Dear Bev,
I'm on a backstroke trend at the moment. Backstroke is the stroke where there is most
room for improvement. Every spare minute
I do backstroke. Backstroke with
paddles, backstroke with pullbuoy, backstroke drills, backstroke kicking and
backstroke intervals. Half the time I'm
think I'm going backwards and that I'm not getting anywhere. The advantage of having such slow times is
that they are relatively easy to improve.
When I first tried backstroke about a year ago the worst
problem was getting water up my nose.
When that happened I abruptly stopped swimming and treaded water until I
could regain my composure. A nose plug
helped give me confidence but it does affect your breathing and makes IM
difficult. Once I could barely survive
without it I discarded it. Flippers are
essential for the beginner backstroker.
They helped give me the feel for what I was meant to doing. They made it possible for me to lie on back
and actually swim.
My legs are the biggest problem. They tend to drop down towards the bottom of
the pool and the drag slows you down.
The slower you go the more they tend to drag so. I get the feeling that the main reason you
kick your legs is to get them up and reduce drag: not to propel you
forward. I think that the only way to
get your legs and body in the right position is to practice kicking. This kicking can be done in a variety of
ways. The other problem with my legs was
excessive bending of the knees. When
three people in a row all tell you that you are bending your knees excessively
then you know that they may have a valid point.
Another problem I had was I could not get my arms to move
continuously and for them to be opposite each other. I did more of a catch-up type of stroke. Once I had realised what was happening I just
tried to concentrate on a smooth flowing continuous stroke. It is also difficult to know how to move your
arms; when to bend them and where to push.
Up and down we swim.
The traffic is flowing smoothly.
So far no traffic jams, no overtaking and no collisions. It never lasts. I can see the breaststroker coming into view
ahead of me. I could do a quick U-turn
or overtake. He doesn't look the type to
increase his speed. I'll go for it. Overtake.
I sprint for the wall and just make it.
I quickly spin around and push off.
Made it. Clear water in front.
On the far side of the pool the squads are training
mechanically according to a program written on butcher's paper and stuck on the
starting blocks. Flippers, paddles and
kickboards are piled beside the pool.
Waiting, waiting to be used. The
coaches stand, watch and fondle their stopwatches.
Some of the swimmers have come to the pool for a swim and a
bit of a chat in the shallow end. Swim a
couple of laps then stop awhile. Some
people never stop. They automatically
swim up and down and up again. Others
sprint for the wall and expectantly look at the clock. Hoping to beat the unstoppable second
hand.
Time for some backstroke.
My arm collides with an arm in the next lane. The blow causes me to pause momentarily
before I swim on. The other swimmer
completely ignores me as he swims on. I
was swimming very close to the ropes.
The last 50 I sprint for the wall then slowly lever myself
out of the pool. Swimmers are
continuously coming and going. I towel
myself down as I survey the pool. The
blood is surging and all the sluggishness has gone. It's time a shower and breakfast.
HEALTH AND FITNESS
The World Health Organization defines health as: "a state of complete physical, mental
and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
W.H.O. defines fitness as: "being able to carry out
everyday activities (e.g. physical, mental, work, play) without excessive
fatigue and with enough energy in reserve for emergencies."
Accordingly health is much more than "not being
sick" and fitness is more than being able to swim 50m free in 30
seconds. Total health means feeling
great or on top of the world. Total
health depends upon Physical Health, Emotional Health, Mental Health, Social
Health, and Spiritual Health. All of
these various parts of the jigsaw depend on each other and need to be in
harmony with each other for a person to achieve total health or total fitness.
Physical health or fitness is not the only goal and is not
an end in itself. It is only part of the
whole. It is a part that swimmers are
not neglecting, but it is only a step on the way to something higher.
Regular swimming is a fantastic way of reaching or
maintaining physical health and fitness.
Only people who are emotionally and socially healthy will be capable of
the disciplines that regular exercise requires.
The converse is also true. An
improvement in your physical condition should make it easier to maintain or
improve your social and spiritual health.
ALAN CARLTON
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