Underwater Video Analysis Software Review

Now you see me, Underwater!

If you frequently read the Friday interview series, you’re sure to note the widespread endorsement of underwater video as the top training aid, ahead of lactate measurement, dryland, and recovery tools. Video analysis, from the coach’s perspective, is all about communication. Sometimes, all you need is a five second video from the deck to show someone they are crossing over with freestyle or backstroke. Other times, you need a more detailed look with software to measuring specific angles or to show off some “bling” to a triathlete enamored by the latest gadgetry.

Fortunately, with the advancement of video technology, the market is replete with video analysis software at all price points. I remember back to my junior golf and little league baseball days when this type of software was not available to the consumer and we’d analyze footage from the VCR by drawing lines on TV with erasable marker (though a couple times a Sharpie snuck in there)! Now you can perform the same analysis on your iPhone or Android for under $5.

Choosing video analysis software depends on two things: First is cost. Fortunately, highly capable systems are available as free downloads. We’ll cover the full range of cost below. Second is need. “Need” can also refer to coaching preference, as some coaches prefer to get into more detail than others. How much detail depends on individual athlete too: some athletes are satiated only by complete information, while others suffer paralysis-by-analysis with any mention of technique.

Below is a review of software with which I have personal experience. This is not a complete survey of the market, but should provide a glimpse into the more popular systems.

Dartfish 
Arguably the best performing product on the market…and it better be for the cost. Widely used institutionally in sports and health care. Benefit of wide use is that if you think to yourself, “Wouldn’t it be nice if the software can do [insert feature here]?” there’s a good chance someone has previously thought of that and the feature is already part of the software or is currently in development. The leading companies like Dartfish and V1 Golf (discussed below) are constantly updating their software. Dartfish, like most of the companies, offers a free thirty day trial download to sample these features. 
The drawback to Darftish is obviously the cost. If your team needs to sell boxes of do-it-yourself pizza kits to pay the gas to the State meet, Dartfish is probably out of the team budget. A sometimes forgotten consideration is the hardware requirement: Without a quality camera and equipment to keep your camera steady underwater, some of the advanced features become useless. Same applies with cheaper systems, but if you are paying thousands for Dartfish, I assume you want to utilize all it has to offer.
If you just want to point out obvious stroke flaws, you are better served with a cheaper system, although Dartfish does have advantages in user friendliness the ability to communicate with athletes by recording lessons, as in the demo video above. Technical support and continuing education opportunities are extensive but these come at a cost.

Biggest negative to Darftish…No Apple compatitibility. Sorry Steve!

V1 Golf 
Don’t be fooled by the “Golf” title into thinking this is only a golf product. Yes, V1 has its largest footprint in golf instruction, but is also used by many other sports such as skiing, tennis, gymnastics, and baseball. There are a variety of options in the V1 menu:

• Pro (starts at $1,295)
• Home: Premium ($39.95)
• Home: Basic (Free)
• Apps for iPad, iPhone, and Android ($4.99)

We’ll first discuss the Pro version, which starts at $1,295 for a one camera license and one year of free tech support. Beyond a year you gotta pay more. With its recent involvement with USA Skiing, V1 has shown it is a capable system for tracking moving figures (golfers just stay in one place), though I probably give Dartfish an edge in that category.

If you have the financial resources, you can’t go wrong with either V1 Pro or Dartfish. Personally, I find V1 to have superior drawing tools, perhaps because these are the primary weapon of the video-based golf instructor. I have also found V1 easier for uploading and downloading videos directly from Youtube.

One way in which the V1 Pro version differs from the cheaper V1 options is the live-screen capture. For coaches doing private lessons, this can be a useful revenue stream, as it already is in golf and baseball. It can also be valuable in coaching professional athletes who travel extensively and need technical instruction while away from home. Likewise, if you can’t do personalized analysis during practice time, you can communicate with your team away from the pool. Here’s an example of how that it is done in a different type of “pool”…Yes, billiards is in the game of video analysis! 
Also note the split screen option midway through the video, which is available in most software these days at all price points, but not in the Home (Basic) version of V1 Golf. However, as with Dartfish, if you don’t have quality hardware, many advanced features are useless. Unless you plan to coach remotely and utilize the communicative tools built into a Dartish or V1 Pro, you may find what you need in a cheaper system.

Retailing at $39.95, the 2.0 Premium is basically a stripped down version of the Professional edition. Don’t be fooled by the price, as there is no sacrifice in quality; just fewer features available. Compared to the Free (Basic) version, $39.95 buys the ability to play videos side by side and to record variable speed playback. Otherwise, the products are virtually identical.

The phone apps are a great buy at $4.99 but have limited use on deck for underwater analysis with an iPhone or Android, as you’d have to go through several steps to get the video into the device (that is, until iPhones and Android offer underwater video in their phones…). Best setup for deck analysis would be an iPad if you can remove the storage card from an underwater video camera and insert immediately into the iPad on deck. Even if you just have an iPhone, this is a cheap but potentially useful investment for breaking down starts, above-water video, and dryland exercise form.

Any sports video analysis apps on that iPhone?

Kinesiocapture
This is a relatively new product that I have not used for my own coaching, but have sampled. Overall it has gotten promising reviews from those using it in the sports performance and medical fields. Apple users rejoice, as Kinesiocaputre is ONLY compatible with Apple products. Versions are available for both the iPad and iPhone, priced at $299 and $49 respectively.

Several tutorial videos are available on the Kinesiocapture website detailing its features. As with most Apple-based products, Kinesiocapture rates high in aesthetics, interfaces nicely with Apple’s superior multimedia elements, and has an intuitive flow to its setup. Look for this product to get even better with updates in the next few years.

Kinovea
Kinovea is a free, open source system that is a well-kept secret, perhaps because they are based in Europe. Unlike the cheaper and free versions of V1 Golf, you can save analysis drawings that you make on the screen. You can’t record an entire lesson as with Dartfish and V1 Golf Pro, but you can save and share pictures as part of an edited video. For example, if you wanted to measure the elbow angle in a freestyle catch, you could measure this angle on the screen and save the image within a video, but you can’t save any voiceover.

