Today I’d like to talk about body position, one of the five Core Values here at Gold Medal Swim School. What do we mean when we say body position? What does it entail? There’s a lot more to it than simply looks and appearance, so let’s delve deeper.
A swimmer’s body position is a lot like the frame of a car. If the frame is straight, and wheels and an engine are attached to it, then what we have is a good, functional vehicle we can drive. In swimming, things work the same way. For example, if your swimmer is swimming Backstroke with a tall, straight body (meaning a body that is firm) and they add kicks and arms to it, they will move efficiently down the pool.
However, young swimmers instead will often pull their heads up, causing their bodies to sink, or wiggle their bodies side-to-side, causing drag. This is a safety concern because a body sinking is not a safe position, nor is it easy to maintain. Correct body position, on the other hand, gives you the ability to maintain a float easily, an important and potentially life-saving skill. In terms of competitive swimming, swimmers aren’t as efficient with improper body position because they spend so much of their time fighting sinking and fighting the water by moving side-to-side.
So, the idea is when I watch swimmers, regardless of age, I look simply at body position first, just like the I do with the car I drive. If the body position is straight, if the head is in the right place, if the body is firm, we can attach speed to it and zoom down the pool. If the frame of our car is straight, we can attach speed to it and drive down the road.
We emphasize body position in our curriculum because we believe proper body position is vital to your swimmer’s safety around the pool and their long-term swimming success.
Looking forward to seeing you around the pool!
Yours in swimming,
Mike Walker
