Alessandra

Time key frames:

0:00 – 0:24

Do not put bring your arms too deep when you have them in front of you, keep the arms closer to the surface but your head and chest does go deep.

You are taking too long gliding and this make you not being synchronize your 2nd kick with your pull, you want to finish them at the same time. You need to start the pull before

Exaggerate the hip movement, the kick comes from your core not only by bending your knees. 

On the pull try to bend a bit more your elbows before you start the pull. 

0:24 – 0:29

Good turn! 

When you do the breakout try being closer to the surface for the first stroke so you can carry the speed of the turn/underwaters, if you start the first stroke and you are too deep you will lose your speed.

0:29 – 0:40

You have a good extension on your recovery. 

Your hands are too close to each other, the arms should enter at the line of your shoulders, right know the arms are entering almost touching each other.

When you synchronize your 2nd kick and your pull, the recovery will be much easier, since you will combine the strength of both you will have more time to do the recovery with both arms.

Areas to work on, in general:  

• Keep practicing the dolphin movement, the movement comes from your hips and core. You can practice on your back, front and vertical kick.
• Work on your coordination of your stroke and then you can start with the other things. Keep practice! 
• keep your arms up close to the surface, this movement is going to help you have a more fluent stroke and be able to move your hips more and have a stronger kick.

Time key frames:

0:00 – 0:13

You have a good rotation but now you need to do the full movement of the pull do not rush it, let your arm go in straight, bend your elbow to pull and finish all the way to the end then bring the arm up, the more strokes doesn’t mean you will go faster on the contrary, you will go slower and get more tired.

Remember that when you are pulling you need to start bending your elbow so you pull the water backwards, it will help you grab more water and have a cleaner pull without many bubbles.

Make your kicks smaller, and do not move your knees up and down, your knees should not break out of the water, work on keeping them underwater.

0:13 – 0:29

Good turn, just try to do it more continuously, as soon as you turn from backstroke to freestyle, you should immediately send your head towards your knees asap. 

Good streamline! Just push of the wall, then wait a little bit more then start the dolphin kick, if you kick right aways you will cut the speed of the push.

Remember that when you do the breakout try being closer to the surface for the first stroke so you can carry the speed of the turn/underwaters, if you start the first stroke and you are too deep you will lose your speed.

0:29 – 0:36

Think about squeezing your core or flexing your abs while swimming backstroke, this will help keep your body flat

Your arms should enter in line with your shoulders, right now you are crossing the middle line of your head. (more with your left arm) 

When your leg is going down keep it straight. You want to bring your feet closer to the surface, the toes should touch the surface when you kick up. 

Areas to work on, in general:

• You can go slowly first, you have to concentrate on your corrections and then start swimming with more speed and strong.
• You can work slowly 2 times a week on your ankle flexibility, here is a video that can help you link 
• Remember to keep strong your hands aligned to your forearms. This will help you to have a better and efficient pull. 

Backstroke examples:

Time key frames:

0:00 – 0:23

You are doing your kick and your stroke at the same time, it should be your stroke first hands to the front then your kick, so when you begin throwing your hands to the front you should be starting your kick, and when you have them on the front you finish the kick (it will be the fastest part of your stroke)

Your head moves a lot up and down, try keeping it in a middle steady position. This helps you align your entire body.

Throw your hands to the front not down, it depends in the event, if you are swimming distances longer than 100 breast, then you can throw your hands a bit deeper to have a longer glide.

Take the momentum from your kick and use it to bring your hips up to the surface when you finish kicking, it will help you have a better body position In the water. 

0:23 – 0:31

Good turn!

On the turn you push a bit deep, then change the position to horizontal or maybe a bit diagonal towards the surface on the pullout .Make sure when you do the breakout after the pullout you are close to the surface so you carry the speed from the turn to your swim.

Now you are finishing the stramline to close to the surface and that do not let you brake the water with efficiency. 

0:31 – 0:44

The pull make it shorter/smaller, your arms are pulling too far back. Your elbows should never cross the line of your shoulders, when you arms pass the line of your shoulder they should be already touching your body.

Use your pull to bring your upper body out of the surface, your hands should finish touching the surface, from there throw your hands/arms and chest to the front. 

0:44 – 1:24

Your glide has improved significantly since the first session. Just remember to stay more towards the surface; you’re still sinking a bit your arms.

Great kick! Take advantage of it to exaggerate your glide.

On the turn, you got deeper into the streamline, very good. Remember to come up to the surface with power.

The knees do not separate too much from one another, there is a small opening but not to wide. A good drill is swimming breastroke with a pullbouy on your legs or a stretch band above your knees. 

Areas to work on, in general:

• You can do some exercise like swimming one stroke for two kicks, this will help you to feel your glide. 
• Make short distances trying to maintain the best technique possible. Like only kicks or only the arms (with pull).  This will help you to improve all your stroke. 
• Doing butterfly kick, Work with you breast kick, you can practice even outside of the water: Breast kick video

Breast examples:

Time key frames:

0:00 – 0:17

You must lower your head more when you are not breathing and when you breathe, rest your head on your shoulder opposite the side that you breathe.

Make sure that when your arms enter the water you fully stretch your arms to the front before starting the pull. Right now you keep your elbow a bit bend.

Do not bend your wrist to pull, open your elbow and pull with your hand in line with your forearm.

You are pulling with your elbow first, you need to “open your elbow to the side so it gets in the same line as your hand and you pull with your hand/forearm. You might need to work on your shoulder mobility in order to achieve this. Mobility videos

You are kind of bending your lower back, which make your hips to sink a bit, make sure to have the hips touching the surface at all times. 

0:17 – 0:24

When you turn, rotate your hands and use your arms to do a curl so you can flip better and have a better position to get into a streamline faster.

Make sure to have a tight streamline everytime you push off the wall, give it time to take advantage of your push. 

Move more your hips when doing butterfly underwater kick. With the dolphin kicks you start to come closer to the surface, and make sure the first stroke is as strong as possible so you can carry the speed of the wall to your stroke.

0:24 – 0:32

Keep your head more steady, rotate breath then come back to a neutral position, you sometime move your head up and down.

Focus on is bringing your kick closer to the surface and focus on having your legs straighter when going up, you want your toes to touch the surface when you kick.

Don’t forget you need to finish your pull all the way back, do not bring it out before.

Sometimes your elbow breaks the surface first, the hand should enter first then the arm follows.

Areas to work on, in general:

• Work short distances keeping the best possible technique, as you improve, increase the swimming distances without changing your technique.
• Work on one thing at the time. Focus on correcting your pull, then once you correct it go to the next point.
• Work on your ankle flexibility, do dryland training these videos can help you: videos 

Free examples: