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Practice Does NOT Make Perfect...

Sunday, 18 May 2014 00:10

By Sara McLarty (triathlon.competitor.com)

You know what they say: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But not always. And I’m here to tell you that you really can improve your freestyle by fewer miles. There are three tools that you can use toward this end: swimming slower, watching other swimmers and visualization.

Swimming Slower
Vince Lombardi said it best: “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” In swimming, the effort to go fast often results in imperfect practice. You’re so focused on getting to the other side of the pool as quickly as possible that you can’t think about the elements of good technique and your form gets sloppy. Before you go fast in the water, you must learn how to correctly swim slowly. Stroke...

technique can shine if speed is taken out of the picture. With practice, your muscles will memorize each new movement so you can eventually recreate it without thinking as you swim faster and faster.

Use your practice at the pool to focus on one aspect of freestyle at a time. Do not look at the clock when you are improving technique. Instead, feel the water moving and watch the lines on the bottom of the pool to judge if you are going faster. Drill sets should not be performed on timed intervals. Instead, use a specific amount of rest between sets. READ MORE