教育部游泳檢測十級標準

第一級 海馬 具備水中行走10公尺、水中閉氣5秒及水中認物的能力，即可通過海馬（第一級）的認證。海馬的眼睛可以上下、左右或前後的轉動，可用伶俐的眼睛向各方觀看，以直立姿勢游泳，利用背鰭的擺動前進，與之前所述水中行走及水中認物之特色相符合，所以第一級乃是以海馬為象徵物。

第二級 章魚 中、小學學生具備水中閉氣10秒、韻律呼吸10次及水中拾物2次的能力，即可通過章魚（第二級）的認證。章魚是水中最聰明的無脊椎動物，有八隻觸手用來抓取東西，與之前所述水中拾物之特色相符合，所以第二級乃是以章魚為象徵物。。

第三級 蝌蚪 中、小學學生具備離地漂浮10秒、蹬牆漂浮後站立及韻律呼吸20次之能力，即可通過蝌蚪（第三級）的認證。蝌蚪具有長長的尾巴，能長時間的漂浮於水面上，與之前所述離地漂浮及蹬牆漂浮之特色相符合，所以第三級乃是以蝌蚪為象徵物。。

第四級 海獺 中、小學學生具備蹬牆漂浮前進5公尺、藉物漂浮15秒、藉物打水前進10公尺，即可通過海獺（第四級）的認證。海獺通常胸前抱著石頭，當作敲開蚌類的的工具，且具有大型的蹼狀後肢，適合在水中游泳，與之前所述藉物漂浮及藉物打水之特色相符合，所以第四級乃是以海獺為象徵物。。

第五級 企鵝 中、小學學生具備藉物打水前進15公尺且換氣3次以上、游泳前進5公尺，即可通過企鵝（第五級）的認證。企鵝具有防水性絕佳的翅膀，在游泳或潛水時是游泳的划槳，游泳時會露出水面吸口氣再潛入水中，即使在換氣時游速也不會減慢，與之前所述藉物打水前進及換氣之特色相符合，所以第五級乃是以企鵝為象徵物。。

第六級 海豹 中、小學學生具備游泳前進15公尺，且需換氣3次以上，即可通過海豹（第六級）的認證。海豹的速度每秒鐘可以游6公尺，相當於每小時20公里的速度，利用肺呼吸，常常需要到海面上來換氣，與之前所述游泳前進及換氣之特色相符合，所以第六級乃是以海豹為象徵物，本級亦是教育部規定國民小學學生畢業前應達到之級數。。

第七級 鯊魚 中、小學學生具備游泳前進25公尺，且需換氣3次以上，即可通過鯊魚（第七級）的認證。鯊魚頭部後方的胸鰭就像機翼，以協助鯊魚滑行，其行動相當迅速，每小時可達30公里，其游泳之速度高於海豹，所以第七級乃是以鯊魚為象徵物，本級亦是教育部規定國民中學學生畢業前應達到之級數。。

第八級 海豚 中、小學學生具備蝶式、仰式、蛙式、捷式（任選2式）游泳前進各25公尺，即可通過海豚（第八級）的認證。海豚具有發達的大腦及回音定位的特殊結構，且具有極快游泳速度及深度潛水能力，每小時游泳速度為50至100公里，其游泳之速度遠高於鯊魚，所以第八級乃是以海豚為象徵物。。

第九級 鯨魚 中、小學學生具備蝶式、仰式、蛙式、捷式（任選3式）游泳前進各25公尺，即可通過鯨魚（第九級）的認證。鯨魚靠尾巴上下擺動在水中前進，擁有如槳一般的鰭腳，用以拍水、平衡或停止，其速度快於海豚，每小時游泳速度高於100公里，所以第九級乃是以鯨魚為象徵物。。

第十級 劍魚 中、小學學生具備蝶式、仰式、蛙式、捷式四式游泳前進各25公尺，即可通過劍魚（第十級）的認證。 劍魚是魚類中游泳冠軍，身體成流線型，肌肉、尾鰭發達，呈新月形，運動時阻力小，利用長矛般的長頷劈水前進，最快速度可達每小時130公里，其速度快於鯨魚，所以第十級乃是以劍魚為象徵物。

Very Basic Swimming 很基楚的泳訓

(especially with triathletes in mind) 特別是有心參加三鐵
There are three objectives to swim training for triathletes: Go long. Go easy. Go fast三鐵的泳訓目標主要有三個: 游的長, 游的輕鬆, 游的快

Go long. 游的長 (把自己慣游的泳式都改成自由式)
If you are just beginning, there are two ways to increase your distance. You can do a mile from day one, changing your stroke to anything easy, even sidestroke and elementary backstroke, whenever necessary. After a week, restrict the non-freestyle to something like every fourth lap, later to every eighth lap, until you've eliminated non-freestyle altogether. Or, using no alternative strokes, you can swim shorter distances, strictly limiting rest time to ten breaths, gradually increasing the yardage. Both methods should take about six weeks until you are able to do the whole mile non-stop, all freestyle.
Take a look at: Zero to 1650 yards
如果你只是個初學者，有兩個方法可以使你游的更遠。你可以在一天之中游一大段距離，先用自由式游，然後改成你游的最輕鬆的泳式，只要你覺得必要，即使是側泳和基本仰泳也可以。一週之後，限制游這些非捷泳的泳式，就好像是第四趟才游非捷泳，再來第八趟才游非捷泳，直到全程都用自由式游。
另一個方法是不用其它替代泳式，只游自由式。可以先游一個短距離，嚴格限制休息的時間在十次呼吸之間，慢慢加長游泳的距離。兩個方法都應該練習約六個星期，直到你可以全程都用自由式，而且不用中斷休息。可以參考從0到1500公尺.

Go easy. 游的輕鬆
This is a matter of technique which primarily consists of DO NOT GET IN YOUR OWN WAY. What does that mean? Mostly a series of Do Nots. Do Not place or move any part of your body in such a way as to interfere with your forward progress. Sounds obvious, doesn't it? E.g., do not allow your kick to be very deep or extend beyond the width of your body; keep your arms within the invisible narrow tube in which you are swimming; move your head as little as possible, in a line with your torso; do not tense up with excessive concern for your technique!
要游的輕鬆這就要看泳技了。所謂泳技就是不要用你的方法游。什麼意思呢？這一大堆的不要，就是不要錯置或移動你身體的任何部位來干擾到你向前邁進。說的夠清楚了罷！例如：不要讓你的腳踢水太深，或張的太開超過你的身體寬度;當你游泳時讓你的手臂划水進入一個無形的狹窄空管中;頭部儘可能少晃動;身體保持一直線;不要因為過度關心你的泳技而使身體太緊繃。
There are frequent changes in swim training theories; often the prevalent advice is based on observing whoever won the most recent olympic swims and may have little to do with what is best for you. You can improve your own methods by imitating those whose swimming seems to you to be effortless as well as fast, and you can do drills at least once per week. Drills: These are just a few. Swim one length one arm only, return using the other arm. This will also be an opportunity to learn to breathe on both sides. Catch-up means to touch your hand outstretched in front of you before you pull. Hesitation is a delay at the end of your pull while your other arm remains up front. Ripple means dragging your fingers through the water close to your body, keeping your elbows directly above your hand. Fist swimming is just that, sensing the leverage your arms get without the use of your hands. Tarzan is, of course, with your head up, a handy ability for triathlons. It is always a good idea to count your strokes frequently and reduce them if you can do so without slowing down. Although the best swimmers often have very low stroke counts, some fast world class swimmers, such as Janet Evans, do not. Do what works for you.
游泳訓練的理論經常改變，最普遍的建議是觀察最近贏得奧林匹克的金牌選手，即使只有一點點能做到的，可能對我們都是最好的。你可以改進自己的游泳方式，藉由模仿這些我們看起來游的輕鬆又快速的泳士。而且你可每個星期至少一次做下面的訓練。
訓練(這裡只是少數的一些)：
單臂划水一段距離，回程時用另外一隻手臂練習。這也可以幫助訓練兩邊換氣。
Catch-up：意指一手划水結束，提臂離開水面向前入水伸展，碰到在前方伸展等待划水的另一手,另一手才開始划水。
Hesitation：你的另一個手臂保持伸展在前方另一手延遲划水結束後的動作(即提臂高肘保持在水面)。
Ripple：意指讓你的手指靠近你的身體拖著水面前進，你的手肘要筆直的在最高點。
握拳划水：不使用手掌划水，來感覺手臂的槓桿原理。
泰山：就是指抬頭捷泳，這是三項鐵人最精熟的能力。
去計算你划水的頻率，然後在速度不變的情況下減少划次。儘管，最好的泳士划次都很少，但是還是有一些速度很快的世界級泳士像Janet Evans划頻就不少了，所以選擇最適合自己的方式去練習。

