Smelly Pits

Stench, stink, smell, hobo meter, however you describe odor is individualized but hopefully you are not continually getting a fowl waft with each freestyle breath. Every team has a few people who seem to be physiologically attracted to their own pheromones, but why are they constantly torquing their neck as if Cindi Lauper was walking past them?

Biomechanics can be complex, but the majority of these flaws are due to a lack of muscle strength, muscle length, timing or habit. I feel in the majority of these cases habit is the underlying issue.

Various forms of cuing can be utilized to fixed these deviations. Most coaches utilize verbal cues such as “quit checking your deodorant” or “quit using your arm pit as a scratch and sniff”. As helpful as these cues sound, providing the swimmer with a specific point during their stroke to accomplish their breath may be superior. I commonly suggest swimmers start their breath prior to their contra lateral hand entering the water. Since the swimmer can consciously initiate the action earlier, this immediately improves the timing of the breath.

Other swimmers might as well be wearing ear muffs in the pool because verbal cues don't seem to pass their auditory canal. With these auditory-challenged individuals, visual cues may be optimal. Instead of telling little Diane Sawyer to watch and learn from one of her superior swimming peers, tell Miss Sawyer to do some investigative homework and memorize how her favorite Olympic swimmer breathes. Elevating self efficacy in a swimmer may be frowned upon by your parent board, secondary to the 6-32 hours of homework the school district is prescribing, but trust me, when you quiz the swimmer about her breathing, I bet she learned a lot more than watching her faster lane mate who bullies her in the bathroom.

These are not the only forms of cuing, but are the quickest ways to make improvements and will resolve the majority of breathing malfunctions. Manual cuing can also be beneficial, but as your legal council, I recommend keeping your hands to yourself to prevent litigation.

GJohn