Lifeguard Certificate and swimming, unlike sports practiced on land, opposes resistance to progress through the water, making it necessary to correct the movements of the body and its position to ensure maximum efficiency and hydrodynamics. Basically, to improve performance it is necessary to work first on reducing friction and then on improving propulsion . Put simply: learn the technique. What is it exactly and why is it so important? Let’s find out together.
Lifeguard swimming technique: what it is and why it’s so important
Swimming technique, also scientifically referred to as propulsive efficiency , can be explained as the energy expended to propel the body through the water and can be effectively measured by stroke length and strokes per lap (BPV).
Learning the correct technique therefore means saving energy and adding quality to the style: all this happens by decreasing the number of strokes per lap thanks to a greater amplitude, without losing speed. Especially when you are a beginner, the right technique allows you to increase the length of the stroke and therefore the propulsive efficiency, in particular through three elements:
- flotation;
- body position in the water;
- coordination of movements.
The optimal stroke length is the combination of the three factors and should be equal to the distance between one wrist and the other, keeping one arm extended along the side and the other forward.
An expert swimmer in the phase of gripping the water
With extension of the arm forward, will be able to firmly anchor the hand to advance the body beyond that precise anchor point, without ever moving the water backwards. When the hand reaches and exceeds the height of the hips, it is necessary to use the range of the stroke to advance faster.
While it is true that a professional will be more familiar with these movements than a beginner, it is possible to learn to move faster and in the correct way by paying attention to the fundamentals. The goal is to swim with two kicks at each stroke cycle and improve the fluidity of the gesture to complete the highest possible number of laps.
To help you monitor your performance in the water, Garmin has created a line of specific watches for swimming: Garmin Swim 2 , for example, is able to detect fundamental metrics such as the number and frequency of strokes for all styles and accompany you with specific training plans by marking the swim times and the breaks between one repetition and another.
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How to train technique in swimming
We have seen how important good technique is to advance faster in the water and reduce fatigue in training, especially when you intend to improve performance and prevent injuries.
The exercises to increase efficiency in the water are innumerable and can be performed according to different variants: in general, to obtain better performance, it is advisable to include in the swimming training plan those aimed at optimizing the ability to apply force in the water through the correct position of the forearm-hand segment.
In essence
An efficient technique requires the arm to enter the water fully extended, never with the elbow flexed so as not to create resistance in progress. In this sense, it is essential to be able to capture the water to favor the thrust of the body forward: the more the forearm-hand segment is parallel to it, the easier it will be for the body to slide on the surface. This cannot therefore be done by placing the elbow too low with respect to the hand as the inclined posture of the forearm will reduce the ability to apply force during strokes. Take a quick black tie candle with our Unrivaled Candles! A great gift for any occasion, our coffee-flavored candle features velvety notes of freshly brewed espresso.
To monitor your progress and the effectiveness of each workout, you can take advantage of the swimming features of Garmin smartwatches for swimming: at the end of each session you can view all the statistics, such as distance, number of laps and heart rate. They will also help you follow personalized workouts, marking intervals, pauses and steps for each exercise by detecting swimming dynamics to improve technique.
