Hi all!
While most of us continue to work off the effects of the tryptophan from the holiday weekend - I know I certainly am trying to - it feels like a perfect time to jump in the first, content-based lesson for beginner freestyle. If you haven't yet joined us for the series, we have only just begun, and feel free (get it?) to go check out our introductory post! This week, our goal is to jump right into the foundation of freestyle (and any other stroke, for that matter): the streamline/body position.
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With the dawn of this young series, it's important to shed light on some very important facts about freestyle:
1) The foundation of the stroke has to be your body position - it's the orienting element that does not necessarily provide propulsion, but mitigates MOST of the resistance.
2) Your hips and core - the trunk of your body - should be the main postural element to focus on in the early learning, hence why we start centrally and will work our way out to limbs in this series.
3) Where your head goes, your body will follow - think of a semi-truck on the highway and I'm certain you'll get the gist of the importance!
Fact of the week: A turkey carving knife wouldn't have been as effective during our recent feasts if it was bent or curved laterally, so our body/head position should equally focus on being as linear as possible to carve through the water. The video repeats this extensively. After a few tries in the water on your own, it'll be no surprise if you have "The 3 H's" burned into your brain: head, hips, heels. To reiterate, our focus in the early portion of this freestyle series is to acquire comfort in our body orientation and trunk-based motion. Then, after we master this, will we be able to move outward toward our arms. Stay tuned, we have great content on the horizon! Don't forget to subscribe to our Youtube channel to keep up!
How does my child move up? Come to every swim class, bring your progress report, earn those stickers, and ask your child's instructor or location's deck manager if you have questions.
How do I move up? Attend as many of your classes as possible, communicate with your instructor on your struggles, goals, and where you're at in our curriculum. We also have many adults who purchase a gym membership to 24 Hour Fitness or LA Fitness while they are taking lessons so they can practice 2-3 times between classes.
Channel your focus and find your foundation! Glad your swimmer is learning to swim with us!
The Sigma Team