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Tuesday Tip Archives for Tuesday Tips #1-24
2nd Archive- Tuesday Tips #25-45

#77 Tuesday Tip: Difference Between Flutter Kick & Switches

Many swimmers mistaken the extended ankle in a good flutter kick with the toe point and ankle extension in good extended legs in figures and hybrids.
Ankles should be extended in flutter kick, but toes are NOT pointed and feet and ankles should be loose, allowing them to flex and extend gently and slightly with each flutter kick.
Try this drill to help swimmer distinguish and learn the difference!

• Get into a good streamlined position on your back.
  
• Start with switches- legs extended and toes pointed.
  
• Do small switches set to counts. Start slow and then increase the tempo. You will probably not move much or not at all.
  
• After 30-40 repetitions, "switch" to flutter kick.
  
• Use the same tempos as used for the switches.
  
• Start slow and larger. Let the knees bend a little and the ankles and toes should be loose.
  
• Increase the tempo and keep the legs loose and long.
  
• Change between switches and flutter kick multiple times.
  

#76 Tuesday Tip: Front Flutter Kick Drills

Front Flutter Kick Drills
Tone your buttocks and thighs and improve your quickness!

• Lay flat on your stomach on the floor with legs extended and toes pointed.
• Lift one leg a small amount.
• Switch legs.
• Start slowly and hold between switches.
• Increase the tempo.
• Always set to a metronome or counts.
• Follow the counts in the video to start.
• Vary the tempo to work on quick reaction times.
• Increase the tempo as fast you can move.

Members Click here for more info and drills.

#75 Tuesday Tip: Flutter Kick Drills

Flutter Kick Drills

• Lay flat on your back on the floor with legs extended and toes pointed.
• Lift one leg a small amount.
• Switch legs.
• Start slowly and hold between switches.
• Increase the tempo.
• Always set to a metronome or counts.
• Vary the tempo to work on quick reaction times.

Members Click here for more info and drills.

#74 Tuesday Tip: IN or UP?

Do you squeeze IN or Extend UP more?
What is more important- IN or UP?
Both are important in order to hold a good vertical line.
Squeezing in with the feet will hold the legs together and can create a good central axis around which to spin.
Extending UP helps lengthen and lighten the look of the legs.
Drill:

• Hold a vertical in support scull.
• Squeeze your legs and feet in tight together.
• Relax the pressure in and extend up through your legs and out your feet.
• Alternate back and forth between IN and UP.
• Which is higher? longer? lighter? easier to hold?
  

Members Click Here for More

#73 Tuesday Tip: Swim Like the Best in the World!

Choose one of the top teams or duets from the 2019 World Championships. Learn a short section of the routine - 15 to 30 seconds. Replicate the power, leverage, extension, and precision of the best swimmers. Mirror not just what they do, but how they do it. Begin with small increments, learning to swim like the best in every facet.

#72 Tuesday Tip: Fishtail Balance & Leverage

Discover Balance & Leverage in a Fishtail
The most important part of the fishtail position is the vertical leg and vertical alignment. You want to draw the eye of the judges to the long, extended vertical line at maximum height. But the horizontal leg can detract from that image if the position is incorrect with too much tension causing balance and leverage to be off. Flexibility is important- a swimmer must be able to easily achieve the right angle between the legs with little or no tension in the horizontal leg. If a swimmer needs to pull down with effort on the horizontal leg to achieve the correct position, balance will be greatly pulled off the vertical line. 
Learning Drill:

• Start in a good fishtail position with correct vertical and horizontal alignment.
• Pull up on the back of the horizontal thigh and relax your support scull- allowing height to drop.
• Let the horizontal leg float near the surface.
• Then pull the horizontal leg back to the horizontal line- using the upper part of the quadriceps.
• Shift up and down several times, finding a good balance of extension up the vertical leg and tension in the horizontal leg.
  