Other features are relatively similar to other products on the market, though Kinovea does offer a split screen option, unlike the free version of V1, and is more advanced as a video editor (cutting and pasting clips). Personally, I prefer Kinovea to V1 for objects moving across the screen, but find V1 more intuitive for face-on views underwater, and stationary movements as in golf, hitting, throwing, or in-place exercises. One nice touch with Kinovea is that adding a watermark to your videos is simple.

Summary
These are hardly the only products on the market for video analysis, but all are well regarded. You might find that you don’t need any analysis tools. However, if you want to explore the options, quality software is only a free download away. If you want to spend more, you can find value at all price points from under $40 to several thousand. Always consider the quality of your camera and other hardware first before making any software investment.

By Allan Phillips. Allan and his wife Katherine are heavily involved in the strength and conditioning community, for more information refer to Pike Athletics.

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Weekly Round-Up

1. Altitude training doesn't help? by Sweat Science.
2. Functional movement screen research by Allan Phillips.
3. Fructose better than glucose for glycogen re-uptake in liver and muscle after exercise.
4. Swimmers with shoulder pain have overactive neck muscles in OUT OF THE WATER overhead task. What about in the water?
5. Middle distance swimming events are approximately 78% aerobic, but not only aerobic.
6. Science of Performance: Return to Swimming After Injury, Part IV.

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Groin Kick Syndrome: Part III

Prevent GKS
In part I the process of GKS was discussed and in part II the errors in kicking were tackled. This part will give ideas for improvement and implantation on your team.

From my experience, tackling the first break down in any long chain reaction effect is necessary to improve the subsequent processes. The first step in the GKS continuum was leg spin. To improve leg spin, proper kicking biomechanics is essential. Too many swimmer rely on improving kick speed at fatigue causing fatigue and starting the GKS process.  Increasing kick speed also decreases the amount of range of motion used during the kick, causing swimmers to use an improper motor program and decrease the amount of whipping motion.

Part II discussed the misconception surrounding kicking from the hips and locking their knees to kick like toothpick man/woman. Unfortunately, this decreases the quadriceps (quads) use for force production and forward propulsion. The quads are the strongest knee extensor and full activation is mandatory for a long distance per kick. Improving and maintaining distance per kick is essential to prevent leg spin and the GKS process.

Distance per kick is a subject rarely tackled with swim coaches, however if you asked any coach they would talk about the importance of distance per stroke. Kicking efficiency plays an important role in distance per stroke!  Elite club and high school coach Chris Plumb hints at briefly discusses the importance of kicking efficiency in his beep, beep, beep, as his team uses tempo trainers to train dolphin kick tempo.  During fatigue many swimmer's believe spinning their legs will get them from point A to B. However, this tempo will increase fatigue and be inefficient. Don't eliminate the whipping motion mandatory for an efficient kick.

Land Before Water?
Performing proper kicks on land is easier than in the pool. To learn a proper kick on land, the movement must mimic kicking as much as possible. Even though soccer kicking eliminates hip roll, soccer kicking is like kicking a soccer ball. Doesn't sound too absurd, but I'm sure some disagree, but think about it, when someone shoots a soccer ball, they will rapidly flex their hip, extend their knee and point their toes (plantarflex) to propel the ball forward. This is the same method used in the pool. One method to improve the kicking power and whipping motion is to have the swimmer perform kick backs on a soccer bungee provides an opportunity for the athlete to practice proper kicking on land.

Soccer Swimmer...

Once improved on land, the athlete must show improvement in the pool, as we could venture David Beckham may have a good kick but is unlikely to make and Olympic swim team. It is difficult to measure kicking efficiency, but a few methods are counting kicks in groups of four to determine your kick rate. This is possible with a board, without a board and rotating (like six kick switch) and with regular swimming. Once this number becomes constant, the athlete can try swimming at a desired pace with their ideal kick rate or they can perform descending kick sets with either decreasing intervals or decreasing the interval. and descend the amount of total kicks while staying on the interval. This concept of kick count could be valuable for swimmers who suffer from GKS. Remember, this isn't the only possible for GKS, but this link in the continuum plays a vital role.

Wrap-up
GKS occurs for many reasons. Try to tackle this flaw at the first step, not the step which occurs right before feeling like you were kick in the groin. Don't become a slave to the tag line of under training or wussy swimmers. Strive for answers to these complex questions while realizing the answer may be the result of many variables. Accept and embrace complexity, talking each subject one at a time.

By Dr. G. John Mullen, DPT, CSCS. He is the founder of the Center of Optimal Restoration and head strength coach at Santa Clara Swim Club.

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Lats on Lats on Lats

Lean wit it Rock (or Roll) wit it

Backstroke is a unique stroke. Despite the obvious difference in orientation, backstroke is more than freestyle on the back. Elite backstroke swimmers have two typical stroke styles discussed eloquently by Russ Payne on backstroke: rocking or rolling. These vastly different styles differ by the degree or rotation and/or depth of the catch. These variables must fit the athlete's body type and muscle fiber preference forcing individualization and analysis for each swimmer. However, one constant aspect of backstroke independent of the swimmer's anthropometrics is the muscle used during the catch, the latissimus dorsi (lats).

The lats contract during in each stroke of each style of swimming. This is why swimmers have large backs. Line up ten elite swimmers and the ratio of shoulder width to hip width is huge, much larger than "regular Joe's" or even other athletes. This large ratio this is due to the size the lats altering the upper body to a 'V'. No studies have analyzed the activity of the lats during each stroke or the phase of each stroke, but from my experience and humble opinion the lats are used more in backstroke than any other style. This article will discuss the lats and the resultant kinetic chain movement in backstroke if used properly, like the elite backstrokers.

