12 Stroke Freestyle Technique

[johnmar78]

thanks mate, after watching your master skills I have reduced my stroke in one day from 25 to 17......thanks you very much. Its all technique......

[ADVERTlSEMENT]

How do you lower your stroke count?

[chrisevilmonkey]

very smooth

[runswithscissors2007]

the first pass I count 11.6 seconds for the first 10 strokes, that's around 1.2 secs per. Quite a bit higher tempo than the 9 stroke pass (around 1.75 secs per). I am training for an Ironman swim (3.8 km openwater), thinking of aiming for a cadence around 1.4 per. Any thoughts?

[tiswimjapan]

@runswithscissors2007,

It is important to find your tempo which can keep you swimming at the same speed. Based on my teaching experience, many people tend to choose slower tempo. Starting with 1.6 sec, try to count your stokes as you increase (fasten) your tempo by 0.03. You will find you can keep the same stroke count at faster tempo.

[runswithscissors2007]

@tiswimjapan Thank you. So I understand I should try to keep the same spl at a faster tempo to increase speed. How do you know when you've reached your "magic number", if you will, the ideal spl and tempo?

[tiswimjapan]

@runswithscissors2007,

When you do that practice, you will find your stroke count suddenly increases by 2 or 3. It means your are spinning, and you will practice at 0.02-0.03 slower the tempo to avoid spinning.

[swimust]

You are a sensei to me and to many other thousands of TI swimmers around the world.

You look better Technically than Phelps in that clip that compares you with him and Jones! :)

You can swim 1km in around 13minutes and 20 seconds and not many amateurs can do that.

Many Thanks for your help and inspiration.

[swimust]

Shinji, two more important questions please.

1) Do you lock your knees after each kick to keep your legs inline with the body? are the knees locked all the time?

2) In such high speed, is it ok to splash with your hands the way you do between the 30-40 seconds?

I dont even come close to your speed.. not yet.. ;)

[tiswimjapan]

@swimust

1) I try to raise my legs just after snapping.

2) If you swim faster with less splash, you can be a "sensei" (master). I am not. Terry is.

[swimust]

Hi again,

my second question is:

2) When you say "the finish point is where you pull up forward", is it the point where your entering hand touches the water or is it the point where you stretch the entering hand besides the forarm of the floating hand? Is it a small "overreach" compared to your 9 stroke youtube clip.

Many thanks for your help. I found TI only 2 months ago and I hope to swim it.

Thanks to mr. Laughlin also!!

[tiswimjapan]

@swimust

The "finish point" means where you exit your hands from the water. It will be back you swim at lower stroke count because you stretch your arms.

[swimust]

Hi Shinji,

Your swimming looks very impressive.

I am doing a TI course and I have 2 question please:

1) We are taught to find our target at the 3,4,5 hour. You look like finding your target at a parallel line to the water's surface line. How do you do that? Is it a technical thing or a physical advantage and your muscles are better fit to do that? if its a technical thing how can I improve and go from hour 3 to the "parallel line"?

Many thanks.

[travisdt]

3 oclock is parallel to the surface, is this correct?

[tiswimjapan]

@swimust

The angle of leading arm is one of many ways to get balanced. If you get balanced, you can move your arms shallower where you feel comfortable.

[dmdml]

Hi Shinji, when do you start the first kick? When you push off the wall and glide until the first stroke your legs remained straight and still, right? What about when you start the first stroke (left hand pulling)--do you start 2-beat kick then? Or do you start 2-beat kick at the 2nd stroke (right hand pulling)? In short, how do you legs act during the initial stroke? Thanks in advance.

[tiswimjapan]

I start kicking when I start to enter my hand.

I try to hold still when I do the initial pull (like breaststroke).

[howard0224]

2. about the "weightless arm". while i tried to extend my arm to a limit (like reaching the wall in the last stroke), i felt my arm somewhat tightened. how can i do to "extend to a limit" and "keep weightless" at the same time? any practical guide to achieve this point? thanks a lot!

[johntwfhm]

I'd like to know as well... about half way into a workout, I'm struggling to get/keep my arm out. Is this an issue of poor flexibility or weak shoulder strength, or both, or something else?

[tiswimjapan]

The angle of the extended arm is important. If it is 45 degrees from the surface, it will be much easier to keep extending and you do not need to engage so many muscles.

[howard0224]

Shinji, thanks for your swimming videos.

i've got 2 questions about my freestyle:

1. i've been practicing the TI way by myself for months (no videos, no partner). yesterday i went swimming with my friend, she said that my left leg kicked too much, that my left knee was almost at right angle while kicking. then i tried "no kicking at all", but the propulsion decreased a lot. i'm wondering: if you make you legs standstill, what will happen to your speed? nearly unchanged, or apparently dropped?

[tiswimjapan]

It looks like you have a scissor-type kick. You can get more propulsion from the kick than snap-type kick, but it might be difficult to speed up due to the large motion. If I hold my legs still, the speed will drop but not so much.

[5rise]

Hi Shinji,

On the video it says "move the finish point forward" to adjust to faster tempo - could you explain what that means please?

Thanks

[tiswimjapan]

It means to shift the point where you pull up your hands forward.

[ocir1320]

good perfect 12

[tojad]

Hello Shinji,

Is this 12 stroke swim more dificult to realize for you? How long can you swim like that, and you are very fast, it's about 18s. per 25m!

Greetings

[charlytos1]

perfect style..

[DeathTheKid768]

i don't understand about the kicking..

is it when your right hand push the water, your right leg kick and the same goes to your left hand?

just like u said...one beat per stroke (TI style) ?

[tiswimjapan]

When I enter my left hand, I snap my left leg.

It is not the same timing of pulling my right arm.

[DeathTheKid768]

thank you..^^

very informative..nice video..

[MaestroSacarias]

Nice swimming, but aren't you taking 13 strokes?

I watched the "9 stroke freestyle" video as well, and so there were 10 strokes not 9.

I don't see the reason for not counting the first or the last stroke, which seems to be the case here.

[tiswimjapan]

In TI way, we count strokes when we enter our hands not to focus on pulling.

[bylejakie]

For how long can you maintain such speed?

[tiswimjapan]

Maybe 1500 meters.

[spitfiremcguire]

That's 18sec 25m and about 40s in a 50m? a 20 minute 1.5km - pretty nifty!!

[azndubya]

very efficient. just making sure: is 2 beat kick just alternating each leg with every stroke? i wanna try this

[bylejakie]

When your right hand pushes ur right leg kick and vice versa. When your left hand pushes ur left leg kicks.

[tiswimjapan]

Yes, one beat per stroke.

[bylejakie]

17 sec. If this is 25 meter pool then ur as good as me sprinting ;]].

[tiswimjapan]

It is 25 meter pool. My tempo was 1.1 sec per stroke.

[jeanshwa]

very good