Go fast. 游的快
There is only one way to increase your speed. You must break the distance into smaller segments that can be swum faster - sometimes much faster - than your race distance pace. This is the meat and potatoes (or Powerbar and Gu) of all swim training. It is called intervals and is done with very short or medium or long rests. Do all three. Here are a few sets:
只有一個方法可以增加你的速度，你必需把長距離分割成幾個小段來游，才可能游的比長距離的競賽更快。這是所有游泳訓練最基本的部份，它叫『間隔訓練』而在每個間隔之間做短暫、中等或較長的休息。下面有一些例子。
500 meters broken 100's: 4x25 meters on :30, repeat 4 times with 30 seconds between each 4.
2000 ladder: 400, 4x100; 300, 4x75; 200, 4x50; 100, 4x25.
1600 pyramid: 2x50 on :60, 2x100 on 2:, 2x150 on 3:, 2x200 on 4:, and back down.
3000 ladder: 200, 2x175, 3x150, 4x125, 5x100, 6x75, 7x50, 8x25.
Race distance ÷ 100: If, for example, you plan to do a 1/2 IM, swim 20X100 with very short rests.
Race distance ÷ 10: If you hope to an IM, go 10x400 with short rests.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER
If you are swimming three times per week, concentrate on distance one day, drills another, and speed the third day, although not exclusively. Variations, using different strokes and employing swim *toys* such as kickboard, pull buoy, and fins, will make it easier and more pleasant to increase the length of your workout. I have fifty workouts for either 2000 or 3000 thousand meters at: 50 SwimWorkouts
如果你一週游泳三次，用一天專心游長泳，第二天練泳技，第三天練速度，儘管不是很專業。做多樣的變化練習，使用不同的划水方法，或利用游泳器材如浮板、浮球、蛙鞋，這些都能讓你更輕鬆更容易增加練習的距離。

三鐵選手在游泳項目要勝出的第一選擇 — 捷泳

速度是很多比賽論定輸贏的標準，鐵人三項無疑的就是競速型的比賽。想在競速型的比賽得到好成績，那麼如何在最短的時間內逹到最遠的距離，就成了選手們訓練的目標。
三鐵選手在比賽游泳選用捷泳的優勢有兩個
第一，在游泳四式中，捷泳的速度最快。
第二，在四式中，捷泳用到腿的比例比其它三式都少，這也就是捷泳省力的地方。在游泳運動的過程中，過度的使用腿打水是非常耗能的，除非短程衝刺，否則腳打水主要目地是保持身體的平衡和漂浮，前進速度的快慢關鍵則在於划手。三鐵中其它兩個項目：腳踏車和跑步用到腿的百分比都在百分之90以上，如果游泳時能減少腿的疲累，把節省下來的力量用到其它兩項，這是最有效率方法。
而且，在水中不當的用力，對速度並不一定有正面的加分，反而只會浪費力氣。
所以，優秀如你的三鐵選手，如果你不是用捷泳參加三鐵比賽，是否該考慮好好再訓練自己的捷泳。

蛙泳技巧解析

Breaststroke蛙式
The Stroke 划水
The breaststroke has several benefits for fitness swimmers: It’s an excellent way to vary the challenge and pace of a workout, the leg motion is terrific for toning your inner and outer thighs, and the arm motion is great for toning your chest muscles.
蛙泳對增進泳者的健康有多種助益：對於多變化的挑戰和達到逐步的功效它是一個相當出色的方法；踢腿的動作對調整大腿的內外肌群有相當大的功效；手臂的動作可以大大的強化胸部的肌群。
Contrary to how it might look, breaststrokers do not move their arms and legs simultaneously when they swim. Rather, they pull, inhale, kick and glide, although there is some overlap between the elements. There should be a clear distinction between the kick and pull. As with other swim strokes, it’s a good idea to break down the breaststroke into its component parts before trying to put it all together.
蛙式和它看起來可能是如何，正好相反。蛙泳者游蛙式時手腳不會同時擺動。儘管在一些基本動作之間有些重疊的地方，蛙泳的順序通常是抱水，吸氣，踢腳，滑行(漂浮)。蛙式划手和踢腳之間應該要有很清楚的區隔，一如練習其它三式的划水一樣，再試著游蛙式全泳之前，先將蛙式動作分解拆開，個別練習，這會是一個好方法。
Arm Motion 手部的動作
Imagine your hands tracing a heart-shaped Valentine in the water, beginning and ending with your arms extended in front of you, just below the water’s surface. During the pull, your arms should trace a smooth, outward, downward curve followed by an accelerated, sharper upward movement that brings your hands together beneath your chest. In the recovery, your arms should shoot straight forward, returning to your starting position.
想像你的手在水中追隨著情人節時的心形軌跡運作，划手的開始和結束你的手臂都要向前打直伸展，而且剛好就只在水面下方。手臂划動的軌跡應該是平滑向外，向下劃弧，緊接著加速切角向上移動，把你的雙手帶到胸前。還原時，你的手臂應該筆直射向前方，回到你的初始體位。
Leg Motion 腿部的動作
Most fitness and competitive swimmers prefer the newer, narrower “whip kick” to the old-fashioned “frog kick.” Bend your knees-not more than hip-width apart – and bring your heels together near your buttocks. Simultaneously flex your feet and turn your toes outward so your lower legs form a V. then whip your lower legs down, around and together in an outward, backward semi-circle, finishing with your knees straight and your toes pointed. This circular back-ward motion is the main propulsive force behind the kick.
大部份的健泳型或競速型泳客比較喜歡較新的、窄角度的『鞭笞踢法』，而不是己過時的『青蛙踢法』。屈膝開腳的的寬度不要超過臀部，把腳踝帶向你的臀部。同時彎曲你的膝蓋，腳板轉向外，讓你的小腿成為一個V字型，然後像甩鞭一樣，甩動你的小腿向下環繞，一起向外向後劃半圓，結束後你的膝打直，腳趾伸直，這個向後的半圓動作是踢水後的主要推進力量。
Body Position 身體的體位
Prone and streamlined. At the beginning and end of your stroke, extend your arms in front of you with your hands together, four to eight inches below the water’s surface. Your palms and thumbs should be angled slightly downward. Straighten your legs behind you, keeping your hips and feet just below the water’s surface. Your hips should be undulating visibly during the stroke cycle.
俯伏和流線型。在蛙泳划水的開始和結束時，雙手一起手臂向前伸展，約在水面下四到八吋。你的手掌和拇指應該有點輕微向下的角度。你的腿向後伸直，讓你的臀部、膝剛好在水面下。你的臀部在整個蛙泳動作的循環中應該有明顯的波浪起伏。
Breaststroke Breathing 蛙式呼吸
Head Position 頭部的位置
Hold your head still, with your eyes fixed at a point on the water just in front of your hands. Keep your chin locked and slightly tucked.
固定你的頭部不動，你的眼睛鎖定在水面上一點剛好是你手的前方。固定下巴不動稍微內斂。
Timing 時間點
Two common breaststroke errors are breathing too early in your stroke, which robs your pull of its power, and lifting your chin to breathe. Instead, keep your face in the water as your hands press down and outside the shoulders, then breathe as your hands reverse direction and sweep inward again.
蛙泳兩個普遍的錯誤就是過早換氣，這會劫掠你推進力的動能，還會造成抬高下巴呼吸。保持你的臉在水中，當你的手下壓，向外開至肩膀時，然後換氣，這個時間點和你的手再次轉向，向內抱水時同時。
TIP Breathe by lifting your torso rather than just your chin. As your hands sweep inward, your arm action should lift your shoulders out of the water. Inhale as your body clears the water. Fully extend your hands before your face goes back under.
藉由抬起你的身體來換氣，而不是只是抬你的下巴。當你的手向內抱水，你手臂的動作應該抬起你的肩膀出水面，當你的身體出離水面後吸氣。在你的臉回到水中以前，完全伸展你的手。
Breaststroke Coordination蛙式的協調
The correct sequence should be: Pull, inhale, kick and glide. Bend your knees to begin your kick at a pint just after you’ve inhaled, with your arms under your chest. Then, as your arms begin their recovery, your knees should be bent to their fullest – some breaststrokers have enough flexibility to touch their heels to their buttocks. Your legs should supply at least 50 percent of your propulsion in the breaststroke.
正確的連續動作應該是：抱水，吸氣，踢水，滑行。在你換氣時，你的手臂在你的胸前，之後彎曲你的膝蓋開始踢水。然後當你的手臂開始前伸復原，你的膝應該完成彎曲----有些蛙泳者有很好的柔軟度，讓他們的腳踝可以碰觸到他們的臀部。在蛙泳的過程中，你的腿應該至少要提供50%推進力。

