Part 2. Faster Freestyle Swimming: Learn to Swim Better In 5 Easy Steps

On March 18th I posted the first steps to improving your swim stroke on the Vasa Trainer/Erg;
Technique 1. Hand Placement: How To Properly Set-Up The Stroke
and
Technique 2. Fingertip Orientation: High Elbow Catch or Early Vertical Forearm

Below is Part 2 Faster Freestyle Swimming: wth Karlyn Pipes

In the last blog, Faster Freestyle Swimming: Learn To Swim Better In 5 Easy Steps, we introduced you to Karlyn Pipes & her methods to improving freestyle swimming techniques on land, using the Vasa Swim Ergometer. In the first two videos, Karlyn taught how to properly set up the stroke and how to master the high elbow catch.
The next 3 videos in this 5-part clinic include:

• Wrist Awareness & The Power of Y
• Umph at the Front: Where To Apply The Power
• Exiting the Stroke Efficiently to Reduce Drag

Once you begin using Karlyn’s expert coaching, you’ll be able to swim faster with less effort. In these videos, Karlyn works with High Performance Triathlon Coach Tim Crowley to demonstrate proper technique, power and efficiency.
Here’s a more in-depth look into those videos:
​Faster Freestyle Swimming: Part 3. Wrist Awareness & The Power of Y
Karlyn describes how to use “the power of the Y” for feeling pressure on the water and how swimming with an open, relaxed hand will help you engage the larger muscle groups (lats) for more power in your freestyle swimming stroke. This technique is used by many of the top swimmers in the world. With this technique, you’ll have less tension in your hands, save energy, and have more power, speed and efficiency in all swimming strokes. Using Power Paddles while training on the Vasa Swim Ergometer really helps to learn and perfect this technique.

​Faster Freestyle Swimming: Part 4. Umph at the Front: Where To Apply The Power
Karlyn Pipes teaches how to put the “umph at the front” of your freestyle stroke. This technique uses a high elbow catch that will help you to get more power, speed and efficiency in your swimming stroke. Using this technique puts the power in the front of your stroke to engage the large back muscles for greater propulsion, while saving your shoulders & arms. This technique will help you to develop a faster, powerful, and efficient pull for all swimming strokes.

​Faster Freestyle Swimming: Part 5. Exiting the Stroke Efficiently to Reduce Drag
Proper, relaxed recovery will help you to save energy, set-up for the next stroke, and avoid injury. This video describes how to finish the power phase of the stroke, blend into the recovery, and then right back into the “stretch, catch and pull” technique for which Karlyn is famous.

Whether you are a competitive swimmer, swim coach, triathlete or triathlon coach, these videos will teach you how to achieve dramatic improvements in stroke technique, sustained power stroke, speed and stamina, so you can swim faster than ever before.
It’s important to remember that optimal body position and stroke technique are crucial for a fast swim, and they’re not the only key elements. Applying more force to the water throughout each stroke—while maintaining correct technique and body position—will also make you go faster, often with little or no increase in exertion.
We hope these instructional videos were useful to you and your training. Be sure to watch these videos more than one time to gain maximum benefit.
For more information on other training resources please visit the Vasa website. Or stop in at May Street Bicycles.

Coach Bio:  Karlyn Pipes is an excellent and very popular swim technique coach.  She practices what she coaches as an accomplished Masters Swimming World Record Holder. She has an appetite for success and it shows. Voted one of the top ten masters swimmers of all-time, she holds over 200+ FINA Masters World records, of which 47 are still current. In early 2017, she broke six more FINA Masters World Records while competing in Europe.
Karlyn travels the world teaching swimmers and triathletes of every age and ability “how to swim faster with less effort”. She runs swim technique clinics and camps through her business Aquatic Edge, located in beautiful Kona, Hawaii. Recently, Karlyn was inducted into the International Swimming Hall Of Fame in 2015 and has released her new book, The Do-Over. We are proud to be associated with Karlyn and we commend her on all that she has accomplished throughout her swimming & coaching career.

Yours in Cycling and Fitness,
Greg Combs
President of Fun
​May Street Bicycles is not your typical bike shop. Sure we sell awesome bicycles, provide bicycle repairs, and rental bikes all at great prices. But we do a great deal more such as dynamic bike fitting, metabolic testing, altitude training, and personal training.