The Cuda Tip of the Month for June comes from Stefanie Williams, a silver medalist at the 2003 World University Games in Daegu, South Korea. Williams offers some advice on competing when you’re tired and sore.
Williams’ Tip: From my 14 years of personal experience in swimming, I can guarantee you that I’ve come home countless times from practice sore and tired (the good kind) and have asked myself whether it would be beneficial for me to take a day off so I could recover for my next workout or meet. But I know that taking a day off is not the answer. I know I need to focus on one day at a time.
I would suggest that you sit down and have a talk with your coach about how you're feeling in and out of the water. The two of you can devise a plan so you can be ready to race at the end of the week. Other suggestions that might help are stretching before and after each workout, and making sure you are eating well (nutritiously) and drinking plenty of fluids.
The most important advice I can give you is to just be excited to swim in your meet. The more fun you have, the faster you'll swim. Ninety percent of the race is done in your head, especially when you've worked so hard. So, regardless of how you feel, it's all in the mind! Believe in yourself, trust in all the hard work you've put in, and the sky's the limit as to how fast you'll go!
The QBQ! concept and method for practicing personal accountability came about as a result of John G. Miller’s 10,000 hours invested over many years in hands-on leadership, sales, change, and team training inside hundreds of organizations. This resulted in material that is real-life and common sense. QBQ! is practical, universal, and timeless because personal accountability applies to people and organizations in every market segment.
Aggressive Hand Entry for Backstroke A common technique error in backstroke is letting the hands enter too softly. If the hands enter too softly and “sit” on the water, your body rotation will be slowed down, and there is a tendency to overreach on the entry.
A quick way to help line up the arms better on the entry, and to develop great rotation is to enter the hands more aggressively into the water. In these photos, and in the video clip, watch how Olympic gold medalist Jeff Rouse sends his hands immediately into a deep catch, and how this helps his rotation.
If the hand enters the water with a slam rather than a slip (when learning), the momen-tum created by the hand and arm will carry through to the shoulder and torso. As a result, the body will rotate more quickly. An aggressive hand entry gives you a deeper initial catch, and help you involve the body in the finish of the pulling hand.
When the hand hits the surface with force, it much more difficult to overreach, or cross the arm over the head during the entry. Usually, the faster you recover the hand over the water, and the more aggressive your hand entry, the more direct the line of the en-try. This means the hand will most likely enter the water directly above the shoulder.