Lats on Lats on Lats
The lats stretch over the entire backside of the body attaching from the sacrum and thoracolumbar fasica  to the inside of the humerus (upper arm) on both arms. This width of the lats resulted in its name, meaning broadest in Latin. The lats control shoulder extension, adduction and internal rotation.

Via Grant's Atlas of Anatomy

The lats also cause side bending of the body via the attachment to the sacrum.

Due to the high activity of the lats in swimming the lats are often tight. Unfortunately, tight lats have been shown to cause shoulder and low back pain (Arnheim 2007).

"Because the latissimus dorsi connects the spine to the humerus, tightness in this muscle can manifest as either sub-optimal glenohumeral joint (shoulder) function which leads to chronic pain or tendinitis in the tendinous fasciae connecting the latissimus dorsi to the thoracic and lumbar spine (Francis 1999)."

This information suggests lat stretching is necessary to improve lat length and decrease injury. I do feel lat stretching is beneficial, but in backstrokers, performing lat stretching until the cows come home is unnecessary. However, I feel lat length (at least in backstrokers) must be used during backstroke to prevent injuries and optimize reach, setting up the wiggle hips.

Wiggle Hips

I'm going to use Aaron Peirsol for this demonstration, but any elite backstroker will work. Until underwater swimming videos became readily available, everyone assumed backstroke moved in a straight line rotating forwards. This misconception was taught to numerous children and is still taught on many pool decks. Unfortunately, we have taught swimmers wrong for years, as the top backstrokers wiggle their hips side to side like they are shimmying to the Macarena.

I have yet to hear a reasonable explanation for this wiggle, but I'm making a case for the lats. As stated, the lats cause shoulder extension, adduction and internal rotation as well as side bending (aka lateral flexion) at the thoracic and lumbar spine via their attachment to the thoracolumbar fasica and sacrum. This side bending will connect one whole side of the body and bring the shoulder and hip together. Approximation of the shoulder and hips on one side will cause the spine to move from a straight line to a 'C'. This 'C' shortens the side of the pulling arm causing the hips to move lateral. This occurs on one side then the other, appearing as a wiggle.

The other side of the coin
If one side shortens the other will elongate and lengthen. Therefore, shortening on one side induces lengthening on the other side. Not only will this cause a longer, optimal reach, but will act as dynamic mobility lengthening the lats hopefully decreasing rate of shoulder and low back pain in backstrokers.

As you side bend left, the right shoulder elevates

Head Steady 
As with all stroke adjustments, the wiggle will be awkward. However, this move may be more awkward and complex than other stroke corrections as it requires self-correcting of the head to keep the head still. For example, if the spine from the thorax to the sacrum side bends to the right, then the head will follow unless it is corrected. The head must side bent left to resist this motion to keep the head still. Remember the head is piercing water before the rest of the body and for the body to enter through one whole it must be stable via self-correcting!

Wrap-up

Realize there are different types of backstroke in elite swimmers. However, the main muscle involved in pulling is the same whether you rock or roll. Make sure you're connecting your head during this strong whole sided catch to ensure the head is stable and leading the way to time improvements.

References

1. Arnheim, D.D., Prentice, W.E., Principles of athletic training. 9th ed. McGraw Hill, pp 570-574, 1997.
2. Francis, P., Applied anatomy and kinesiology, supplemental materials. KB Books., p 19-25, 1999.

By Dr. G. John Mullen received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science of Health from Purdue University where he swam collegiately. He is the founder of Mullen Physical Therapy, the Center of Optimal Restoration, head strength coach at Santa Clara Swim Club, creator of the Swimmer's Shoulder System, and chief editor of the Swimming Science Research Review.

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Beep, Beep, Beep

Throwing up in the huddle...

Timing is everything.  Finding a date for Friday night, getting a free sandwich, networking with potential colleagues – many opportunities in daily life can be attributed to time and space.  One of the most famous football leaders of all time, Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday, may have put the coaches’ perspective on timing the best: “Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small.  I mean one-half step too late, or too early, you don't quite make it.  One-half second too slow or too fast and you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us.  They are in every break of the game, every minute, every second.”  Okay, so maybe Al read some great lines amidst smooth background music, LL Cool J getting amped, and flashy cinematography, but the half second too slow or too fast resonates with me. 
To take a more scientific approach, consider timing in skill acquisition: the muscles fire at the right time and fire in the right order, this stimulates the correct number of muscle fibers, which in turn leads to athletic success.  The Talent Code author, Daniel Coyle, talks about building superhighways of myelin-sheathed neural pathways in the skill acquisition process to lead to athletic superiority.  If you take enough golf swings in a highly concentrated practice, and the timing of your swing becomes impeccable due to the myelin sheath around that particular neural pathway, you too could become the next Tiger Woods, in theory anyway.    

What does all of this mean in terms of swimming?  As swim coaches, we have some options in creating and building race ready strokes for our swimmers.  On account of the cyclical nature of our sport, one of the most impactful ways to refine your swimmers’ stroke is to examine their stroke rate.  Tempo (balanced with distance per stroke) is a crucial determinate in an elite stroke; you can develop athletes to swim at an individually correct rate.  This is where the tempo trainer, a well-used tool at the Carmel Swim Club, comes into play.  I defer to G. John Mullen on the science of what timing a beep to a stroke does to the body and brain, but to my observant eye, I see a remarkable difference in concentration when an athlete puts a tempo trainer in their cap.  The tempo trainer objectively holds each swimmer accountable to a time or rate and as such is extremely effective.   The beauty is, instead of the coach constantly droning, “go faster!” your swimmer is motivated to hit a pace or tempo more intrinsically – or at least by the beep in their head.

