Underwater Finish for Faster Freestyle - 速く泳ぐための水中フィニッシュ

[SteelCityEndurance]

Shinji, just a few days ago while working with a group of Pittsburgh Triathletes, i was trying to think of a better way to describe the finish, and what came to mind is exactly what you wrote above nearly a year ago...it's more like dribbling a basketball. The palm & fingers gently finish and the arm immediately rebounds/recovers as if dribbling a ball.

[timnet88]

You are snaping with the palm facing straight backwards. Just before leaving the water and up into the air, the palm twists towards the body in an angle about 45*. I guess that it makes moving the arm farward easier. Is that correct?

thanks.

[swimust]

The snap must be done using both the elbow and the wrist. Just one of them is not enough and the recovery will not work, I tried...

This snap is a genious thing and its the key to swim the Japanese style.

I also started to move the forearm and the backarm(elbow to shoulder) in paralel while raising the elbow (very important). I swam a full 1km in Japanese style switching from the classic TI and felt great. Its a magical swim.

Million thanks Shinji :)

[metalbine]

In the video comment you talk about snapping the wrist and the elbow. In your reply to one question concerning this you said that you meant snapping your palm. What is correct now?

[tiswimjapan]

@metalbine,

It is more like dribble. You quickly extend your arm by pushing the water, then loosen your elbow so that your hand is bounced back by the water.

[swimpal1]

the level clarity of stroke entry happening through shoulder blade lift is something i will have to say I never seen before....kudos ....thanks a million

[swimpal1]

thank you Shinji,,, this is a beautiful video... 0 - 14 seconds strokes are very fluid and crisp... great work

[itdarcan]

Thank you for posting this video, Coach Shinji Takeuchi is just about the best TI swimmer I've seen.

I'm a bit confused about the instructions of the underwater finish. 1) Are the comments about palm, elbow, wrist, etc. refering ONLY to the left arm in the video? 2) when you say snap, do you mean a quick snappy motion or to angle the palm or wrist? Thank you.

[tiswimjapan]

1) Yes, my comments are for my left arm.

2) I mean the palm.

[kobac]

on this clip you were talking about your right or your left arm?

[tiswimjapan]

I am talking about my left arm.

[darkgooble]

I've been using a very snappy, powerful two-beat kick for a long time now. However, my coach tells me that a six- or eight-beat kick works much better.

Which one do you think is better? I can't tell.

[tiswimjapan]

It depends how you are going to swim.

If you want to swim faster for a short distance, 6 beat is the best choice. If you want to swim longer, 2 beat is the best.

[mmbmusa]

Great explanation and very good video. Many thanks.

[kcw118]

Thanks for the video. I am trying to learn the 2-beat kick because I tend to kick too hard. In fact I don't think I have any rhythm to my kick. I just kick to keep my legs from sinking. Do you have any tips on how to practice and learn the 2-beat kick? Thanks.

[tiswimjapan]

I recently found Finis ankle strap worked to polish 2 beat kick. Instead of tighten your ankles, put it above your knees so that you legs cannot move much. If you are right handed, your right leg try to interfere when your left leg should snap. Since your legs are tightened, the interference will be minimized.

A tube for small bicycle will work, too.

[kcw118]

I'd love to be able to swim like that. How do you practice the two-beat kick? Right now, it seems as if I have no control of my kick. I just kick to keep my legs from sinking and don't even know if I have a rhythm. I'm thinking that I probably need to work on my glide first, but I'd appreciate any tips on how to break it down and what to practice. Thanks.