Members Click Here for More

#71 Tuesday Tip: Underwater Transitions

Underwater transitions are important in achieving a quick paced routine. A good tight tuck somersault presents a clean and neat routine and allows swimmers to be closer in a team routine.
Arm/Sculling Preparation: note the arm position difference. Hands are sliced up next to the hips to prepare to rise up to the surface as you somersault.
Members Click Here

#70 Tuesday Tip: Swordfish & Swordtail Drills

Start in the balanced bent knee vertical and then adjust the position gradually. Pay attention to arm position that will provide support and stability.
Improve:

• balance
• control
• arm placement and sculling range to provide support and balance
• Orientation and awareness of position

More Drills For Members Here

#69 Tuesday Tip: Walkout Sculling

Walkout Sculling
Sculling for a walkout is a great opportunity to learn and practice sculling transitions as the arms must change position to provide support, balance and to maintain a stationary position in the pool as the body moves from a very balanced and stable position in the split through the less stable knight and into the more difficult surface arch position.

• Arms should be in a wide support scull in the split with forearms sculling nearly straight out to the sides of the torso.
• Arms should stay wide as the front leg is lifted with as little shift forward as possible. Use the back of the thigh (upper hamstrings) and buttocks to lift the leg and balance the airborne weight with the back leg.
• As the leg nears vertical, scull the hands up toward the shoulders. Note that the bend in the arms adjusts to keep the palms nearly flat towards the bottom of the pool.
  
• Arms in totem at the knight presents a very long and extended appearance.
  

Staying in support scull through the knight presents a difficult transfer to split arm scull.
Split arm scull must provide support to maintain maximum height as well as to hold the body in a stationary position.
Good split arm scull requires good back flexibility as well as shoulder rotation and flexibility in the top/overhead arm.

More for Members Here

#68 Tuesday Tip: Underwater Pattern Changes

Pattern Changes in Tabletop
Underwater Pattern Changes are an important part of choreography- adding difficulty and creativity to a routine hybrid. The tabletop position is a great position to learn how to move underwater and is easy to move quickly because it requires little strength to support and minimal balance to maintain so effort and focus can be put on moving and "seeing" the pattern.
The above 2 pattern changes are simple and can be easily done in reverse as well. Or, continue travel in the same direction to a mirror image or opposite of the original pattern.
Tips:

• Show swimmers the patterns in these images, on paper or with coins on a flat surface.
  
• Make sure swimmers know where they are in relation to the whole pattern.
  
• Move in relation to the whole pattern, not just aligning with one other swimmer.
  
• Move on top of the water- do not feel under the water.
  
• Start with goggles on and then try without goggles.
  

More for Members Here

#67 Tuesday Tip: The Tabletop Position

Tabletop Position
One of the most commonly used positions in teams!
Why?

• Easy to match
• Hips close to the surface
• No airborne weight so the arms get a momentary rest
• Easy to spin
• Easy to travel for underwater pattern changes
• Versatile- you can move to a multitude of positions from the tabletop
• By simply extending one or both legs and maintaining the hips at the same level, you get great height.
• With both shins at the surface, it is easy to move quickly and cleanly to another position.
  

Members Click Here for more

#66 Tuesday Tip: 3 Simple Yoga Poses

The Benefits of Yoga are numerous and nearly all can enhance athletic training and performance.

• Improved breathing
• increased flexibility
• improved posture
• improved circulation
• prevent cartilage and joint breakdown
• boosts immunity
• protects your spine
• improves your balance
• maintains your nervous system
• releases tension in limbs
• improves sleep
  
• relaxes your system
  
• helps you focus
• makes you happier
• gives you peace of mind
  

Members Click here for more

3 Simple Yoga Poses

Downward Dog

• Start in tabletop position with hands slightly forward of the shoulders.
  
• Slowly lift the hips to achieve a straight line from the wrists to the hips.
  
• Keep your shoulders wide and back flat.
  
• Allow the knees to be bent at first in order to maintain the line from wrists to hips, if necessary.
  
• Keep the toes pointed forward and press the heels into the ground.
  

---

Child's Pose

• Start in tabletop position.
  
• Relax the buttocks back onto the heels.
  
• Drop your forehead to the floor.
  