While you can use the tempo trainer in a multitude of ways, we use them most often at Carmel Swim Club in the following four modes:

1. Race Pace Tempo Training
2. Race Pace Time Training
3. Kick Tempo Training (Dolphin Kick and Breaststroke Kick)
4. Swimming with Intent

Race Pace Tempo Training
Many of you have seen the chart that was originally inserted with the Finis tempo trainers that lists a single cycle and three stroke cycle tempo minimum, maximum, and average for each event and each gender.  We utilize a version of this chart that our assistant coach, Maggie Moss, generated while she was coaching at Indiana University from 2007-2008.  Maggie updated the chart by looking at the top-20 all-time performances in each event on the USA Swimming website.  The race analysis data offered for each event provides the minimum (fastest), average, and maximum (slowest) tempo within each performance.  Maggie took that data from each of those performances and averaged each minimum, average, and maximum for a single cycle count and for cycles per minute.  The results are distributed on the chart here:

While we realize these tempos are not necessarily going to be a perfect fit for our swimmers, this chart gives us a guideline for what to work towards.  After all, if we want to develop elite swimmers, it is important to expose our swimmers to what the best of the best are doing.  We encourage our swimmers to start with the average tempo for their event on the chart, and then we work with them to adjust the tempo up or down depending on how their stroke looks.  At Carmel, one of our favorite ways to work this is in short bursts of about 15 meters or in a set number of stroke cycles during a longer distance.  For example, we do a set long course (usually in preparation for blue sets) where swimmers do four to six 100s.  During each 100, swimmers must pick 15 meters anywhere within the 100 to hit race pace tempo.  

Race Pace Time Training
We call this type of training, “Beat the Beep” at Carmel.  We look at a swimmer’s goal time in an event and set the tempo trainer to half the time it takes for a swimmer to swim 25 yards or one-fourth of the time it takes to swim 50 meters at the indicated pace.  Here is an example:  Say a swimmer wants to go 50.0 in a 100 yard event, or 12.5 seconds per 25.  Half of 12.5 in 6.25, and thus you set the tempo trainer to that time.  The swimmer knows the tempo trainer will beep every 6.25 seconds, so, right before a beep, the swimmer goes underwater in order to push off the wall precisely on a beep. Their goal is to “beat the beep” for the designated distance.  If we are doing a set of 25s in this exercise, a swimmer will have to reach the 12.5 by the second beep (counting the beep when they depart the wall as the first) and then reach the 25 by the third beep.  The pattern continues for whichever distance we choose to pace that day.  To make sure we are effectively measuring pace, we have our swimmers go to their feet.  “Beat the Beep” does not necessarily have to be for race pace training, but can be used for any kind of training in practice where having your swimmers hit a certain time is the goal.  


Kick Temp Training
Want to speed up or slow down a dolphin kicker?  Put a tempo trainer in their cap.  I believe the tempo trainer is effective for dolphin kick as it often informs swimmers that they are not kicking nearly fast enough (or as fast as they think they are kicking).  One tradeoff of manipulating a swimmer’s dolphin kick may be a decrease in the size of the kick.  It is therefore essential that the coach and athlete work together to ensure that the kick’s amplitude remains appropriate for each swimmer.  We also find the tempo trainer useful in breaststroke kicking.  The device helps hold the swimmer accountable to maintaining a proper tempo for practice.  Again, you can play with the rate and adjust accordingly through a set, but it is important to keep a close eye on how the swimmer maintains the size of their kick.

Swim with Intent
I find one of the biggest challenges of being a swim coach to be getting swimmers to transfer great looking moderate swimming into race-hardened technique.  The tempo trainer is useful to bridge great technique with race appropriate speeds.  Use the tempo trainer to gradually transition moderate swimming into race pace swimming.  It’s interesting to watch the swimmers manipulate their strokes and listen to them discuss where breakdowns are occurring as the rate increases.  I recommend doing 25’s in groups of four or six and gradually increasing the rate until the preferred technique breaks down.  

Wrap-up
Hopefully the information and suggested uses for the tempo trainers offered here helps get you thinking about how tempo work and different pace exercises can work within your program.  The most important thing I’ve learned after working with these tools over the years is that they offer a guideline of where to begin with tempo.  Work closely with your swimmers to figure out what works best with them.  Encourage them to play with it, let them have fun and take ownership in communicating what happens to their stroke at different paces and tempos.  Timing is everything, of course, but each swimmer has their own timing that works the best for them.

By Chris Plumb. He is the head coach of Carmel Swim Club in Carmel, Indiana. As Carmel high school head coach Chris has coached the team for the last 5 of their 25 consecutive women and 2 of the boys last 13 state titles.

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Breathing in Swimming

Oscillating Oxygen
A couple weeks ago we discussed Optimizing Breathing Patterns in a post that sparked quality discussion.  Let’s take this post to consider what patterns are we actually optimizing?  The word “pattern” implies orderliness rather than breathing whenever we feel like it.  Other than a no-breath 50, every race can involve multiple patterns, so it important to understand what they are to count appropriately.

Counting breaths can be tricky!

The aim of this post is not to advocate for a particular strategy as the most optimal for all swimmers in each event.  As we saw in the data from the Men’s 100m Free at Worlds, strategies among a homogeneous group can vary significantly.   Further, we can’t tell whether an individual swimmer optimized their breathing strategy for a given race based on result alone.  In this post, we’ll catalog some of the different breathing patterns available.  
Terminology can get messy in this area so we’ll go ahead and define some terms up front.  

• No breathing = Self explanatory.
• Same side = Every 2, 4, 6, etc.  Breathing to the same side of the pool.
• Alternate side = Every 3, 5, 7, etc.  Alternate right side breaths with left side breaths.
• Consecutive = Breathing consecutive strokes.  Stroke and breathe right, then immediately stroke and breathe left.  Never seen it before?  Read on!     

No Breathing

Obviously the only race for which this would be an option is the 50 free.  Just about every competitive swimmer can actually do a no-breath 50, but some will breathe several times during the race.  Big question is how much practice time to devote for developing this skill at race effort, both in the 50s but also for closing out longer events.  To save one or two breaths, is it worth sacrificing velocity in practice to train hypoxia toleration?  The current evidence, both in the literature and anecdotally, indicates hypoxic training does not improve fitness as was once thought.  Might there be an alternate justification as part of a race rehearsal strategy?  

