2017 English Channel swim

Monday, March 23, 2015

Swim advice from my 4 -year -old granddaughter

My swim training for the North Channel is going very well.   At the age of 64, I decided to make some minor adjustment on my freestyle stroke.  In my past marathon swims, my strength was all upper body and my legs went along for the ride.  It is evident in my swim videos that I have a very weak kick.  Even my four-year-old granddaughter asked me,"Why aren't you kicking?" when she viewed my Catalina swim video. Since I don't have a swim coach, I took her words to heart.  I started viewing many YouTube videos on freestyle kicks....there are thousands of videos to watch.  I particularly enjoy watching the Total Immersion swim videos by Terry Laughlin. Also, there are many great videos produced in Australia by Swim Smooth.  My focus during my freestyle is to use my legs and core to rotate during arm entry.  I immediately noticed that I had better balance in the water and I seemed to glide effortlessly.  Many thanks to my granddaughter for her insight.....my new coach :-)