• Arms can be extended forward or back next to the torso.
  
• This can stretch the hips, thighs, and ankles while relaxing the the muscles on the front of the body and passively stretching the muscles on the back of the torso.
  
• Inhale and exhale, shifting your breathing into your back.
  

Cobra Pose

• Start in tabletop position.
  
• Drop the hips to the floor and press your hands into the floor.
  
• Look forward or upward, keeping the neck long and extend up through the top of the head.
  
• Roll your shoulders back and down and pull your shoulder blades down your back.
  
• Opens the chest and shoulders for better posture and breathing
  
• Strengthens gluteals, thighs, arms and shoulders
  
• Decreases back stiffness and increases flexibility
  
• Elevates energy and mood
  

#65 Tuesday Tip: 3 Tips for Higher Spins

3 Tips

1. Extend UP and keep reaching up through your legs as you spin.
   
2. Focus on your feet. Keep your focus above the surface.
   
3. Keep your arms up by your head. Use your arms to rotate and stay up- simple concept but many use their arms to pull down.
   

More Details for Members Here

#64 Tuesday Tip: Drill for a Better Pike Down

Pike Down Drill

• Start with your back flat against the side wall of the pool.
  
• Head should be a little underwater.
  
• Extend arms up toward the surface into position to begin barrel scull.
  
• Pike the torso forward as the hips rise up toward the surface.
  
• Buttocks and legs should slide along the wall.
  
• Finish with the  back flat at the surface and legs extend down along the wall.
  
• If buoyancy causes the swimmer to rise too quickly, take a small breath to decrease lung buoyancy or possibly use light ankle weights.
  

#63 Tuesday Tip: Create New Drills

Creativity is the soul of Artistic Swimming!
Difficulties often hinder our path toward success and it is sometimes hard to discover solutions to move forward. But creative minds have the power and courage to forge ahead with new ideas. Creativity is not limited to routines!

• Have each swimmer determine one skill that is particularly challenging.
  
• Spend 5 to 10 minutes creating their own drill to improve the skill.
  
• There are no limits to land and water ideas!
  

Share your new drill with us via email  or on Facebook and one person will win a free 6 month membership at www.ArtisticSwimming.com!
eMail us at 1artisticswimming@gmail.com

#62 Tuesday Tip: Drills for a Stronger Porpoise Lift

Surface Foot First Porpoise Lift

• Assume the front pike position with your back flat at the surface and legs pointed straight towards the bottom of the pool.
  
• Arms should be in support scull - or in position to paddle - whatever scull you use for your porpoise lift.
  
• Lift your legs to the surface as you support scull. Try to move foot first as quickly and far as you can.
  
• The water provides extra resistance against your legs, forcing you to engage you buttocks and upper hamstrings to lift the legs.
  
• Set your back and pull your abdominals up toward the surface to keep your back flat.
  
• Repeat for lengths of the pool or 6 to 12 times.
  

Members only Here

#61 Tuesday Tip: Tips for a Higher Oceanea Lift

#1
Start in a balanced bent knee surface arch with a wide base of support.

• Press forward and up with the buttocks to get better alignment of the hips over the head. This also helps by balancing your weight in your hips.
  
• A wide split arm scull provides better support and balance. Elbows are about equidistant from the center.
  
• Transfer the forward arm overhead before starting to lift. Both arms behind the torso provide support for the legs as they lift.
  

---

#2
Extend from the center UP through the thigh bone and out the knee.

• Push the buttocks forward while extending straight up toward the sky.
  
• This helps with alignment and feeling lighter.
  
• Avoid sitting in the hips and compensating with more arch in the upper back. This causes poor alignment and makes the hips feel heavy.
  

#3
Keep your arms behind your torso to support the legs.

• The arms begin in overhead torpedo. Arms should be wide- this also helps to get arms behind the head if shoulders lack flexibility.
• Bend the elbows and position forearms so the hands can scull nearly flat towards the bottom of the pool.
• Upper arms remain stable and fairly still. The upper arms do rotate in order for the scull to happen.
• Gradually pull the elbows up toward the surface as you lift the legs.
  