The above might seem like a small point, but the 50 can be decided by a fingernail or less.  Fortunately, the 50 can be practiced frequently which allows for the collection of more race and time trial data.  Additionally, we know that respiratory demands can change during periods of anxiety.  Hopefully the swimmer will have the mental state to keep their breathing under control, but last minute race adjustments are sometimes needed.  This consideration applies for all distances.  Air quality, particularly with older indoor natatoriums, can be inconsistent, which may also require calling an audible on race day to suit the conditions.  The concern is less for the 50 than for distance events, but is still worth noting.

Sometimes you need to call an audible.

Same side breathing

Every two –  is the preferred pattern for many swimmers in middle distance and distance events.   Remember that energetics and respiration are duration dependent, not distance dependent.   At the 1:45 mark in the 200m free, when the fastest in the world are done with the race, even a female hitting an Olympic Trials qualifier (2:03) still has nearly 20 more seconds of swimming to go!  Although quantification of inspiratory muscle strength is not widely available, we do know that respiration ability varies by individual and should be treated as such.  A dogmatic attachment to any single breathing pattern should be avoided.     
Duration is not the only consideration for same-side breathing.  Biomechanics play a role too.  It’s hard to say whether a history of massive yardage breathing to one side ingrains a same-side pattern or whether preexisting physical traits lead a swimmer to favor one side (most likely it’s a combination of both).  Regardless of the cause, there are some swimmers for whom learning to race while breathing to their weak side qualifies as a major stoke change; the kind that if it goes wrong could send a career into a tailspin.  

Look at muscle length, strength, and timing in the upper extremities before trying to force a pattern change.  If a change to bilateral breathing must occur, it should be accompanied by the appropriate dryland work to support new demands on the other side of the body.  
Asymmetry isn’t necessarily bad, just as a balanced stroke isn’t inherently good.  Some of the most balanced strokes you’ll see are also pretty slow…just hang out with triathletes who worry more about bilateral breathing than the pace clock.  One the flip side, I’ve been around veteran masters swimmers who would have preferred repeat 200 flys rather than take a single breath to their “off” side.   

Also account for strength of underwaters.  A swimmer who can perform more dolphin kicks off each wall may need to breathe more frequently between the flags to make up for the length of time and exertion underwater.  However, the corollary to this is not automatically true: spending less time underwater does not require the swimmer to breathe less on the surface, although it may be a viable strategy for some.

Every four or more – This pattern is an option for selected parts of middle distance races, as well as in the closing stretches of longer races.  Rarely is this the dominant pattern beyond 100m.  

Every two mixed with every four – Multiple combinations are possible here, such as 2-4-2 or 2-2-4.  Any of these strategies are analogous to alternate side strategies (described below) for swimmers whose weak side breathing is not race-ready.  In other words, if you think an Every 3 pattern is a good fit for the swimmer’s respiration ability, but the swimmer lacks proficiency breathing to his/her weak side, consider a blend of every two mixed with every four.  

Alternate Side breathing

Bilateral – Generally refers to every three strokes while racing.  Although every five or every seven are also options, they are infrequently used as a dominant pattern.  Two big concerns here: first is obtaining enough oxygen.  Most would agree the ability to breathe to both sides is important and should be a part of training, but is not always appropriate for racing.  Second consideration is whether it is compatible for the swimmer’s stroke.  Swimmers whose racing freestyle stroke resembles a one-arm fly drill may have trouble, as will older swimmers who were never encouraged (or forced) to breathe to their weak side.  Younger swimmers may be encouraged to breathe this way to establish balance, but may be freed from this restriction when race times become more important and event specialties emerge.   

One side up, other side back – Pattern used by Ian Thorpe while racing.  I’m not suggesting that because Ian Thorpe did it therefore you should too, but rather that it’s an option for those with sufficient balance to breathe to the weak side in a race but who need more frequent respiration.  If racing head-to-head, this also allows you to breathe every two strokes while keeping tabs on a competitor.    

Hybrid breathing -  I used the term “hybrid” in the previous segment to describe a mix of same side breathing with bilateral breathing.  I would describe hybrid breathing as this: breathing multiple times to the same side in an “every two” pattern, but then breathing every three to get to the other side, at which you breathe multiple times to that side in an “every two” pattern.  A hybrid pattern such as this provides more oxygen intake and CO2 expulsion than bilaterally every three, but creates symmetry not found in breathing to the same side.  If my description of hybrid breathing was confusing, just watch what Katie Hoff does in the freestyle leg of this video and you’ll see for yourself (around 2:45 is a good example)!  

Every Stroke Breathing 
Quick…hide the kids before they realize you can breathe between the flags and the wall, and in the first stroke off the wall! 

 

Breathing to both sides in consecutive strokes is not reserved for beginners who are afraid to put their faces in the water.  Here is a great video with 1500m WR holder Sun Yang who not only breathes to both sides consecutively, but on occasion breathes on three consecutive strokes.  Additionally, he practically takes his entire head out of the water to breathe and looks forward at the wall before his flip turn.  How dare he swim so fast!  

The modern trend has been to increase breathing in all races, especially distance events.   Sun and fellow Korean distance ace Park Tae-Hwan have taken it to a different level in breathing consecutive strokes.  Supposedly Kieren Perkins utilized this tactic as well, though it is hard to verify that claim with the absence of quality videos from the 90s.     

Time will tell whether this catches on and whether it is appropriate for non-elites.  Heck, we don’t even know if it is optimal for Sun and Park, but I have to believe the Chinese sports science machine performed their due diligence before settling on this method.  What is promising about the tactic is that despite a clearly unbalanced stroke, Sun makes this tactic work with minimal disruption to his rhythm.  Ultimately it will be up to coaches in the laboratory of the pool deck to experiment and determine for which swimmers, if any, this tactic is optimal.  Personally, I think it has potential to become more widespread, though it could be a disaster when tried with younger swimmers.  

