Blog: Ace

Swimming technique -its essential

 Let me share this with you. I am trying to learn to swim. That doesn't mean that I can't swim - I can splash for 40 lengths up at my local pool - what I mean to say is that I can't swim properly. Every time I swim I come out of the pool knackered and contrary to expectations - I ache all over the shop. I know its all about technique because as i thrash around in one lane I see sedate ladies just powering past me by seemingly doing nothing. And without being pervy about this I am trying to watch what they do underwater that I don't.

I think its all in the legs.

Let me quote you this article in the Times in March 2008 that suggests I am not alone.

"For a nation that is supposed to love it, we are appallingly bad at swimming. Statistics from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport suggest that 12 million Britons are habitual swimmers, with 22 per cent of adults and 50 per cent of children regularly taking a dip in their local pool - However, according to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), another 12 million are unable to swim at all and many of those who learnt at school have techniques so poor that they are likely to cause muscle strains, neck and back pain.

Swimming is compulsory on the national curriculum at Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11) and although schools have the option to introduce it, Ofsted has found that most lessons take place in Year 5, when children are 9 and 10. As a result, one child in five leaves primary school unable to swim the 25m specified by the Government as a target. Swimming is relegated to optional status at state secondary schools, so those who haven't managed to swim the length of a small pool by the time they are 11 are unlikely to catch up. “After primary school, many people feel embarrassed that they can't swim,” says David Sparkes, chief executive of the ASA. “And that puts a barrier in people's minds.”

Such a narrow window of opportunity for learning means that those who can swim may never master it well. Steven Shaw, a former competitive swimmer and teacher of the Alexander Technique, says that examples of appalling style can be spotted in pools around the country. He says that swimming badly will hinder your progress and enjoyment and can result in pain. Classic mistakes made by recreational swimmers include: holding the head too high in the front crawl, which strains the neck and back muscles; hunching the shoulders in breaststroke, which causes poor posture and shallow breathing; and a lack of rotation in the hips during backstroke decreases shoulder mobility and is a potential cause of neck and upper-back pain.

“Breast-stroker's knee” is a common injury

“Craning the neck and snatching it out of the water to breathe in the breaststroke puts cumulative strain on the spine and can lead to a type of whiplash injury,” says Shaw, the author of Master the Art of Swimming. “Likewise, ‘breaststroker's knee', the most common knee injury in swimming, is the result of repeated stress on the medial collateral ligament when people perform the narrow whip kick.” Shaw advocates a wider breaststroke kicking action to increase hip mobility and to minimise the risk of knee injury.

Even the butterfly, widely regarded as the most difficult stroke, can become less challenging when tweaks are made to technique. “Swimming continuous butterfly seems out of reach to many people because it leaves them exhausted,” he says. “But, with the right technique, it is not necessarily any more challenging.” He says that most people try to kick their legs too ferociously, which interrupts the flowing action of the arms, and to breathe on every stroke, rather than alternate strokes, which causes hyperventilation.

In general, physiotherapists rate swimming and aqua workouts as the best exercise for those with joint problems or injuries - but only when it is done well. “Water acts as a giant cushion and is much kinder to joints and tendons because it supports your body weight,” says Sammy Margo, the spokeswoman for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists. “Equally, bad swimming can aggravate existing injuries and trigger new problems.” If you get into “a bad groove” when you swim, “you will cause abnormal biomechanics, with subsequent wear and tear, mainly to the neck and shoulders, though also to the knees and back”, she says.

A study at the Chiropractic and Osteopathic College of Australasia in 2005 identified some of the problems experienced by regular swimmers. These were low back injuries, as a result of repetitive stress during turns and the strain of poor head position; shoulder injuries, owing to lack of flexibility and overuse; and spinal problems, caused by poor head positioning when turning to breathe in front crawl.

Huge benefits in tweaking technique

Sometimes, all that is needed to minimise these risks are slight tweaks to technique, but the benefits are immense. A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology earlier this year indicated that improving the technique of a group of swimmers resulted in them expending less energy per length but completing a set distance more speedily.

Other studies that have compared elite and recreational swimmers have revealed how the top performers' superior technique enables them to use oxygen 50 per cent more efficiently, so they swim faster for longer. Shaw says that, done properly, swimming can be therapeutic. When the butterfly is mastered, for instance, it mobilises the spine and is “a great stroke for people with sciatica and stiff or tense backs who often experience relief from their pain when they swim this way”. Breaststroke improves mobility of the hips, ankles, wrists and spine.

Stephanie West, a spokeswoman for the ASA, says the association has launched schemes to help people improve their swimming. Everyday Swim is a national campaign run in conjunction with Sport England that aims to increase participation by 2 per cent this year. Likewise, the ASA Kelloggs Swim Active programme offers free instruction at selected pools to families with young children. If you've never learnt, contact your local council for information on adult and children's beginner sessions in your area.

“It is amazing how quickly a fear of the water or bad swimming habits can be overcome with the right instruction,” West says. “The health benefits of regular swimming include aerobic fitness and overall muscle toning and strengthening. Often all it takes to get the most out of swimming is a little effort and direction.”

For more details on the Everyday Swim campaign and the Swim Active programme, log on to www.britishswimming.org

by Ace on 05:39 on 30th May 2008