• As the elbows reach about chest level, the scull changes from torpedo to support scull.
  
• Notice that support scull is still behind the torso until the vertical is reached.
  
• Reach up toward the surface with the back of the hands in support scull.
  

More for Members HERE

#60 Tuesday Tip: Strength in Torpedo

Why?
Torpedo strength develops good shoulder and back strength necessary for spins of multiple revolutions, overhead presses, barracuda thrusts, routine presses and tucks, walkout transitions, quick switches in routines, etc.
How?
Torpedo Training 1: By tipping the angle of the body from horizontal so the head is underwater increases the pressure required to hold the angle and move. This puts more strain on the shoulders and back- strengthening the muscles in the specific action of torpedo. Start with a small angle and then increase the angle as the shoulders gain strength. Do 25 to 100 yards/meters as part of a warm-up or workout. Staying underwater for an entire length is a great breath holding and endurance training as well.
Torpedo Ballet Leg
This was a staple of training and many routines years ago- it is a great way to strengthen torpedo as well as the entire back side of the body. Keep a small arch through the whole body and keep a rapid tempo of torpedo to maintain height and speed of movement.

Members Only Tip Here

#59 Tuesday Tip: Tips to Improve Your Back Layout in Torpedo/ Overhead Scull

• Do your Feet sink?
  
• Are your hips underwater?
• Do you travel headfirst or footfirst?

Members Click Here for More

Tension and Center of Gravity
The red ball represents your center of gravity- the center of the mass of your body. This moves according to the position of your body as well as muscular tension.
When your feet sink there can be several causes:

• Your feet and legs are too tight
  
• You are pressing your feet down under the water in order to try to keep your face the surface- because your are creating splash with your arms and having difficulty breathing
  
• Your arms are too shallow or close to the surface
  

Your hips may sink because:

• Your thighs are rolled inward with a lot of tension
  
• Incorrect alignment with hips piked
  
• Stomach/ abdominal muscles are tightened too much
  

Tips to Improve your Layout:

• Shift your weight / center of gravity into your upper chest or back
• Lengthen the front of your body- especially the stomach and hips
• Feel slightly arched in the lower back to lengthen the front
• Relax the tension in your legs
  
• Scull as gently as possible- slowly and calmly
  

Extension of Body and Mind

• Reach long out through your toes as if trying to touch the opposite end of the pool
• Lengthen your spine and neck
• Extend out through your fingertips as you scull
  
• Feel like you lengthen your bones without tensing your muscles
  
• Imagine and visualize that your body is stretched across the surface of the water
  
• Calm your mind- the layout is the time to be still, calm and relaxed. Do as little as possible.
  

#58 Tuesday Tip: Tips for Jupiter Fishtail to Knight Transition

Extension is a key part of this transition.

• As the images show, primary extension is from the center of the hips straight up to the sky.
• There is also some extension necessary out through both legs but this should be secondary to extending straight up.
• Wait to extend out and up through the vertical leg of the knight until it reaches vertical.
• The abdominal and buttocks muscles should be relaxed slightly before initiating the transition. This allows the transition to start gently and smoothly. If the core muscles remain too tense, the move will start abruptly and unevenly.
• Use the muscles on the back side of the body, the upper hamstrings and the buttocks primarily to move the legs.
• Move the legs from the hips in order to help maintain the same angle between them.
• Imagine that the legs are a single unit not two separate entities.

Sculling, Visualization and Strategy Tips for Members Here

#57 Tuesday Tip: Tips for a Better Kip Lift
Members Click Here for 3 more Tips

Tip #1

1. In the inverted tuck, you should look  straight up your shins.
   
2. This requires a tight or compact tuck position with the back and neck rounded.
   
3. Looking straight up gives you a good reference for the vertical line of the shins.
   
4. Look up the shins until your knees leave the surface.
   

Tip # 2
Extend up the shins.
Lengthen from the knees up through the shins, ankles and toes.