Summary

Breathing patterns vary widely from not breathing at all to breathing every stroke.  Hopefully cataloging multiple patterns in one place will aid coaches in deciding which pattern is most optimal for each swimmer in each event and in each segment of those events.  Consider multiple factors from respiratory ability, fitness, technique, individual anatomy, mental state, pacing, age, and environmental conditions when deciding upon the optimal breathing strategy.  

By Allan Phillips, he and his wife Katherine are heavily involved in the strength and conditioning community, for more information refer to Pike Athletics.

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Weekly Round-up

1. Do squats damage your spine? by Charles Poliquin
2. Contreras Files Volume 2 by Bret Contreras read his Friday Interview: Bret Contreras
3. Anatomy of a speed drill by Lee Taft
4. Swimmers may not benefit from their usual competition warm-up by Swimmer's Daily
5. One arm cable press - Performance U style by Nick Tumminello (I suggest having the cable between the arm and the body to incorporate external rotator strength)
6. L-arginine improves recovery but not muscle strength
7. Training for the 400 meters: A retrospect by Jimson Lee 400 meters is the 100 meters of track, interesting comparison.
8. Random post by Elliott Keefer sounds like he's not convinced with thFS3
9. The two Mikes by Casey Barrett
10. 10 Minute Solution: Knee Pain by Dr. John, DPT, CSCS
11. Dryland Tip: Self Soft Tissue Infraspinatus

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Stats Saturday: Men's 50 Free Anthony Ervin

This past weekend in Austin brought a lot of interest to the men's 50 free (check out Stats Sunday: WR Comparison Men's 50 free). With all the "comebacks" for this upcoming Olympics, I will argue with anyone Mr. Ervin's is the most impressive. His 10 year departure and unorthodox career (a license tattoo artist) for an athlete is one of the most unusual in the sport. After his first retirement many whispers surround this young, talented athlete regarding wasted talent and laziness, but remember he did win Olympic gold in 2000 and is only 30 years old, putting him on the cusp of the age when men reach their peak strength. 



His 10 years off appears to cause no more than a slight hiccup in his training. Ervin is still one of the best sprinters in the world as his ability to get into his catch and his high stroke rate are unfathomable. He is able find clear water better than any swimmer. Despite his good attributes, he still demonstrates flaws as the sport progressed towards underwater kicking he still hows a poor start with little to no underwater kicking causing early stroking. This flaw puts him behind the ball during every race and forces him to use a higher and faster stroke rate than his peers. In Austin he took 39 strokes, 3 more cycles than Cesar's 20.91and 2 more than Bousquet's 20.94 (Race Analysis: Cesar Cielo 20.91) . Sure this difference could be due to his slower overall time, or suits, but Adrian took 34 strokes and Bousquet 35 strokes. Taking two or more stroke cycles directly correlates his break out time of  2.48 seconds (nearly one second than Cielo's 20.91). These extra strokes will cause his body to transition from the creatine phosphate system (lasts approximately 10-15 seconds) to the glycolytic system earlier causing fatigue.

Ervin never competed during the reign of the hi-tech suits which eased fatigue and provide invaluable core stabilization during fatigue. These benefits would have immensely helped him, considering the suits made vast improvements of the last 15 meters during a 50 meter race. To demonstrate, 0.5 of the 0.6 difference between Cesar's 20.91 and his 21.52 from World Championships came during the last 15 meters as lactate and fatigue s settle.




Despite likely using all his creatine phosphate system, not having the hi-tech suits and having to use more glycolysis (producing lactate) than his peers, I still like Ervin's chances to make the Olympic Team. His catch and stroke rate unmatched.

Simple improvements with his start could make him above his peers, but I doubt this will be changed due to his age and lost time. Luckily, he is talented enough to make the team without this correction and I like his chances.

Bold prediction: 21.60 at Olympic Trials, placing him 2nd and making the Olympic team.

What do you think?

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Friday Interview: Eric McGinnis

1) Please introduce yourself to the readers (how you started in swimming, education, experience, etc.).


My name is Eric McGinnis and I’m from Raleigh, North Carolina. I started swimming year round at 10 years old, mainly because my older brother, Matt, showed success at a young age and I wanted to be like him. I swam at the University of Kentucky and specialized in the 50 and 100 yd free. At UK I majored in exercise science and am currently a strength and conditioning coach for Spectrum Sports Performance in Winter Park, Florida.


2) What is your current training schedule?


At the moment my training schedule consists of no swimming (laughs). I’m currently “retired”, although I am being strongly encouraged to make a comeback. I lift 5 days a week and am planning on entering my first Olympic weightlifting meet in the near future.


3) How do you incorporate mobility and stretching into your training?


My warm-up routine always consists of soft tissue work (such as foam rolling or using other trigger point tools) and dynamic stretching. I stopped warming up with static stretching (holding stretches for extended periods of time to make the muscles relax) in college and started performing my static stretches after workout and at the end of the day. Currently, I do very little static stretching but I found that I haven’t really lost any range of motion. I believe this is due to the consistent strengthening that I do at full range of motion when training the Olympic lifts.


4) What is the weirdest training you've done throughout your career?
In the water it would have to have been the summer of 2008 going in to Olympic Trials. The volume of yards I did was INCREDIBLY low. The intensity, however, was almost always very high. Lots of land work incorporated with the swimming. I would have workouts where I wound dunk a basketball 10 times, run a 200 yd sprint, do a rope climb, then finish with a 50 meter sprint with fins and paddles. Not sure how much rhyme or reason there was to the specifics of the training, but it was fun and I had great results. That season I qualified for World University Games by placing 2nd at the U.S. Open in the 50m Free. I will say that recovering from that training was very difficult though.


5) What aspects of your swimming are you currently concentrating on?
Finding motivation to get back in the water (laughs). My younger brother, Zach, is lighting it up for Virginia Tech so I’m focused on supporting him. During his holiday breaks I got to help him with some start and turn work and I had a great time doing it.


6) What drills/activities are you doing to achieve this?
I’m stronger and more explosive than I was when I was in my swimming prime, so if I do make my way back into the water I should have something to work with. My current level of conditioning is lacking a bit, however.


