Training for rotation in your swim stroke

Does the lack of a rotating bench on a Vasa Trainer or Vasa Ergometer limit your ability to learn proper rotation in the water? A lot of swimmers have way too much rotation in their stroke. Rotation and roll are different. When you roll, you aren't really lengthening your body, you are actually just twisting it. Too much roll will make you twist and turn and loose forward momentum in the water. Rotation comes from your hips and core, and a shift in your shoulder. It's more of an extension or a reach. When you are on the Vasa, you are keeping a flat scapular plane, and shifting or rotating forward with your arms. You can get that desired rotation from the hips and core, without adding too much shoulder roll. This will help you activate the right muscles for the maximum range of motion and power in your stroke.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• rotating swim bench
• isokinetic swim bench
• vasa trainer
• vasa ergometer
• karlyn pipes-neilsen
• freestyle rotation
• freestyle roll

[dennisrayso]

or.....or we can train our rotation in our swim stroke by swimming in a pool

[mikealx68]

Isn't the rule of thumb "flat for sprinting, roll for distance"? Popov's hips stayed flat; Hackett's rotated, and so do Sun Yang's.

[ding174]

actually if one were to swim as flat as she does on the vasa the hands could never exit, clear, and travel the over the water surface and enter the water efficiently. just watch as she strokes on the vasa and imagine the surface of the water. there has to be roll to prevent impingement of the arm/shoulder motion which is what causes shoulder discomfort and injury to swimmers

[ModRuben]

@RonixCorp you are right! I have the same opinion!!

[SteelCityEndurance]

Every time I watch this I shake my head. She is teaching great body mechanics but she's using a poor choice of words to describe it. No coach would teach "twisting" the body. When she demonstrates (incorrect) "roll" as she describes it, she's also showing crossover. I wish she would use more appropriate terms and demonstrate how to eliminate crossover while still doing proper roll/rotation (it's the same thing).

[BillHenry08]

KPN doesn't say that rotation is wrong - she simply advocates that most intermediate / beginner swimmers have too much rotation, and loose balance and streamline as a result. It is a rock, not a roll - individual swimmers will each have more / less rotation than the next. KPN teaches balance throughout the stroke - which has nothing to do with whether being on one's side is faster than not being etc. "find what is best for you" - exactly. KPN is a legend... bottom line.

[upndown68]

I LOVE KPN and she is a wildly successful swimmer, but she is simply trying to sell the Vasa here. Hydrodynamic study of water velocity and body drag show a swimmers on their side is significantly faster than a flat one. From Bob Bowman to any reputable Div I coach they are going to instruct a swimmer to be on their side as much as possible. Rolling your humeral head forward? Karen this is body posture 101. The vast majority of people NEED scapulas retracted in order to get any kind of EVF.

[eugene1937]

Shoulder rotation or shoulder shift is going to vary somewhat from swimmer to swimmer based on the amount of flexibility that the individual has in the shoulder girdle. This is also tied to how soon/early one is able to apply force once the "catch phase" of the stroke has been set up. Elite swimmers often posses the ability to set the catch early, thus allowing for a longer pull/power phase of the stroke. Bottom line... find what is best for you and don't be afraid to try something new.

[RonixCorp]

she is saying that you shouldn't role on your side because you are not lengthening your body you're only twisting it. IMHO that's wrong: 1) lengthening your body is important and taught by everyone so people that 'roll' actually also extend/lengthen their arms as much as they can 2) it is important to be on your side because of laws of physics - a narrow body will move more efficiently through the water (physics laws). some even say 'swimming is gliding on your side with occasional roll'

[kobac]

unfortunately she didn't convince me.

I would like to see some machine that simulates rotation in swimming.