Tip #3

1. Stay as narrow as possible.
2. Feel as if there is a wall in front of your shins and behind your back. as you extend, do not open out wider than the imaginary walls.
3. A coach or another swimmer could place a kick board or hand to mimic the walls and indicate the narrow border for the swimmer.
4. Lift legs up rather than opening out.

#56 Tuesday Tip: Why is it easy to let your shoulders out in a fishtail?

Balance
It is easier to hold and maintain a balanced position in the water than a more unstable position.
Why do your shoulders arch out behind the vertical line?
If your support scull is centered forward of the vertical leg too far, you will be unbalanced. The forward leg at the surface does not require much support. The buoyant effect of the water should be enough to support it unless you are pulling it underwater.
Support scull should be centered on supporting the vertical leg. If your scull is forward, your shoulders can arch back to create balanced support. Your lungs filled with air provide additional buoyancy and will help hold you up.
Members Click Here for More

#55 Tuesday Tip: Tips for Ariana & Back Walkover Height
Members Click Here for More Info

Lifting the first leg of the Ariana or

back Walkover is a difficult skill.



How can you use you hips, arms and

focus to get higher?

• As you move into the surface arch, make sure the hips are moving over the head.
• The hips should move headfirst across the surface. This requires good reverse torpedo.
  
• Push or squeeze your buttocks forward to continue the forward movement into the surface arch.
  
• Squeezing the buttocks forward and up at an angle will help to achieve a better arch in the hips.
  
• The hips should be arched more than the middle back.
  

• As the arms transition into split arm scull, reach forward and scull forward with the front arm.
• Use the front arm to continue moving the hips over the head.
• Make sure the back/top arm slides or slices gently through the water so it does not push you foot first.
  
• Reach back with the upper as far as you can with minimal twist in the hips.
  
• Establish a stable base from elbow to elbow.
• This base of the upper arms and shoulders will help to support you.

• The back/top arm should be positioned so the palm is facing the bottom as it sculls in and out.
• The top arm provides support for height.

Members Click here for the Ariana and Back Walkover figure pages.

More Tuesday Tip info HERE for Members only!

#54 Tuesday Tip: Tips for Eggbeater Spins- Members Click Here for More Info

It's all about the preparation!

Good Spins or turns depend on a good preparatory position- whether you are upright or upside down.
The Prep Position should have:

• Good vertical alignment
  
• An arm or leg ( in eggbeater both) in position to gain good leverage on the water
  

On the right side of the picture, you can see the right leg and arm reach behind the original line of the body (from 9 to 3 o'clock). This will allow the swimmer to gain leverage with the right thigh, shin and foot as well as the arm to turn rapidly.

The "prep" position is shown on the left here with the 180 degree spin shown on the right.

• Reach back and around with the right leg- hip, thigh, shin and foot. Rotate from the right hip.
  
• Establish "grab" or leverage with the right leg.
  
• The left leg will also shift forward.
  
• Good hip and leg flexibility are needed.
  
• Reach back with the right arm.
  
• Keep the arms and legs within a small circumference so the spin is narrow.
  
• Rotate around the vertical axis through the spine and up through the top of the head.
  

Spin toward Left Hip Back
Reach back and around with the left hip, leg and arm.
Try in both directions.
After you have a good 180 degree spin, try to spin 360 degrees in one quick revolution.

#53 Tuesday Tip: Tips for Higher Throws

1. Start close to the surface- get as close to the surface as possible with all swimmers. This also helps with the speed of setting up and starting the lift.
2. Note that only 2 swimmers are "stacked"- the flyer- swimmer going off the throw and the swimmer upside down at the bottom of the throw.
3. Two swimmers are helping to lift the bottom swimmer.

• Swimmers 1 and 2 have hands under the feet of the flyer.
  
• Swimmers 3 and 4 lift swimmers 1 and 2 by holding their waist.
  
• Notice that swimmers 3 and 4 are at the same level or like swimmer 3- higher than the swimmer they are holding. Being higher or closer to the surface allows her to gain better leverage to lift swimmer 1 higher above the surface.
  