7) In your opinion, what was the biggest adjustment you made in your swimming career (stroke biomechanical, training, dryland)?
I learned that I didn’t have to front load my season with aerobic conditioning to have a successful taper/season. Recovery is aerobic in nature so some level of aerobic conditioning is certainly necessary for sprinters. This can be achieved by cycling in appropriate aerobic work for the events being targeted. Coaches often forget that aerobic training and distance training are not synonymous. Aerobic refers to an energy system and is not movement specific. I believe coaches should avoid using distance training for aerobic benefit when targeting short distance events. Aerobic work can be accomplished in or out of the pool, and without useless garbage yardage.


8) Over the past few years, what is the biggest change you've made with your training?
I would have to say learning to know when I need to push it and when I need to back off. During any swim season I would get to a point around early December where I had little motivation to train, I would doubt myself, had issues dealing with all my stresses (school, relationships, practice, etc.), and mood issues. As I grew older and smarter I realized this was a classic case of overtraining, and it was very common for me. My taper was getting longer and longer each season in an attempt to dig me out of that hole. Swimming has a mentality that if you don’t train full throttle every day two times a day then you’re a sissy so it can be tough to avoid this. Luckily I built good relationships with my coaches and I was able to cycle in necessary recovery a little more often during my last couple seasons in swimming. I should add that my coach during my last year and a half of high school was actually really good about avoiding overtraining. He typically had a recovery week cycled every three weeks, which worked quite well.


9) What projects are you working on in and outside the pool?
This is my first year working for Spectrum Sports Performance. We have our own facility and we also work with some teams in the area, including Trinity Prep Academy High School and most of the Rollins College athletic teams. My primary responsibilities are coaching at Rollins, particularly running the Softball and Swim team strength programs. It has been a blast; I love working in the college setting. I’ve made the switch from athlete to coach. If I do decide to train again it will be part time. I’m committed to helping others with their own athletic endeavors. Hopefully I can bring something new to the table for swimmers and other athletes that wasn’t available to me when I was competing.


Thanks Eric!

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Groin Kick syndrome: Part II

Kick Konfusion

Over the weekend many athlete's tightened up at the end of their races. Tightening up or groin kick syndrome is a multi-factorial result, but one potential mechanism was discussed last week with groin kick syndrome: part I. In order to improve this facet in your swimmers it is essential to understand the chain of events and give a method for improvement. Unlike many circumstances where one variable is the cause, GKS is multi-variable and halting events at the beginning of the chain will improve the subsequent variables.

Many coaches default GKS as purely a conditioning flaw or even worse a gauge an athlete's toughness. These two reasons do occur, but are not always the result. Looking for solutions is essential and relying on a $300 suit isn't the answer, as minimal differences were noted in Austin, TX with the new tech suits. I do not think these suits will make a noticeable change in times, but it will be hard to gauge. For example, if a swimmer improves 0.1 in a 10o free, was it secondary to the suit or training? This is a tough decision someone must make when you have a 13-year old girl spending $700 on a suit! 

I feel the goggles are the only vast improvement, not sure how much but I'm intrigued yet disappointed it took this long for goggles to transition towards cyclist helmets considering more drag occurs in water than air. Then again, they are going higher speeds and their head is the first object to pave the way in new air, typically (hopefully) the arms are breaking new water and the head isn't leading the way.

Back to GKS, leg spin is the first step in the GKS continuum. Improving leg spin and distance per kick is the most influencial aspect for improvement with distance per kick. If this aspect improves, the rest of the continuum will follow suit. The best method to improve leg spin is to improve distance per kick (DPK). This unfamiliar topic is like distance per stroke, but measures kicking efficiency. From my experience, many coaches and learn to swim instructors are unfamiliar with the biomechanical movement of a kick. Unfortunately, no concrete evidence (that I've seen) has measured the kinematics of freestyle kicking, but underwater video can do wonders!

Kicking biomechanical confusion

"Keep your knees straight! Kick from your hips!"

These two phrases are constantly screamed at little kids on the pool deck. Unfortunately, straight knees are far from the reality in elite swimmers. Great swimmers typically do 60-80 knee flexion to propel themself forward with a rapid knee extension. I'm not suggesting initiating from the hip isn't important, but in reality swimmers use approximately 1/3 the amount of hip extension compared to knee flexion.

In the Club it's going down...kick

Flutter kicking is a whipping motion starting from the hip. First the core must stabilize to prevent excessive frontal and transverse movement, then the hip must begin to flex (for a downkick), then the knee extends and the ankle points (plantarflexes). This whip motion generates more force than kicking with straight legs like toothpicks. This downkick is the most propulsive movement in kicking and teaching swimmers to only kick from the hips takes out the most power muscles in the downkick the rectus femoris (RF). The RF is the only muscle which flexes the hip and extends the hip, having proper timing and use is essential to prevent step 2 in GKS, No Ro.

No Ro is the result of fatigue causing poor muscle timing. Studies on soccer players (Apriantono 2006) found a decrease in kicking velocity was due to poor kick coordination, they stated:

"slower peak lower leg angular velocity, was most likely due to a significantly reduced resultant joint moment and motion-dependent interactive moment during kicking. These results suggest that the specific muscle fatigue induced in the present study not only diminished the ability to generate force, but also disturbed the effective action of the interactive moment leading to poorer inter-segmental coordination during kicking. Moreover, fatigue obscured the eccentric action of the knee flexors immediately before ball impact. This might increase the susceptibility to injury."

Soccer kicking isn't identical to swimming kicking, as more hip extension is utilized in soccer, but the same process and muscles involved (in my opinion) results in many similarities. 

Upkicking Ain't Easy Baby

A lot of coaches stress the upkick, feeling it propels the body forward. In my opinion, the upkick is less about propulsion, but more for balance and rhythm. If you only kick one way, your body can't perform the subsequent phase properly. For example, if you don't do a correct or full upkick, then your downkick won't be in the right starting position. These two phases need seamless transitions and if your body is stick downkicking, then you'll never achieve a whip kick. The upkick sequence starts with hip extension, then knee flexion and slight ankle dorsiflexion.

It is clear to see the end of the upkick is the beginning of the downkick. Finishing each phase fully sets up the body or the next kick by providing balance and rhythm.

Wrap-up

Next week I will discuss methods to improve the whip like motion of the downkick, forcing a rhythmic upkick and methods to measure and practice distance per kick (DPK).

By Dr. G. John Mullen, DPT, CSCS. He is the founder of the Center of Optimal Restoration and head strength coach at Santa Clara Swim Club. 

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Monthly Dryland Program: Phase II Intermediate Stabilization

Monthly Dryland Program

Phase II: Intermediate Stabilization

Dr. G. John Mullen, DPT, CSCS

If you missed the phase I program, start there first! It is essential to start basic and advance your stabilization exercises. Stability is the base of all exercises allowing optimal force production. See Monthly Dryland Program: Phase I Stabilization if you missed it and start there. This will be a monthly dryland exercise list compliments of the Center of Optimal Restoration (COR). If you want to receive information like this join the Swimming Science and COR e-mail list. Enjoy!

Remember, these programs are built to prevent injuries and improve sport specific movements. For an optimal dryland, a more comprehensive and individualized program is required. Currently all COR Optimal Online Training Program is filled, but click here to apply for the next opening. If interested in receiving a quote for implementing the COR System with your team, click here.

If you want more of exercises, descriptions, and videos similar to this purchase the Swimmer's Shoulder System by Dr. G. John, DPT, CSCS!

Muscle Strength
Remember the rules of low back stabilization. Make sure your core is stable as a rock!

Core Stabilization Rules
1. Maintain the back position as instructed.
2. Do not let that position change AT ALL during the exercise.
3. Stop if the exercise causes 'your pain'.
4. Stop if can not keep the correct back position

HOH Curl-ups
-Lie on your back with knees bent. Lock your fingers together over your head. Flatten back before initiating movement. Do a curl-up,until the bottom of the shoulder blades come off the floor. Keep abdominals tight and back flat at all times. There is a great tendency to arch your back as your lift. Do not let this happen.

Side Plank with/without Rotations
-Lie on your side with your elbow bent and your feet together. Lift your hips towards the sky, with your shoulders and hips stacked on top of each other. This can be progressed by rotating your body towards the ground, tapping your hand and foot on the side of the floor you are facing. For beginners start with your knees bent and hold the plank.

Plank Rocks
-Roll out on ball or on ground on forearms with your legs extended. Move through the hips not through the shoulders. Make sure you keep the back rounded toward the ceiling, then rock through your ankles.

Bridge Hold/March
-On the Swiss ball or chair get into a bridge position. Have your knees shoulder width apart and your hands on the floor for support. Straighten one leg, let it down and repeat with the opposite side. DO NOT LET YOUR BACK ARCH, OR PELVIS/SPINE MOVE IN ANY WAY. YOU MUST STAY ABSOLUTELY STILL.

If you have a Swiss Ball, make sure you follow these rules to prevent the low back from cheating. 

Swiss Ball Rules:
1. Starting Position: Hug the ball face down, with knees bent. Flatten your back as instructed. Tuck the chin.
2. In all of the following exercises, as you bring your arms up, you will have a tendency to arch your back. In order to target the scapular stabilizers and not cheat through the thoracic and lumbar spine, only perform the exercises with the back flattened.

Swiss Ball/3-Point Windmill (SB Windmill)
-Keeping the arms as straight as possible, bring one arm forward and keep the other arm behind. The forward arm should have the thumb up, the backward arm should have the thumb down. Lift both arms, thinking about bringing your shoulder blades together.


Swiss Ball/3-Point Y (SB Y)
-Keeping your arms as straight as possible (at 11:00 and 1:00), bring both arms in front, thumbs up. Raise the arms as high as you can, remembering to raise them only as far as you can maintain your starting back position. Lower the arms slowly and repeat.

Band Pulls
-While standing, obtain the compact position. Bend your elbows and have your palms facing the sky with your elbows next to your side, pull a band to rotate your arm outward. Slowly return to the starting position, MAINTAIN YOUR ELBOW POSITION!

Muscle Length
Shoulder Stabilization Rules: 
1. Lie on the tennis ball focusing on the instructed areas
2. The more sensitive or tender the area, the slower you should go
3. Stop if the exercises causes pain
4. Perform for 30 seconds – 2 minutes

Tennis Ball Iliotibial Band (TB ITB)
-Lie on your side with a tennis ball under your lower thigh, on the bottom leg, just above your knee. Bend the top leg’s knee and place it flat in front of the bottom leg. Push through your top leg and forearms to move the tennis ball.

Tennis Ball Calf
-Sit-up with one leg straight and the other bent, then place the tennis ball under the outside calf of the straight leg.

Tennis Ball Pectoral
-Lie on your stomach and place a tennis ball on the upper, outer portion of your chest. Place the tennis ball as close to your shoulder as possible, with the ball still on the muscle. You may need to position your arm diagonally to allow your arm to relax.

Tennis Ball Midback (TB midback)
-Lie on your side and place a tennis ball under your back as instructed. Give yourself a bear hug, grabbing your shoulder blades, then roll on and off the tennis ball ten times. Move the tennis ball to the next level and roll again.

Kneeling Quad Stretch
-Kneel on one knee with your other leg forward with your foot flat on the ground. Use a table or chair to your side for balance and a pillow under your knee if padding is necessary. Line up your body over the knee that you are kneeling on. In this position do a pelvic tilt or 'tuck under' and you will feel a stretch in the front of your thigh. Common mistakes are arching your low back or leaning forward which negates the stretch.



By Dr. G. John Mullen, DPT, CSCS. He is the founder of the Center of Optimal Restoration and head strength coach at Santa Clara Swim Club.

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