Coaching the Details: Turns, Underwaters, and Breakouts STEVE HAUFLER Orinda Country Club

1. Coaching the Details:Turns, Underwaters, and BreakoutsSTEVE HAUFLEROrinda Country Club

2. General Comments • Areas of Emphasis • Freestyle Turns • Backstroke Turns • Fly-to-Back, Breast-to-Free, Fly-to-Fly, Breast-to-Breast • Back-to-Breast • Underwater Swimming • Breakout Tips

3. Areas of Emphasis • What to watch for • What to teach • Approach • Change of Direction – Turn Efficiency/Speed • Foot Plant • Streamline • Breakouts • Common Mistakes • Magic Words • Teaching Progression for Beginners

4. TURNSGeneral Comments • Turns are gymnastics in the water with a wall • Think of coaching turns like coaching a stroke (progressions, drills, discipline) • Think of the turn as the transition from the approach stroke into the wall to the breakout stroke, rather than just the turn on the wall (from flags to flags) • Teach technique - be willing to make the trade off of technique now for speed later • Teach world-class technique to swimmers at every level • Start teaching proper turn technique with 8 year olds • Emphasize legality for all turns during workout (two hand touches, backstroke turns, pull downs)

5. Slow, good turns are O.K. in practice (until technique is perfected!) • Assess which part of a turn is weak: technique, turn speed, underwater speed or breakout? • Engrained bad habits are hard to fix for turns (likewise with any stroke) • Proper technique turns will ALWAYS be better (in the long run) than a fast, bad turn • For fast short course swimming, turn efficiency is critical • Teach the backstroke turn before freestyle • Teach the Fly-to-Back turn before the other open turns

6. FLIP TURNS (Includes Back & Free) WHAT TO WATCH FOR: No breathing last two strokes Head submerges on approach Roll begins during the final stroke Lean on your chest to lift your legs Get your heel to your butt and then spring your heels at the target Nose stays close to the legs

7. Hands are used for leverage elbows remain narrow • Hands in streamline before the feet hit the wall • Hit the wall with the balls of your feet • Spring off the wall • Rotate to front during streamline • Break the surface before finish of first arm stroke

8. WHAT TO TEACH: • Approach Maintain speed and avoid deceleration into the wall Hold breath inside flags on approach Use “submarine or blind” approaches to avoid looking up or dolphin motion into turn Know pool markings so you can turn without looking for the wall or use bottom edge of pool • Change of Direction Use momentum to help spin speed Get heels to butt and then spring heels at the target Feet should travel shortest distance possible to wall Tight ball fast rotation

9. Foot Plant Always use a “ready position” when pushing off the wall in practice Feet should be planted on target when in ready position Plant balls of feet on the wall at shoulder width Toes pointed up

10. Streamline Hands are used for leverage during turn, elbows remain narrow while palms come to head Hands in streamline before the feet hit the wall Rotate to front during streamline, start rotation at the shoulders Two squeezes - your thumb on your hand and your biceps on your ears Keep the head in the neutral position Streamline your feet Maintain a straight body line off the wall

11. FREESTYLECommon Mistakes • Breathing into the turn. The swimmer loses speed and loses sight of the wall/edge/bottom • Lifting the head into the turn, creating a slow spin (wider arc.) • Getting too close to the wall. The hands usually flair/scull out causing a pause on the wall. • Turning the body on the wall to push off on the stomach.

12. BREAKOUTFreestyle Start with dolphin kicks (2 to ?) followed by flutter kicks, then a breakout stroke. Dolphin kicking and going into a breakout pull, without flutter kicking, usually causes a loss of speed during the breakout. Magic Words: “Feel your back come out of the water, the pencil stays in.”

13. Breakout Steps for Freestyle • Blow bubbles out nose • Straight over flip • Mid-pool 4 strokes and head lead position • Repeat above adding submersion • Submersion with straight over flip • Straight over flip with “noodle” (mid-pool) • Straight over flip with noodle and let go, and make a streamline (still on back) • Towards wall, with noodle, let go, make streamline and push off • Approach wall swimming, head lead approach, submerge, flip straight over, arms to streamline, and push off on back • Repeat above adding roll to side after push off • Build on #9 & #10 by adding a roll to stomach • Finally, add pull from streamline position without breathing

14. Backstroke Breakout Start with dolphin kick (3 to ?), then flutter kicks, then 2 breakout strokes. The first breakout stroke should start when the head is one foot below the surface. The second breakout stroke should start before the head breaks the surface and should bring the first stroke out of the water aggressively. Magic Words: “Go kick, pull, breathe” (Not kick, breathe, pull) “Think of the cup right before your face comes out of the water.”

15. OPEN OR TWO HAND TURNS (Includes Fly, Breast, Fly to Back, Breast to Free) WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Acceleration to the wall Approach the wall on stroke Eyes looking at bottom of pool Knees fast to head (a small ball spins faster) Head stays neutral/some may tuck Elbow the robber and call the police Feet pointed to the side corner gutter (ready position) Late breath or none at all Back of the head in first Find streamline immediately

16. WHAT TO TEACH: • Approach There is no right way to do a bad approach Adjust approach stroke both at the start and finish of a lap Practice different breakout points so your stroke count fits the pool Know when to use 2 long vs. 3 short strokes • Change of Direction Use momentum to help spin speed Head to knee pulls Head to knee back spins Move feet to target on the wall Move hands to streamline

17. Foot Plant Always use a “ready position” when pushing off the wall in practice Feet should be planted on target when in ready position Plant balls of feet on the wall at shoulder width Toes pointed at side wall

18. Streamline (teach this in parts and then as a fluid motion) Elbow the robber and call the police Elbow fast to side as arm brushes stomach Hand to ear with head in line with shoulder Hands meet in streamline position Two squeezes - your thumb on your hand and your biceps on your ears Keep the head in the neutral position Streamline your feet Maintain a straight body line off the wall

19. OPEN or TWO HAND TURNSCommon Mistakes • Tucking the chin as the knees are pulled up • Taking a short stroke into the wall • Pulling into the wall (let the arm absorb the wall like a shock absorber) • Lifting the head up • Turning head around to side or front • Spinning feet to a “toes down” position • Big arm over the top • Circle swimming turn, leg flairs out

20. BREASTSTROKE BREAKOUT The pull part of the pull-down should angle the body slightly to the surface. The approach should start with the hands recovering tight (against the body.) The kick should be fast and late – as the hands are shooting into the streamline. Bringing the heels up early causes the body to slow down. Magic Words: “Keep looking in the mirrors through all 3 ZOOMS. The kick gives the 3rd Zoom.” “Stay in the water when you press out.”

21. BUTTERFLY BREAKOUT Build the kick speed to the surface. Kids often slow the kick rate down as they approach the surface. Try to get them to build their kick speed into an aggressive kick on the breakout stroke. Magic Words: “Keep looking in the mirror when you start to swim.” “Feel like your face is on a skateboard when you start to swim.” “Start first pull before your back comes out of the water. Keep holding your breath.”

22. Breakout Steps forOpen or Two Hand Turns • Learn “Ready Position” • Learn correct push-off from ready position • Approaching the wall, touch with two hands while keeping eyes down • From extended position, bring knees up with one arm back and assume ready position • Freeze in ready position (100% correct) • Wait for coach clearance of “GO” • Practice • Encourage swimmer to keep going through the motions without freezing, “don’t stop for each step”

23. Workout Tips for Breast/Fly Turns TIMED TURNS (from when the hands touch to when the toes leave the wall) • 1.4 slow • 1.2 ok • 1.1 good • 1.0 very good • < 1.0 excellent

24. BACK TO BREAST TURNS(Includes open, spin and drop and …) WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Swimmer maintains speed on approach No peaking for the wall on approach Legs stay on surface during the approach Approach the wall on a full stroke Fast small ball rotation Ball of feet plant on the wall shoulder width apart in ready position Trailing hand “scoops” to bring body under water Wall hand leaves from ready position “calls police” and returns to streamline Hands are in streamline when feet plant on the wall

25. WHAT TO TEACH: • Approach Stroke count and flag angles Use the “now” game to see if they now where the wall is Treat the approach as a backstroke finish, except turn palms down for hand touch • Change of Direction Use momentum to help spin speed Keep head position still and use “spot points” for turn (shoulder-to-shoulder) Bring knees to chest and keep legs shallow Scoop trailing hand up to submerge body When in a tight ball pivot feet into ready position

26. Foot Plant Always use a “ready position” when pushing off the wall in practice Feet should be planted on target when in ready position Plant balls of feet on the wall at shoulder width Toes pointed at side wall

27. Streamline Hands in streamline before the feet hit the wall Rotate to front during streamline, start rotation at the shoulders Two squeezes - your thumb on your hand and your biceps on your ears Keep the head in the neutral position Streamline your feet Maintain a straight line off wall

28. Breakout Steps forBack-to-Breast Turns • Begin in ready position • Approach wall, then grab with palm down • Chin from shoulder-to-shoulder • Reassume ready position and FREEZE • Wait for coach clearance to “GO” • Encourage continuous movement throughout the turn ( i.e. without stopping)