Head Position
- Details
- Category: Tips
- Published on Wednesday, 26 July 2023 03:21
- Written by Startingblocks
- Hits: 1153
A common fault with swimming is the head position.
To perform overarm crawl(freestyle), Butterfly or Breaststroke, the swimmer must look down, NOT forward. Looking forward will decrease the efficiency of the stroke.
However, There are times when the head must leave this position - for example: breathing! The most efficient way to change head position for breathing in freestyle is to the side as the arm is transitioning through the push phase of the stroke into the recovery. In Breaststroke breathing forward as the arms move from pull to push, and in Butterfly it is also forward as the arms are in the push phase. It is important to exhale ( blow bubbles!) while the head is in the neutral ( looking down ) position as much air as possible to allow for a quick inhalation with the head out of streamline. Once mastered, the head should remain streamlined with as little breaths as possible for the swimmer to complete the required length. You may notice that in short course events of either 25 or 50m, the swimmers may not actually inhale at all over the entire duration of the race, while ensuring that all other rules for the stroke are adhered to.