomach muscles. keep the feet in water most of the times. do not bend your knees. straighten your feet out.

4) use the big long foam to support your body. 

5) keep the basics always in mind. follow them when you are not able to swim.

6) keep the head always parallel to the water surface. This straightens the back out and helps to float.

7) Always take deep breathes before going into the water. Close your eyes in the water or wear goggles. Breathe out with your mouth. Problem is that the water keeps pouring into my nose.

8) First focus on the movement of the body and nothing else. This would help understand the whole mechanical motion and improvement.

9) Easiest is to float  on the back. Consumes the least of the energy. While floating on the back try to push your head flat on the water. Look up and try to look as far as back possible. Try to push your tummy up. move the legs just as you do when you swim with your back up. move your hand as well. try to push your ears into the water. Again breath as hard as you can.

10) crouch your legs or bend yours knees and then push backwards. And do all the above mentioned steps.

11) use the skate board to practice the kicks. Breathe hard and exhale inside. keep your head parallel to the surface.

12) Hand movements:- simple. join all your fingers and slide them parallel to the water surface. go to the full extent as you can. Then drop your wrist and pull the water back. At the same time push your other hand out in front in a similar motion and drop the wrist and push the water back. Do not push the water on the sides. Push it back.

13) Combine all the above things into one with the support below the belly. Four things to keep in mind:-

1) breathe hard outside and release with mouth inside in water. Keep your head parallel with the surface of the water.

2) kick with straight knees. use the hip and tummy muscles to push the legs.

3) hand motion. very important for the speed.

4) keep your back straight.