Rocket Science

  ...by Clay Evans and Bonnie Adair

Every time you blast off the wall or dive off the blocks, you should glide like a rocket as fast and as far as you can before taking your first stroke. That’s streamlining - staying narrow, tight, and relaxed, and keeping air in your lungs. You can never swim faster than you can push off the wall. So here’s how to go with the flow, keep the momentum, and strengthen your streamline.

Pieter Van Den Hoogenband

Feet
Keep your feet together and point those toes to minimize drag. Keep the base of your rocket ship as streamlined as the front end, and stay relaxed. The streamline is the place to rest before you get back to work. Remember that, and take advantage of it.

Chest
Keep as much air in your lungs as possible from the time you start your flip turn to the moment you end your streamline and take your first stroke. The more air you retain, the more buoyant you’ll be, the farther you’ll glide, and the more momentum you’ll have surfacing into your first stroke. Just let out enough air through your nose to keep water out of it.

Chin
Let your chin naturally tuck under as you drop your head toward your chest.

Head
Tuck your head down toward your chest. Lifting your head is like putting on the brakes - it stops all of your forward momentum. Even when you’re coming off the wall from a flip turn, keep your head tucked.

Biceps
Squeeze your biceps in toward the back of your head. Be sure to stay relaxed. Don’t tighten or hunch your shoulders.

Elbows
Keep your elbows straight and squeeze them in toward the top of your head.

Hands
Keep one hand on top of the other with your fingers pressed together. Lock the thumb of your top hand over the side of your bottom hand. The thumb of your bottom hand should be tucked just inside the palm of your bottom hand. This helps keep the front of your rocket ship nice and tight as your hands pierce the water.

Watch for this form in every Olympic swimmer. Off the blocks or off the walls, every Olympian knows the power of streamlining. Who does it best?