• Swimmers 5 and 6 have their heads at the same level as swimmer 7.
  
• Swimmer 7 is in a tuck position with her feet aligned under the flyer.
  

More tips for Paid Members Only Here

#52 Tuesday Tip: 10 Tips for a Higher Barracuda Thrust

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8 More Tips for Members Only- Click Here

#51 Tuesday Tip: Improve Your Ballet Leg Extension

Physical and Mental Extension
Physical extension is lengthening of the muscles and aligning the bones properly to create the longest line possible of the torso and limbs while managing tension in the muscles.

Mental extension is creating the image in the mind of the body extending far beyond its physical limits- imagining that the toes will touch the sky or break through the walls of the pool. "The body follows the mind."
Create a strong image in the mind and the body will cahse that image.
Members - Refer to Synchro as Simple as 1-2-3 for a more in depth look at good extension. In the  Synchro Library on the 2nd bookshelf

#50 Tuesday Tip: Technique for a Rapid Vertical Descent for a Routine

Routine choreography often requires a rapid descent from a vertical and the ability to prepare quickly for a move to follow- rise again in a vertical or other position, tuck somersault to surface with the head up, etc.

1. Press hands up overhead to achieve maximum height- this helps to accelerate the descent.
2. Keeping the arms aligned along the sides of the body, rotate the arms and pull down.
3. When the arms reach about waist level and height is below the knees, rotate the arms again so the palms are facing down and prepared to catch the water.
4. As the toes descend beneath the surface, do a small catch to stop the descent with the toes as close to the surface as possible.
5. Now you can use a press with the arms to rise, tuck, pull into a pike to thrust, etc.
   

Members Only- Click Here

#49 Tuesday Tip: 3 Techniques for a Slow Vertical Descent

Drills for Members Only plus Tips for Choosing the Best Technique- Click Here
All 3 Techniques can be used effectively for a good vertical descent.
Factors that influence the choice of technique:

• Strength and endurance of the support scull of the swimmer
  
• Good upward vertical extension
• Effective overhead torpedo or totem scull
• Vertical alignment
• Core control and stability

Technique 1: Support Scull

• The arms stay in essentially a support scull position.
  
• Gradually decrease or release pressure on the arms and hands in support scull to initiate the descent.
  
• The range of the scull should get smaller as height descends.
  
• Hands will slowly move up towards the shoulders as the swimmer nears their floating or buoyant point.
  
• Arms rotate so the palms face up toward the surface as swimmer reaches floating point.
  
• Use a small range to scull the toes beneath the surface.
  

Technique 2: Support Scull to Overhead During Descent

• Begin as in Technique 1 by gradually decreasing or releasing pressure on the hands and arms in support scull.
• While continuing small sculls with the hands, slowly move the hands up next to the shoulders and then overhead.
• Do a gentle totem or overhead torpedo scull.
• At the floating point, change sculls to a barrel scull or a reverse torpedo done overhead to pull the feet beneath the surface.
  

Technique 3: Support scull with Transfer to Overhead at Height

• While still at maximum height, fairly quickly transfer the hands to an overhead torpedo or totem scull.
• Stay in this scull until the floating point.
• Gradually reduce the pressure, tempo and size of the sculls to descend.
  
• At the floating point, change sculls to a barrel scull or a reverse torpedo done overhead to pull the feet beneath the surface.
  

#48 Tuesday Tip: How to do a Better Layout to Bent Knee Position

Better Layout to Bent Knee Position
The Fundamentals- draw one leg from a Back Layout into a Bent Knee Position
2 Key Points to Teach:

1. Draw the toe of the moving leg along the shin bone of the stationary leg.
   
2. Pull the heel toward the front of the ankle creating a straight line from the tip of the toes up through the knee. When the heel protrudes - the ankle is not extended properly- the straight line is broken.
   

Members Click Here for More

Tuesday Tips #25-47 in the  2nd Archive Tuesday Tips

Tuesday Tips #1 - 24 in the Tuesday Tips Archives

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