Figure Transitions
Surface Arch Drill
Training the Arms without Worrying About the Legs. I learned this years ago at a synchro camp for coaches and athletes and I have been using it ever since. It is great because the swimmers only need to focus on what the arms are doing. Here is the video of the different options of the drill! Steps: 1.…
Read MoreSurface Prawn Open to Split – Drill on Deck
Do you ever have challenges getting the horizontal leg to stay stationary when the other leg is opening to split? What about the hips shifting while the leg opens to split? Those are common errors that happen to swimmers on the pike to split transition for Surface Prawn. Below is a link to a drill…
Read MoreFlamingo Bent Knee Roll Back
I believe the roll back is a misunderstood transition. Swimmers too often begin with the head. This one needs to start like a thrust, with the lower back. The hips need to lift up, so the lower back has some room to sneak back. The correct sequencing should go: Hip lift, pelvic tilt and the…
Read MoreFirst Leg of Swordfish Explained
I wanted to write a blog on the first leg of swordfish to go along with my video I posted the other day. If you have not seen the video yet here it is. Why Centre Of Buoyancy and Gravity is So Important The first point to understand is that we are very floaty in…
Read MoreFront Pike Pull Down
Sorry this blog post took longer than I thought it would. I am continually searching for new ways to bring you the best content possible and make this blog a quality resource for everyone. Anyways, now to some synchro. One thing that really bothers me is when swimmers are inaccurate at basic positions. Especially the ones…
Read MoreFirst Leg of Walkover Back and Ariana
I think the first leg of walkover back and ariana gives coaches and athletes much grief. It is one the most requested skills for me to go over when I consultant. Today’s blog is going to cover the basics of teaching and correcting the beginning of this skill. I will cover the transition scull in…
Read MoreCorrecting the Flamingo Unroll
This post is dedicated to all transitions that have an unroll; kip, flamingo bent knee, barracuda or any other unroll you may come across during figures. Here is a video of 13-15 swimmer performing the flamingo unroll. I am not a proponent of calling this transition an unroll. Unroll is not a clear enough description…
Read More3 Tips For Coaching 12&under Figures
So this season is going to be a bit scary for some 12&under coaches for a few reasons. One of the reasons is that there are all new figures for this young age group and some of them are not so easy. Secondly, you probably will have some swimmers with little to no experience in…
Read MoreThe Chicken and Egg of Synchronized Swimming
I see many coaches making a fatal mistake when they are correcting figures. It comes back to the age old question of whether the chicken came first or was it the egg? In synchro, the chicken or the egg question seems to be, do you correct the body position first or do you correct the…
Read More5 Coaching Tips for the New Junior FINA figure “London”
Have you been to the pool yet to play around with the new FINA figures? I am hoping you have at least read the new figures. I have to admit I am the kind of person who likes to try the figures still. Even though I am sure I look not so hot doing them.…
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