仰泳技巧解析

Backstroke仰式
The stroke 划水
The backstroke is not so much swum on the back as it is on the side. Accomplished backstrokers have the ability to rotate power-fully and rhythmically from one side to the other. They spend as little time as possible flat on their backs – where the water’s resistance is greatest – and as much time as possible on their sides, where they minimize the amount of body surface that must push through the water.
仰式並不是用背躺著游，大部份都是側身游。要游好泳式必須具備這樣的能力：能夠強而有力又有節奏的將身體從一側向另一側滾動。他們儘可能的不要花太多時間讓背部平躺在水上，因為平躺水上的水阻最大—而且儘可能要側身，這樣可以減少身體穿過水中的總表面積。
By rotating your body at the beginning of each (back) stroke, your hand can enter the water at a deeper level than it could if you remained flat on your back. The deeper your hand, the more powerful a fulcrum you’ll have to push water behind you.
Your head position is the key to controlling what the rest of your body does in the backstroke. Your head is the only thing that should never move in backstroke.
利用身體的滾動來開始每次的划手。側身可以使你的手更深入水中比你的背平躺在水上。你的手伸入手中越深，你划水向後的支點將更有力量。在仰式中，你頭部的位置是控制你身體其它部份的關建。在游仰式時，你的頭是唯一不能亂動的部位。
Backstroke Breathing仰式換氣
Head Position頭部位置
Point your nose skyward at all times. Find a point on the ceiling and keep your eyes focused on it as you swim. This will remind you to keep your head still. Your chin should be slightly tucked, as though your head were resting on a small pillow.
注意你的鼻子始終都要朝上。在天花板上找到一點，當你游仰式時你的眼睛要專注在那個點，這將可以提醒你固定你的頭部。你的下巴應該輕微的向內收歛，就好像你的頭躺在一個小枕頭上。
Timing 時間點
There is a breathing rhythm for the backstroke, although most novice swimmers hold their breath to avoid swallowing water when inhaling. Try swimming easily on your back, inhaling on one arm recovery and exhaling on the other. Do this for one breath on each stroke cycle. When swimming harder, inhale as one arm exits the water and exhale as it re-enters. This will give you two breaths on each stroke.
仰泳換氣是有節奏的，儘管大多數的新手在仰式吸氣時，只注意到避免吃到水。試著平躺放鬆的游，當手臂划完水在體側放鬆時吸氣，換另一隻手臂放鬆時則吐氣，這個練習是划水一次換氣一次。當你游的很辛苦時，一隻手離開水面時吸氣進入水中時吐氣，這是划水一次換氣兩次的練習。
Tip To remind yourself not to hold your breath, avoid pursing your lips or puffing your cheeks. Just relax and keep your face slack.
To make the backstroke motion second nature, you’ll need to mix in drills frequently with your “straight” swims. Alternate one length of drills (see below) with one length of straight swimming.
要訣: 提醒自己不要閉氣，避免噘起嘴唇或鼓脹臉頰，只要放鬆，讓你的臉放輕鬆。讓仰式成為你的第二本能活動，在重覆的直線游泳練習時，你會需要仰式一起混著練習。練習一段距離後再互相轉換的直線練習(看下文)
Drills for Learning the Backstroke Body Position學習仰式身體體位的練習
Barbecue Skewer Drill 串燒練習
Start by lying on your back and flutter kicking with your arms resting on your sides. As you kick, roll one shoulder up toward your chin. Hold it there briefly, return to the neutral position and then roll the other shoulder up toward your chin. Fight the urge to take a stroke. During each rotation, your whole body – from shoulder to toes – should rotate on the same axis, perpendicular to the water’s surface, as if on a barbecue skewer. Your head should remain still throughout this drill.
開始時平躺水面上，雙手放鬆體側，用雙腳打水。打水時，滾動一個肩膀向上對著下巴，簡單的保持這個動作，再回到平躺水面的體位，然後轉動另一個肩膀向上對著下巴，要抑制想划手的念頭。在每個轉動中，你的全身----從肩膀到腳指---都應該在同一條中軸上轉動，剛好垂直水面，就好像是串燒一樣。在整個練習中你的頭都要固定不動。
Hold the side-lying position briefly on each rotation. Once you’re comfortable with the feeling of controlled body rotation, practice it with the arm stroke included.
每次滾動只要簡單的保持側躺的體位。一旦你覺得你可以很自在的控制身體的滾動，再把划手加進來練習。
TIP Flutter kicking on your back while wearing training fins will teach you to keep your hips elevated for better body position and a stronger kick.
要訣:穿蛙鞋練習踢水，將訓練你保持臀部的上昇，而獲得一個較好的體位。而且可以鍛練出強壯有力的踢水。
Six-Six Drill 六拍練習
Start by lying on your back with your legs extended and toes pointed. Flutter kick on your side for six kicks (or three counts), with your bottom arm extended overhead and your top shoulder touching your chin. Your head should remain fixed with your nose pointing toward the ceiling – try to keep your eyes focused on the same spot on the ceiling. After six kicks, take a stroke, recover fully and then briskly roll to your other side. Repeat this stroke-recover-roll sequence with a side-lying pause between strokes. The idea is to reduce the pause gradually until you’re swimming in a nearly normal rhythm.
先平躺在水上，你的腿和腳趾要平伸。轉側身六拍打水，在水下的手臂過頭向前平伸，你在水面上的肩膀碰到你的下巴。你的頭應該固定不動，鼻子向著天花板，你的眼睛試著注視天花板上的同一點。六次踢水後，做一次划手，回到平躺體位，然後在伶俐輕快地滾動身體向另一側，重覆這划手—復原—滾動的連續動作。在每次划手之間側躺停止一會兒，這個目的是要慢慢減少停止的時間，直到你幾乎可以抓到正常的節奏游泳。
When rolling from side. Imagine that your body is rotating on a single straight-line axis that runs from the top of your head to the bottom of your spine.
當滾向另一側時，想像你的身體在一條單一的直線中軸上，這中軸從你的頭頂延伸到你的脊柱底部。
Drills for Learning the Backstroke Arm Stroke 仰式手臂划水練習
To understand how to incorporate your arms into the backstroke, imagine that you could reach down about two feet below the water’s surface and grab a convenient handle for leverage. This handle would allow you to pull your body past your hand (rather than pull your hand past your body).
去了解手臂在仰泳中是如何和其它動作組合運作，想像你的手可以伸到水面下兩吋，抓到一個輕便的槓桿把手，這個把手可以讓你將你的身體推過你的手掌(而不是手掌推水過身體) 。
Single-Arm Drill 單臂練習
This drill utilizes the same rotating kick position as the barbecue Skewer Drill (see page 14). With your left arm resting at your side, stroke a length of the pool with your right arm only. On the next length switch arms so you’re stroking only with your left. At the completion of each pull, make sure the shoulder on your stroking arm is touching your chin. Count your single-arm strokes per length-aim for 10 to 14 if you’re in a standard 25-yard pool.
這個練習和串燒練習相同，同樣是利用轉動踢水的體位。你的左臂在體側放鬆，只划動你的右臂，練習一個泳池的距離，回程時轉換成左臂，只用左臂划水。在每次推水完成後，確定你划手的那個肩膀有接觸到你的下巴。如果你是在標準的25公尺泳池，計算你的單臂划次約在10 到14 次。

捷泳技巧解析

The Stroke 划水的方法
The Catch 抓水
The freestyle stroke begins here, with your hand reaching forward and slicing into the water. Your elbow should be up (and remain higher than your hand throughout the stroke). Your hand and forearm should enter the water at a 30- to 45-degree angle. Keep your hands relaxed thumbs down and palms facing outward. Then extend your arm into the water fully. Your hand should be four to eight inches below the water’s surface before you begin the first phase of the pull.
捷泳划水從你的手掌伸向前方，然後切入水中開始。你的手肘應該要高舉(在整個划水的過程中，手肘的高度都要保持比手掌高) 。你的手掌和前臂應該在30到45度的角度入水，手掌放鬆、拇指朝下、掌心向外。進入水中後完全伸展你的手臂。在你開始做第一階段抓水以前，你的手掌應該在水面下4到8吋。
The Entry 入水點
Your arm should enter the water in front of your shoulder, so the bubbles just miss your ear. If your arms come in closer to the centerline of your body, you may be swinging your hips out to the side, causing extra drag and impinging on the muscles and tendons in your shoulder. A wider entry can cause your entire arm to drag forward through the water.
你的手臂應該在你的肩膀前方入水，這樣入水激起的水花才不會濺到你的耳朵。如果你的水臂太接近身體中線入水，你的臀部可能會向兩側搖擺，這會產生額外的阻力，也會沖撞到你肩膀肌肉和肌腱。如果入水點太寬了，將使得你整個手臂在水裡緩慢而費力的行進.
Your fingertips should enter first, followed by your hand, forearm, elbow, triceps and shoulder, all entering through the same “hole.” Imagine that you are putting your arm into a coat sleeve – everything goes down into the same tube, to slip into that tube, your elbow has to be bent and held high. Don’t force your arm into the coat sleeve. Relax and let your arm’s own weight pull it down. Great swimmers always look relaxed in the water because they are relaxed.
你的指尖應該第一個進入水中，再來是你的手掌、前臂、手肘、三頭肌、然後肩膀，而且都要穿過同一個『洞』。想像要把你的手穿進外套袖子―每個部位都要進入同一根管子，而且是滑進去，在此之前你的手肘必須是彎曲而且保持最高點。不要用蠻力把你的手臂穿進外套袖子裡(好像在說譯者我)。放鬆，讓你的手臂用它本身的重量將它自己帶進去。一個好的泳者在水中看起來總是很放鬆，因為他們就是很放鬆。
The Pull 推水
Your underwater pull is best described by changes in the direction of your hand sweep. The down-sweep begins after your catch, with your wrist flexed at a 45-degree angle and your hand facing out-ward. This motion is a down and outward pattern that maintains a high elbow position. As your hand passes laterally, your body should be rolling toward your opposite side to assist in the out-sweep. Once your hand passes outside your shoulder – i.e. at its deepest point – it should change direction to face inward, backward and slightly upward toward the midline of your body.
你在水中的推進力的最佳描述就是：在水中不斷改變你的手掌控水的方向。在你手掌抓水之後就開始水中推水，你的手腕向內彎曲45度角，你的掌心向外。推水是個手掌向下和朝外移動而且保持高肘姿勢的狀態。當你的手掌在通過體側時，你的身體應該朝對稱的一側滾動來幫助你向外推水。一旦你的手掌經過你肩膀的外側 -- 也就是指尖在划水的最深點 ---你的手掌應該改變方向，掌心向內、向後、稍微向上朝向身體中線。
The pull phase of your stroke should not be dominated by elbow extension, but rather by body roll coupled with the upward motion of your slightly flexed elbow.
整個推水的過程不應該是利用手肘的伸展來控制，而是藉由身體的滾動配合肘部輕微收縮的向上運動來完成。
The Recovery 回復原狀
As you lift your arm out of the water, increase the bend in your elbow. Continue keeping your elbow higher than your hand, and lead the arm swing forward with your elbow. Point your fingers backward and allow them to trail behind until you are midway through your recovery. At this point your fingers should take over the lead. Your hand should enter the water at a 30- to 45-degree angle, thumbs facing downward, to begin again with the catch.
掌你的手臂抬出水面，要增加你的手肘的彎曲度。持續保持肘部高於手掌，用你的肘部引導你的手臂擺動向前。在要回復到開始划水前的整個過程中，注意手指向後，讓它們放鬆拖著在後頭，直到要恢復到開始划水動作的中途。這時的重點是你的手指要接手成為引導的位置，你的手掌入水要在30~45度角，拇指向下，然後開始再一次的抓水。
Freestyle Breathing 捷泳的換氣
Head Position 頭部的位置
Between inhalations, hold your head so the waterline is at mid-forehead level. Exhale easily but steadily from your nose and mouth. When turning your head to breathe, maintain a straight line between the top of your head and the base of your spine.
在吸氣的時候，固定住你的頭，讓吃水線是在你前額的中間水平線，用你的口鼻輕鬆但平穩的吐氣。當你轉頭換氣時，你的脊椎和頭頂要保持一條直線。
Timing 換氣的時間點
Your shoulder should roll up and back when you stroke. When breathing on your stroking side, simply follow your shoulder back with your chin. Inhale as soon as your mouth clears the water. Your body should already be rolling back to the other side. Your chin will lead your shoulder as your face returns to the water.
當你划水時，你的肩膀應該向上和向後滾動。當你向划手的一側換氣時，只要簡單的讓下巴跟著肩膀向後轉動轉出水面即可。你一旦吐淨嘴巴內的水，空氣就會自然吸入。你的身體應該己轉回另一側。你的下巴將引導你的肩膀就像引導你的臉轉回水中一樣。
TIP Bilateral breathing, often called alternate-side breathing, requires you to change breathing sides after each stroke cycle. This skill eliminates neck and shoulder fatigue and promotes better balance and body alignment. Bilateral breathing is an essential navigational skill in open water, too.
要訣: 兩邊換氣通常稱為兩側輪替換氣。要求你在每做完一次划水循環時，改另一側換氣。這個技巧可以消除肩、頸的疲勞，提昇更佳的平衡和身體的直線性。兩邊換氣在開放水域也是很必要的游泳技巧。
Freestyle Drills 捷泳練習
Like many people who want to swim faster, you may be tempted to increase your arm turnover in an effort to increase your speed. Sounds logical. But when you look over at the fastest swimmers at your pool, they seem to be moving their arms slower than you are, not faster. What’s going on here?
就像其他想游的更快的人一樣，你可能會很想努力的加快你手臂的輪轉來增加你的速度，聽起來很合羅輯。但是當你仔細的觀察在泳池中游的最快的泳客，他們划動他們手臂好像比你的還要慢，而不是比較快。這是怎麼一回事?
The secret to faster swimming lies not in making your stroke faster, but in making it longer. Single-arm drills are a great way for swimmers, especially uncoached swimmers, to increase the length and efficiency of their stroke.
游快的密祕不在於加快划速，而是加長划距。單臂練習對於泳者尤其是未受訓練的泳客會是很好的方法。它可以用來訓練增加划水的長度(划距)和效能。
By stroking with only one arm at a time, you can examine each part of your stroke sequence in minute detail. This will allow you to uncover technique flaws as well as strength imbalances between your left and right sides.
經由每一次只做單臂划手，你可以檢測你在每分鐘內，划手連續動作中的每個部份的細節。這可以讓你看清楚你划技的缺失，以及發現左右划手所產生的不平均力道。
Single-Arm Drills單臂划水練習
When doing single-arm drills, begin your pull by flexing your wrist and digging down for the bottom of the pool. If you are using your right arm, you will breathe on your right side. When? As your right hand finishes its stroke at your thigh. You should be looking at a point between the 12 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions when breathing on your right side and between the 10 o’clock and 12o’clock positions when breathing on your left side. By learning to limit your head turn, you will keep your body in a more fluid position and waste a lot less energy. (See illustrations on page 12.)
在你彎曲手腕向池底挖水推進時，開始做單臂划手訓練。如果你練習右手，就用右邊換氣。什麼時候換氣呢？當你的右掌完成划水動作來到你的大腿時。當你右邊換氣時你的視線要注視在12點和2點鐘之間的位置，左邊換氣時則注視在10點和12點鐘間的位置。藉由限制頭部的轉動，你將可以保持身體在更流暢的體位，也較不會浪費力氣。
Count the number of strokes you take per length of the pool. If you take fewer strokes with one arm than you do with the other, you’ve uncovered a strength imbalance. You’ll want to spend more of your drill time on your “ weak” side than your “strong” side.
在每趟划水練習時都要數划手次數。如果你有一隻手臂的划次比另一隻手臂少，你就會發現兩臂划手力道不平均，你就要花較多的時間練習”較弱” 的那隻手臂。
Variations 變化練習
In addition to the one lap left /one lap right single-arm drill sequence, you can do three strokes right/three strokes left, followed by two right/two left, one right/one left, then back up the “ladder.” You also can alternate between right- and left-arm strokes with a momentary pause in between. This is known as catch-up swimming, a staple of many competitive swim programs. (picture single-arm drill)
除了單臂左邊(或單臂右邊)持續練習外，也可以右臂划三次，換左臂划三次；接著右兩次，左兩次；右一次左一次，再回到右三左三的 ”階梯式練法” 。你也可以在左右划手交換之間做一個停頓，這就像catch-up游法一樣眾所皆知，這是很多競賽練習課程的主要訓練方法。

Thumbsies (zipper drill: thumb goes to your armpit; then extend arm. Forward: keeping contact through motion)拇指觸划體側訓練
Thumbsies(又稱拉練訓練: 拇指推完水後碰到大腿，延著大腿劃過身體體側來到腋下，然後再向前伸展。在這期間拇指都要和體側接觸。)
This drill is especially helpful for swimmers who have difficulty with the finishing stage of their strokes – the recovery. Thumbsies – a drill in which you literally drag the thumb of your trailing arm along the body from mid-thigh up through the armpit – is also good for teaching you to make your hands enter the water in front of your shoulder. If one of your hands has a tendency to enter the water beyond the mid-line of your body, causing you to zig-zag down your lane, thumbsies may be a big help.
這個訓練對於那些划完水後卻很難恢復到原來體位的人(應該是指流線形體位)，是很有幫助的。拇指觸划訓練—你的手臂帶動拇指，從大腿中線向上延著身體逐步的划到腋下。這也是訓練你的手指在肩膀前方入水的好方法。如果你的手有越過身體中線入水的傾向，導致你在水道內游的歪歪曲曲，練習拇指觸划的游法會有很大的幫助。

Stroke Tips & Drills ~2(中譯)

Hand Skills 划手的技巧
Experts say that after kicking, hand entry is the most critical aspect of a swimmer’s forward propulsion. When swimmers’ hands enter the water, they direct a flow of water under their arms and past their torsos. This “ lift, “ combined with a strong kick, is what enables good swimmers to stay on top of the water.
專家說：在踢水之後，手的介入是泳者前進推進力的關鍵。當泳者雙手進入水中，他們引導水流流過手臂下方，通過軀幹抬昇軀體。這股上昇力和強而有力的踢水相結合，可以讓一個好的泳士停留在水面上。
As your hand enters the water during the initial (catch) phase of your stroke, you’ll want to keep your elbow high and your palm turned slightly outward. Slide your hand forward, as if putting it into a coat sleeve. Then turn your hand and the inside of your forearm toward your feet, point your fingertips down (or slightly across your body) and press your hand straight back. As you bring your hand past the center of your torso, your thumb should pass directly under your navel.
當你的手要進入水中，在划手初期你要保持高肘，你的手掌稍微外翻，然後將你的手向前滑動，就好像要將手穿進外套的袖子。然後把手掌帶向前臂內側朝向腿的方向，注意你的指尖向下(稍微穿過你的身體) ，而且用力筆直向後推水。當你的手掌通過你身體的中線時，你的拇指應該直接從你肚臍的下方通過。
TIP: years ago, you may have been taught to cup your hands while swimming, but your hands really shouldn’t hold water like cups do. Instead, they should work more like paddles. The most effective position for your hands is flat and open, with your fingers extended. Remember that the angle of your hand must adjust constantly to changes in the water, just as a sailor must constantly adjust the angle of his sail to changes in wind conditions.
要訣:幾年以前，可能有人會這麼教你：當你游泳時，你的手心內凹，手掌要像杯子一樣可以掬水(把水舀起來) 。但是手掌其實不應該像個杯子一樣的掬水(捧水)，手掌的功用應該更像槳一樣。最有功效的狀態是：手指打直，手掌打開攤平。你的手掌在水中的角度必須時常做調整，就如水手必須經常依風向的改變，去調整改變船帆一樣。
By constantly changing the angle of your hands (sculling) you can maximize the amount of water you’re able to hold and displace during your stroke. The more you can hold and displace, the more powerful your stroke will be.
藉由不斷改變你兩隻手掌(雙槳)的角度，你可以增加抓水和總推水量，你的划水將會更有推進力。
Tennis Ball Drill 網球訓練
Swimming with your fists closed, or while holding a tennis ball in each hand, will help you develop sensitivity to the water when you re-open your hands (or swim without the tennis balls). Without the use of your fingers, you lose sensitivity to the water, not to mention a good deal of your pulling surface. To compensate for the relative lack of surface area, you raise your elbows, hoping to create propulsion with your forearms rather than your hands. When you re-open your hands, you’ll feel as though you’ve got trash can lids attached. Your pulling surface and power will be that much greater!
握拳或雙手各握一個網球游泳，在你開掌或拿掉網球後你將會對水更敏感。不用手指時，你會失去對水的敏感性，更別說想划到大量的水表面績。為了彌補抓水表面績的不足，你會抬高你的手肘，改用你的前臂替代你的手，希望去產生推進力。當你再打開你的手掌時，你會感覺你像握著一個垃圾桶蓋子，你推水的表面績和力量將會增進很多。
Breathing Skills 呼吸技巧
Many sports make you breathe heavily, but when you’re in the water, proper breathing is essential. When your breathing technique is off, your whole stroke will be affected. Experts say 60 to 70 percent of a swimmer’s improper body alignment stems from improper head movement when breathing.
很多運動都會產生劇烈的呼吸，但是當你在水中正確的呼吸是很重要的。當你的換氣技巧不好，你的整個泳技都會受到影響。專家表示：一位泳者不正確的體線，有百分之六十至七十源至於換氣時頭部的不當擺動。
Confident swimmers turn their heads just far enough to get their noses and mouths above the water line for air. But novice swimmers, out of fear and inexperience, feel they must turn their entire bodies – head, shoulders, hips and back – just to get air into their noses and mouths. This takes you out of your optimal streamlined position and wastes valuable time and energy.
有自信的泳者換氣，他們轉動頭部時口鼻剛好在水線上(空氣和水的交接線) 。但是初級泳者，除了害怕外也經驗不足，覺得他們必須轉動全身(包括頭、肩、臀部和背)才能藉由口鼻吸到空氣。這讓你無法保持理想的流線型體位，因而浪費寶貴的時間和能量。
Tip to control your head movement in the water, try to maintain an imaginary straight line that runs from the top of your head to the base of your spine. Never lift or drop your head from that axis, even when you turn your head to breathe.
要訣: 控制你的頭部在水中的轉動，試著維持一個假想直線軸，這頭直線軸以你的脊柱為基礎，貫穿你的頭頂。你的頭絕對不要抬高也不要低於這條中軸，即使當你轉頭換氣時也要維持在中軸上。

Stroke Tips & Drills~1

Whether you’re a lap-swimmer, a former competitive swimmer, an injured runner, a
cross-training enthusiast or just someone looking for a fun, total-body exercise routine, you can learn modern stroke technique and become a better swimmer. If it’s been years, maybe decades, since your last swim lesson, you may be surprised to learn how much swimming technique has changed if you have children enrolled in a swim program, they’re probably learning to swim in a way that is vastly different from the way you were taught. Sometimes it’s easier to start fresh than to try to unlearn your old habits.
有時候，去重新開始(學習新的) ，會比試著去改掉舊習慣來的容易。
Good technique is what enables the better swimmers at your pool to whisk by you with apparently little effort. Even if some of them have lost their physiques over the years, they haven’t lost the technique they honed as younger, competitive swimmers.
好的泳技，就是能使一些較優秀的泳士，借由很少的努力(力氣)就能在他們的泳池裡飛速馳騁。一些競賽型選手，即使幾年後他們失去了他們的身材(身材變形) ，但他們卻不會失去在他們年輕時磨練出來的泳技。

How We Learn 我們如何學習
As with most sports, swimming is tougher to master than it looks. Your perception of how you swim is often very different from how you really do swim. Most adults overestimate their swimming speed, not to mention their swimming skills. Have a friend or lifeguard videotape you in the pool sometime, and you’ll see what we mean. The truth can be painful, but it’s very educational.
和大多數的運動一樣，要精熟游泳比它表面看起來還要困難。你覺得你游的是怎麼樣和實際上你真正游的怎麼樣，常有很大的差異。大部份的成人，都高估他們的游泳速度，那就更不用說他們的泳技了。請一位朋友或救生員錄下你在泳池的泳姿，然後你就會了解我們的意思了。真相可能是另人痛苦的，但它卻是很有教育性的。
We learn through observation , imitation, instruction and even pretend play. As adults, our egos often get in the way of the learning process when we think everyone is watching us. Here’s a tip: No one is watching you, unless they’ve read other chapters in this book! You are free to experiment and explore the world of swimming with childlike curiosity. 5
我們透過觀察、模仿、教學，甚至伴演遊戲玩耍來學習。當我們(一般成人)想到大家都在看我時，我們的自我常阻礙我們學習的進程。這裡有個要訣：沒有人會去看你，除非他們有讀過這本書的其它章節。全然自由的去經驗、探索這游泳的世界罷! 用你童真的好奇心。

Determining Your Skill Level 檢定你的泳技程度
In the fictional world of Garrison Keillor’s “Lake Woebegone,” everyone would be an above-average swimmer. But in the real world, where some of you are new to the pool and others have been swimming your whole lives, we have to make some distinctions to make this book as useful as possible.
在 Garrison Keillor ”悲傷之湖” 的虛幻世界裡，每個人都是頂尖的游泳高手。但是在真實的世界裡，有些是才剛開始接近泳池，有些則是視游泳為家常便飯了。我們必須做一些區別，讓這本書儘可能對大家都有幫助。
Consider yourself a novice swimmer if you’ve never been coached, if you’ve been swimming for less than two years, or if it takes you 26 or more (freestyle) arm strokes to cover a 25-yard pool length. Consider yourself an intermediate swimmer if you’ve had little or no coaching but have been swimming regularly for two to five years, or if you can complete a length of a 25-yard pool in 22 to 25 arm strokes. Consider yourself an advanced swimmer if you come from a competitive swimming background or take fewer than 22 strokes to cover 25 yard.
認定自己是個游泳新手(初階者)：如果你從未受過游泳訓練、如果你的泳齡不超過兩年、或是你用捷泳游完25公尺泳池，手臂划水超過26次。
認定自己是中等級度的泳士：如果你受過一點泳訓課或沒接受過訓練，但是你定時規律的游泳達兩到五年之久，或是25公尺捷泳划水次數在22至25次之間。
認定自己是個高程度的泳士：如果你是來自一個競賽游泳背景，或25公尺捷泳的划次低於22下。(註: 一碼約一公尺)
How Efficient Are You in the Water? 在水中的你有效率嗎?
If you’re an adult swimmer taking more than 22 strokes per length of a standard 25-yard pool, it might be worth taking a closer look at your technique. As with mastering a tennis stroke, a golf stroke or a baseball batting stroke, mastering a swimming stroke takes patience and practice. You must isolate the unique demands on your arms, shoulders, hands, hips feet and legs, before you can put them all together into a single fluid motion. Good stroke technique results from two things: minimizing drag and maximizing propulsion.
如果你是個成人，在25公尺長的標準短池，捷泳划手次數多於22次，它就值得你仔細去檢視你的泳技。一如精熟網球揮拍、高爾夫球揮桿、棒球打擊一樣，要精熟泳技需要相當的耐心和練習。在你有能力統整你整個身體達到一個專一流暢的運動以前，你必須個別抽離你的手臂、肩膀、手、膝、小腿，做獨特的要求練習。好的泳技來至兩件事：減少阻力，增加堆進力。

Minimizing Drag 減少阻力
Practicing “push and glides” off the wall will teach your body to pierce the water like an arrow. You must first learn the “streamline position.” The concept of streamlining will surface throughout this book.
練習 ”蹬牆出發，然後滑行”，將可以訓練你的身體如弓箭一樣穿水而行。你首先必須學會 “流線形的體位”。流線形這個概念將會一直出現在本書中。
Stand with your arms extended in front of you, both palms turned down. Place one palm directly over the back of your other hand and align your fingers, hooking the thumb of your top hand around the pinkie side of your bottom hand. With your hand joined together (one on top of the other), raise them over your head. Stand on your tiptoes and reach as high as you can. As you stretch, squeeze your elbows in, so your biceps brush against your ears. Remember this streamlined position. It will come in handy throughout this book.
你的雙臂向前方伸直，掌心向下，一隻掌心疊在另一隻手掌背上，手指頭伸直，上方手掌的拇指勾住下方手掌的小指，讓你的雙手合在一起(一隻手疊在另一隻上面) ，抬起雙手到頭頂，用腳尖站立，儘可能往上拉高自己。當你在伸展時，雙肘互相緊靠，你的二頭肌能碰到你的耳朵。記住這個流線形體位，它會時常出現在這本書上。

Maximizing Propulsion (Forward movement) 增加推進力(向前運動)
Stop and glide after each stroke with one arm fully extended in front of you and the opposite arm resting at your side. Make a mental snapshot of this position as you glide for six kicks. Then take another stroke and stop again, gliding with the other arm extended in front of you. Kick six more times. Take another stroke and so on. Continue pausing with one arm extended in front of you and the other one at your side, changing arms each time, remember to push all the way back on each stroke, touching your thigh, then relax your arm. Stopping your arm at this point may feel awkward, but keep practicing.
每次划水後停止，然後滑行，一隻手臂向前完全的伸展，相對的另一隻手則放鬆在體側。當你滑行做六拍打水時，對這個體位做心靈快照(把這個動作記在心裡) 。然後再划另一次水，停止，一隻手臂向前方廷伸同時滑行，六拍或更快速打水。再做另一次划水，如此繼續持續這個中止狀態：一隻手臂向前延伸另一隻手在體側，再交換手臂。記住每次划水向後，手要碰到你的大腿，然後放鬆手臂。把手臂停在這個點上，可能會覺得笨拙，但是持續練習。

Basic Stroke Foundation基礎划水的建立
As mentioned above, to move forward in the water you need to increase your forward propulsion while minimizing the amount of body surface that comes in contact with the water, causing drag. The most important source of propulsion is your kick. That’s right, your kick. This may seem odd since it looks like your arms are doing most of the work. But without an efficient kick, your legs will drag through the water like anchors and hold you back immensely.
上面我們所提到的，要在水中向前移動，在減少你身體和水接觸的總表面積所產生的阻力的同時，你必須增加你前進的推進力。推進力的最重要來源是你的踢水。完全正確，你的踢水。這似乎很奇怪，因為它看起來幾乎是你的手臂做了所有的划水工作。但是，沒有一個有效率的踢水，你的雙腿會像錨一樣在水中拖著你，嚴重的扯你向後。
Watch the better swimmers look at your pool and notice how effortlessly they seem to kick. Then look at the slower swimmers at your pool. See how they thrash in the water? Ankle flexibility, not brute leg strength, is primarily what determines the effectiveness of your kick.
觀察那些在你的泳游池裡游的比較好的泳客，注意他們的踢水是如何輕鬆、毫不費力。然後再注意那些在泳池內游的比較慢的泳客，看他們在中水如何拼命亂踢。靈活有彈性的腳踝(不是強壯小腿的踢力) ，是決定你有效率踢水的根本主因。
Practice pointing your toes as you kick. By kicking with fins when you swim, or by sitting on your insteps on a comfortable rug at home, you can increase your ankle flexibility and eventually your kicking speed. (See below.)
當你踢水練習時，把重點放在你的腳尖。借由穿蛙腳踢水游泳，或在家中用腳背跪坐在舒適的地毯上，可以增加你的腳踝的靈活度，最後增快你的踢水速率。
TIP: one of the secrets to swimming efficiently is knowing how to relax. Good swimmers seem to go farther and faster in the water, with less effort than novice swimmers. Why? Because they’re comfortable in the water. They extend their bodies fully to get ???.. most out of each stroke.
要訣：要游的有效率的祕密之一是：懂得如何放鬆。好的泳士在水中比起初學者似乎用更少的力氣就可以游得更遠更快。為什麼？因為他們在水中輕鬆自在，他們幾乎在每次划水之後都能完全放鬆的伸展他們身體。

Kicking Skills 踢水技巧
While the kick is not directly responsible for propelling you forward, it’s pretty tough to swim well without kicking well. If you don’t believe it, try this little exercise: in a safe environment, swim a few laps with your ankles bound together so you cannot kick freely. You can use surgical tubing or a small inner tube to hold your ankles together. what happens? Chances are your legs swerve madly from side to side and then sink toward the bottom of the pool as though they had weights attached. Try the exercise again. See how difficult it is to swim in a straight line when you can’t kick?
當踢水不能直接負起你前進的推進力時，想游的好而沒有很好的踢水，將會非常的辛苦。如果你不相信，試試這個小練習：先注意周遭環境的安全，然後把腳踝綁起來，不要踢水的游泳。你也可以用外科水術橡皮管或小的氣車內胎將兩個腳踝固定在一起，然後看看會發生什麼事？你的雙腿可能會左右胡亂的偏轉，然後朝池底沈下去，就好像你的雙腿背負了重物一樣。再試一次這個練習，看看當你不踢水而想游在一直線上，會是如何的困難？

Kicking: A Closer Look 踢水：最後一瞥
Kicking propels you in two directions: forward and upward. The forward component is of minimal value to non-competitive swimmers, but the upward component, or lift, is what allows you to hydroplane on top of the water, giving you speed. You kick also helps you counterbalance your arm stroke. What happened when you wrapped the band around your legs? You zig-zagged like an eel. Unless you have a perfect stroke with high elbow recovery and zero lateral movement, you need to kick just to maintain a straight line in the pool.
踢水會讓你往兩個方向推進：向前和向上。向前的要素對非競賽型泳者是沒什麼效益，但是向上(上昇)的要素，讓你能如水上飛機一樣停留在水面上滑行，給你速度。你的踢水也可以幫助平衡因手臂划水造成的失衡。當你把雙腳綁起來會發生什麼事？除非你有一個很完美的高肘划水，和知道如何做側面歸零校正運動幫助恢復平衡，否則你會像鰻魚一樣彎曲扭轉。在泳池裡，你就是需要踢水來維持你游在直線上。
You’re probably seen novice swimmers at your pool whose legs appear to be scissoring when they kick. The problem is in their arms, however, not their legs. Next time you’re at your pool, watch how their arms cross past the midline of their bodies. Their legs have no choice but to counterbalance their arm stroke by scissoring. If they didn’t do so, they’d sink or swim in circles. You might want to share this insight with them (politely).
在泳池裡你可能會看到一些初學者，踢水時出現剪刀腳。這個問題在他們的手臂而不是他們的腿。下次你在泳池，注意看他們的手臂入水時是如何橫過身體中線，他們的腿沒有選擇的必須用剪刀的踢法來平衡他們的手臂划水。如果他們不這麼做，他們就會下沈或盤旋的前進。當你知道他們的問題，你可能會想告訴他們，你對他們泳技的卓越洞察力(記得婉轉一點)。

Checking Your ankle Flex: The Toe Point Test 檢側你腳踝的靈活屈度：腳尖測試
Ankle flexibility is the key ingredient to kicking speed and thus, successful swimming. If you are able to point your toes, your feet will act like fins in the water. If you can’t point your toes – are you listening, runners, cyclists and triathletes? – your feet will act like anchors.
腳踝的靈活度是踢速和完美泳姿的關鍵要素。如果你能夠把重點放在腳尖，你的腳在水中就能像魚鰭一樣。如果你不把重點放在腳尖――你有沒有在聽，跑步的，騎腳踏車的，玩三鐵的？――你的腳就會像錨一樣(把你拖住並往下沉) 。
You can measure your ankle flexibility with a ruler. Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you and your heels resting on the floor. Point your toes as far as you can without causing pain (or have a friend press down gently on your toes.) Measure the distance from the floor to your toes. If your toes are within two inches of the floor, you should have a decent kick. If your toes are two to four inches from the floor, that’s fair. If you measure four to seven inches or more from the floor, your ankles are very tight, and you probably find it very difficult to kick with a kickboard. Many runners, cyclists, weight lifters and aerobics enthusiasts fall into the latter category. (See stretching exercise below.)
你可以用這個方法測量腳踝的靈活度：坐在地板上，兩腿向前伸直，後腳跟靠在地板上，腳趾盡可能向遠處伸長，但不要引起疼痛(或請朋友幫忙輕輕的往下壓) ，然後測量你的腳尖到地板的距離。如果你的腳趾離地兩吋以內，你應該會有一個很不錯的踢水；如果在2~4吋之間，那是正常的；如果是在4~7吋或超過，你的腳踝就太緊了，你可能會發現你用浮板打水會很困難。很多跑者、腳踏車騎士、舉重者和熱愛有氧運動者，都落在最後一項(在4~7吋之間) 。

Ankle Flex Exercises腳踝柔軟運動
1. Have a partner press down on your feet as you sit with legs extended.
2. Sitting on the floor, tuck the tops of your feet under a sofa. Slowly scoot back in the floor. Try to extend your legs fully. Be careful not to exert too much pressure on your Achilles tendon (behind the ankle area).
3. While sitting on a chair, dangle your feet and curl the tops of your toes to the floor. Press down.
4. Practice swimming with training fins on, especially when you kick.
1. 當你坐著時，雙腳前伸，有位同伴幫忙把你的腳盤往下壓。
2. 坐在地板上，把腳尖插到沙發椅下面，身體慢慢往後移，試著把你的腿整個打直。但是要小心不要太用力，避免壓迫到位於腳踝後側的阿基里斯鍵。
3. 坐在椅子上，把腳懸住，讓腳背指頭碰到地面，然後往下壓按。
4. 游泳時用蛙鞋練習，尤其是踢水的時候。

Head-Up Kicking Drill 抬頭踢水訓練
“Head-up” kicking will teach you proper body position – elevating the hips and chest to reduce resistance – and help you develop a strong kick. Clasp your hands together, arms fully extended in front of you, with your head out of the water. Inhale by lifting your chin straight ahead. Don’t forget to keep kicking when you breathe. The head-up kicking drill will come in handy when we discuss open-water swimming later.
“抬頭踢水”將會教導你適確的體位――抬昇臀部和胸部可減少阻力――並且幫助你訓練成強有力的打水。你的雙手緊扣，向前伸直，你的頭要抬出水面，吸氣時抬起你在前方的胸部，當你換氣時不要忘了持續踢水。抬頭踢水訓練，對之後會討論到的開放水域游泳時，將會有所幫助。

Stroke Tips & Drills ~ 3

Butterfly
The Stroke
Like a snappy flip turn, a well-done butterfly stroke is something that will turn heads at your pool. It’s the perfect blend of power and grace, the sign of a confident – and highly fit – swimmer. Unlike the alternating motion of the freestyle or backstroke, butterfly requires both arms to move simultaneously overhead, which requires great stamina and flexibility.
A butterflier’s classic double-arm recovery motion is set up by the kick, however, not the arms. The kick, sometimes called the “dolphin kick,” is what gets your body into a high, comfortable position in the water so you can propel yourself down the pool without causing immediate fatigue.
As with the other swim strokes, the butterfly follows the standard catch-pull-recovery sequence. Now that you’re bit more familiar with it, we’ll take a closer look at body position, arm motion, leg and hip motion, breathing, and then some tips on putting it all together.
Body Position
As with the breaststroke, you do the butterfly in a streamlined prone position with your arms and legs extended at the beginning of your stroke cycle. Your head should be forward with the water at eyebrow level. Your hips and shoulders should be high above the water and parallel to its surface.
Arm Motion
Your arms should move in tandem, with each one sculling underwater in an S-shaped pattern. As with other swim strokes, you’ll want to keep your elbows higher than your hands for maximum leverage. But since your body doesn’t rotate as in freestyle or backstroke, your under water pull in the butterfly is shallower, and your overwater recovery is wider and lower.
The butterfly arm motion can be broken into four stages: the catch, the pull (phase 1 and phase 2), and the recovery.
The catch
Your hands should enter the water together, shoulder-width apart. Your elbows should be up and your thumbs should be down, as in freestyle. Slide your hands forward, then outward and downward at a 30- to 45-degree angle from the water’s surface. Position your hands about four to eight inches below the water’s surface to get a good hold on the water. Because of the timing of your kick, you’ll only have a brief window of opportunity to execute your catch.
The Pull: Phase1
Move both arms simultaneously in an out-down-back motion, bending your elbows slightly and rotating your arms from the shoulders. At the end of Phase 1, your forearms should be vertical, and your palms should face back toward your feet, no wider than shoulder-width apart.
The Pull: Phase2
Now you’re ready for the acceleration, or power, phase of your pull. Bring your hands together under your stomach so your elbows bend at a 90-degree angle. Then force your hands outward and back toward your feet. Continue forcing water behind you until your arms are almost fully extended and your hands are at a point just past your hips. Since this is where your shoulders begin to emerge from the water, it’s an ideal time to breathe.
The Recovery
As your hands emerge from the water, swing them around to your sides and then in front of you. Your elbows should be higher than your hands and your fingers should just be skimming the water’s surface. When you start your recovery, your hands should trail behind and your elbows should lead your arm swing. Halfway through your recovery, your hands should take over the lead as your forearms extend in front of you just prior to your catch. During the initial phase of your recovery, your arms should be relaxed, but they should move quickly, using the power generated by your upper back and shoulders in acceleration phase of the pull.
Leg and Hip Motion
The kick accounts for at least on-third of your power in the butterfly stroke, so it must be carefully coordinated with your arm motion, breathing and body motion.
The dolphin kick – a wavelike two-beat kick in which your legs move up and down in tandem – is designed to push still columns of water behind you quickly and forcefully. During the downbeat, thrust your hips upward so your buttocks can break the water’s surface. During the upbeat of the kick, thrust your hips downward. This is what will give you the powerful, undulating motion that gets your entire body into the stroke, not just your limbs.
KIP:Keeping your feet point on the downbeat of your kick will help you direct water backward, not downward, and will help you sustain the undulation that began in your hips.

Butterfly Breathing
Head Position
Keep your face shallow in the water at all times. Novices usually push their heads down in an effort to raise their hips and legs. This reduces their ability to generate power by pushing their shoulders down, and it forces them to rise back up in order to breathe. The resulting up-and-down motion impedes forward movement. Instead, the hips should be raised to transfer weight to the chest area.
TIP: to integrate breathing into your butterfly motion, inhale at the completion of your arm stroke, so your mouth clears the water as your arms recover. To put the whole stroke together, swim in the following sequence: catch-and-kick, pull-and-kick, inhale-and-recover, catch-and-kick, pull-and-kick, inhale-and-recover.

Turns
Since most of us swim in pools, we are forced to reverse direction every 15, 20 or 25 strokes. It makes sense to find a fast, energy-saving way to turn our bodies around so we can keep our workout flow intact.
There are essentially two types of turns: the open turn, used in all four swim strokes, and the flip turn, used in freestyle and backstroke, especially when speed is important. Fitness swimmers should learn the open turn before attempting flip turns. Due to space limitations, we’ll limit our discussion to freestyle turns only.
The Open Turn
The open turn is the easiest turn to learn and allows you ample time to catch your breath. There are two things to remember when doing open turns. First, keep your body as low in the water as possible during inhalation. Second, the hand you use to reach for the wall should always be opposite the side of your body that’s going to initiate your turn.
The Approach
Approach the wall with your eyes open and your face just under the water’s surface. Try to maintain your normal stroke as you arrive at the wall with your lead arm extended in the catch position. (Refer to ???? style section earlier in this chapter if you’ve forgotten the catch position) take your last stroke about on body length away from the wall and roll onto your side as you reach for the wall with your bottom arm. Use your bottom arm rather than your top arm, since it will help you to cut through the water more cleanly and get more reach.
TIP Try not to shorten your stroke or glide too much as you approach the wall. Keep kicking, rather than stroking, if you’re worried about not having enough momentum to reach the wall.(圖24)

The Pivot
To begin the turn, grab the pool edge (or gutter) with your extended hand. As your hand reaches the wall, flex your elbow, bring your hand and body close to the wall, allow your opposite shoulder to drop, and rotate 180degrees so you’re facing the opposite direction to which you came in. As you rotate, bend your knees and swing your feet and hips under your body. Lift your hips just enough to inhale quickly as your weight shifts.
TIP Keep your head and shoulders tight to the waterline during your pivot.

The Plant
As your feet touch the wall, let go with your hand and swing it over your shoulder and drop it about one foot beneath the water’s surface to join your other arm (which should remain extended away ??? the wall throughout the turn).(圖25)
The Push-Off
Be on your toes, rather than flat-footed, and drop your push-off hand behind your head to join your other hand. Allow your torso to drop one to two feet underwater as you go into your best streamlined position (elbows locked, arms fully extended overhead). Remain in the side-lying position for the first few yards of the push-off and drive your legs hard, but in a compact manner.
The Glide
Don’t resume stroking immediately after your turn. Instead, let your momentum carry you as far as possible. When your momentum subsides, start to flutter kick. Wait until you start to surface before ???? first stroke. Pull with the bottom arm. (the arm opposite your breathing side). Only after you’ve completed the pull on your breathing side should you take your first breath. This skill will come in handy when you’re ready to tackle flip turns.

Flip Turns
A flip turn (or racing turn) is the fastest and most powerful way to change direction when doing the freestyle or backstroke. Because backstroke flip turns are done almost exclusively by competitive swimmers, we’ll limit our discussion to freestyle flip turns, of which there are two types: conventional (i.e., twisting) and flat.

The Conventional Flip Turn
The Approach
When your leading arm is two to four feet from the wall, tuck your chin to your chest and take your last stroke. Your lead arm and your trailing arm should both be at your sides when you begin your somersault. For extra speed going into the wall, you may want to do a little dolphin kick here. (For more on the dolphin kick, see the butterfly section earlier in this chapter.)
Deciding when to initiate the somersault is crucial. Be conservative when judging your distance from the wall. It’s better to give yourself too much room to execute the turn than too little. “balling up” when you somersault too close to the wall will cause your feet (圖25) to hit too high. The result? You’ll torpedo straight to the pool floor when you push off, instead of gliding smoothly along the water’s surface. This is one of the most common errors novice swimmers make when learning flip turns. It not only wastes energy as you claw your way back to the surface, but it costs you valuable time and oxygen.
There’s a simple way to determine how far from the wall you should begin your somersault: the point at which your knees can be fully flexed and coiled for maximum push-off when they hit the wall. It just takes practice to get a feel for this. (See Flip Turn Drill: Progressive Approaches, page 27.)
As your speed improves, you can begin your turn farther and farther from the wall, because your momentum will carry you in. The farther from the wall you can flip, the better. Every inch you don’t have to swim toward the wall is another inch you don’t have to swim back the other way.
TIP: Make sure you take a big bite of air as you take your last stroke before beginning the actual flip. You won’t be able to take another breath until you surface.

The Flip
To begin the somersault, scoop water away from your hips (and toward your face) with the arm opposite the side to which you are going to turn. (If you read the section on open turns, this should sound familiar.) to get your hips and legs out of the water, bend your torso forward and push water toward your abdomen with your leading arm. Then tuck your chin to your chest and bend your knees as your heels, feet and knees emerge from the water. (圖27)
The Pivot
As you snap your feet over your head for the somersault, twist your trunk to one side. After completing the flip, start to straighten out of your tuck, plant your feet on the wall – about shoulder-width apart – and begin to extend both arms in front of you.
(圖28)
The Push-off
Continue to twist and extend your body during the glide so you finish face down in a fully prone position. Recover to the surface (as in open turns) by lifting your head and arching your back to streamline your body before beginning to flutter kick.
If you find yourself too low in the water and gasping for breath after your turn, it means you’re probably starting your somersault too close to the wall. If you feel like you are not getting as far off the wall as you should, you’re probably somersaulting too far from the wall and losing power. Try initiating your flip closer to the wall. Don’t worry about hitting your head or banging your heels. (圖28)(圖29)
TIP: To prevent yourself from “balling up,” keep your eyes open as you somersault and focus on your knees, rather than your stomach or chest. This will give you better extension and rotation on the turn and reduce the strain on your stomach and lower back muscles.
Flip-Turn Drill: Progressive Approaches
Practice your approach in the shallow end of the pool. Start about 10 feet from the wall, take a stroke or two, dolphin kick as you go into your somersault and then push off forcefully from the wall. The more you can bend your knees when you make your plant on the wall, the more power you’ll have for the push-off. Landing on your toes, rather than flat-footed, will also give you more power.
Make a mental note of how far you can go before losing your momentum. Can you make it to the red flags overhead? When you come to a stop, repeat the drill and compare your distance after the push-off. After doing five successful turns in a row, move out to 15feet from the wall. When you’ve done five consecutive good turns at 15 feet, move out to 20 feet, then 25 feet, until you’re comfortable initiating your turn after swimming a full length of the pool. The progressive approach drill allows you to practice a great number of flip turns in a short period of time, and it can be a great cardiovascular workout, too.
TIP To prevent water from rushing up your nose when you flip, take a large breath before initiating your turn and exhale through your nose and mouth as you somersault..

The Flat Flip Turn
In the conventional flip turn discussed above, you somersault and twist simultaneously. In the flat flip turn, you somersault without twisting, pushing off the wall with your back, not your stomach, facing the pool floor. Stay deep under the water as you glide in a ??? extended streamlined position, occasionally twisting your trunk from side to side in a corkscrew-like motion. The corkscrew motion helps you cut through turbulent water and maintain your momentum.
While not as widely practiced as the conventional flip turn, the flat flip has several advantages. First, the deep, flat push-off slips you under, rather than into, the wall of turbulent water the follows you down the pool. Secondly, you can flip faster when you don’t have to twist your body simultaneously, and you can position your feet more easily for a good push-off. Finally, the flat flip is a lot gentler on your lower back, since you don’t have to twist as you somersault.

Open-Water Swimming
For the first timer, open-water swimming can be a scary experience. You must breathe, navigate and maintain stroke proficiency in an unfamiliar, murky environment that lacks lane lines, walls and solid footing underneath. The key to developing confidence in open water is to adapt your newfound pool skills to your non-pool swimming environment.
Open-Water Technique Drill
Lying on your stomach without taking any strokes, kick with fins on, keeping your hands at your sides. Arch your back enough to get your chin out of the water to breathe. Try to propel yourself in a straight line down the pool without taking an arm stroke. You’ll have to accentuate the arching motion to perform this drill without tiring your neck muscles. You can do this drill in the swimming pool or in open water.
Getting Started
Start your open-water experience by swimming along familiar stretch of shoreline, or aim for a nearby boat, buoy or other fixed landmark. Build up gradually. As you gain confidence in open water, you’ll be able to match, if not exceed, the distance you would normally swim in the pool. Caution: Never swim alone in open water. Let the lifeguards know what you’re doing before you plunge in. if there is no lifeguard on duty have at least one companion on hand to watch you at all times.
Before You Enter Water
You have to start warm to stay warm. Just as when swimming in a pool, you must warm up thoroughly before plunging into the open surf. Jogging, stretching and doing jumping jacks will get your heart pumping and your blood moving before you begin swimming. (See also the discussion of wetsuits beginning on page 56.)
Adjusting Your Stroke
Use a higher arm-recovery motion than you would in a pool. On a rough day, it’s not uncommon to do a lot of “air stroking,” in which you extend your arm for the catch and find there’s no water to catch because you’re at the crest of a wave. Learn to expect breaks in your rhythm and take them in stride.
Adjusting Your kick
Since salt water is more buoyant than pool water, you don’t need to kick as hard. A two-beat kick (two kicks for every arm pull) is fine.
Navigating
Pick fixed landmarks like buildings, trees or hills to navigate. Lift your eyes every few strokes and constantly adjust your direction. Remember to keep kicking when you lift your head to sight landmarks or buoys. Otherwise you’ll lose your momentum each time you check your direction and waste lots of energy trying to get back up to speed.
If you encounter riptides (narrow channels of water that move outward from shore), let them carry you. Don’t try to fight them. Dive under, not over, breaking waves, and come up swimming after they pass so you can maintain your momentum.
Dealing with the Elements
One of the early symptoms of hypothermia is loss of judgement; by the time you realize you’re in trouble, it’s often too late. Always swim with a partner or group. If anything seems not quite right, or if you cannot feel your hands or feet, get out of the water immediately.
How Cold Is Too Cold?
The fitness Swimmer advisory council recommends that even the strongest swimmers use extreme caution when swimming in sub60 water, especially if they plan to swim for more than 30 minutes. The council also recommends that you wear a neoprene wetsuit and at least one swim cap for insulation whenever you’re in water below 65 – experts say 30 percent of your body’s heat is lost through your head.

Stroke Tips & Drills ~ 2

P U T T I N G I T A L L T O G E T H E R
FREESTYLE
The Stroke
The Catch
The freestyle stroke begins here, with your hand reaching forward and slicing into the water. Your elbow should be up (and remain higher than your hand throughout the stroke). Your hand and forearm should enter the water at a 30- to 45-degree angle. Keep your hands relaxed thumbs down and palms facing outward. Then extend your arm into the water fully. Your hand should be four to eight inches below the water’s surface before you begin the first phase of the pull.
The Entry
Your arm should enter the water in front of your shoulder, so the bubbles just miss your ear. If your arms come in closer to the centerline of your body, you may be swinging your hips out to the side, causing extra drag and impinging on the muscles and tendons in your shoulder. A wider entry can cause your entire arm to drag forward through the water.
Your fingertips should enter first, followed by your hand, forearm, elbow, triceps and shoulder, all entering through the same (12) “hole.” Imagine that you are putting your arm into a coat sleeve – everything goes down into the same tube, to slip into that tube, your elbow has to be bent and held high. Don’t force your arm into the coat sleeve. Relax and let your arm’s own weight pull it down. Great swimmers always look relaxed in the water because they are relaxed.
The Pull
Your underwater pull is best described by changes in the direction of your hand sweep. The down-sweep begins after your catch, with your wrist flexed at a 45-degree angle and your hand facing out-ward. This motion is a down and outward pattern that maintains a high elbow position. As your hand passes laterally, your body should be rolling toward your opposite side to assist in the out-sweep. Once your hand passes outside your shoulder – i.e. at its deepest point – it should change direction to face inward, backward and slightly upward toward the midline of your body.
The pull phase of your stroke should not be dominated by elbow extension, but rather by body roll coupled with the upward motion of your slightly flexed elbow.
The Recovery
As you lift your arm out of the water, increase the bend in your elbow. Continue keeping your elbow higher than your hand, and lead the arm swing forward with your elbow. Point your fingers backward and allow them to trail behind until you are midway through your recovery. At this point your fingers should take over the lead. Your hand should enter the water at a 30- to 45-degree angle, thumbs facing downward, to begin again with the catch.

Freestyle Breathing
Head Position
Between inhalations, hold your head so the waterline is at mid-forehead level. Exhale easily but steadily from your nose and mouth. When turning your head to breathe, maintain a straight line between the top of your head and the base of your spine.

Timing
Your shoulder should roll up and back when you stroke. When breathing on your stroking side, simply follow your shoulder back with your chin. Inhale as soon as your mouth clears the water. Your body should already be rolling back to the other side. Your chin will lead your shoulder as your face returns to the water.
TIP Bilateral breathing, often called alternate-side breathing, requires you to change breathing sides after each stroke cycle. This skill eliminates neck and shoulder fatigue and promotes better balance and body alignment. Bilateral breathing is an essential navigational skill in open water, too.

Freestyle Drills
Like many people who want to swim faster, you may be tempted to increase your arm turnover in an effort to increase your speed. Sounds logical. But when you look over at the fastest swimmers at your pool, thy seem to be moving their arms slower than you are, not faster. What’s going on here?
The secret to faster swimming lies not in making your stroke faster, but in making it longer. Single-arm drills are a great way for swimmers, especially uncoached swimmers, to increase the length and efficiency of their stroke.
By stroking with only one arm at a time, you can examine each part of your stroke sequence in minute detail. This will allow you to uncover technique flaws as well as strength imbalances between your left and right sides.
Single-Arm Drills
When doing single-arm drills, begin your pull by flexing your wrist and digging down for the bottom of the pool. If you are using your right arm, you will breathe on your right side. When? As your right hand finishes its stroke at your thigh. You should be looking at a point between the 12 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions when breathing on your right side and between the 10 o’clock and 12o’clock positions when breathing on your left side. By learning to limit your head turn, you will keep your body in a more fluid position and waste a lot less energy. (See illustrations on page 12.)
Count the number of strokes you take per length of the pool. If you take fewer strokes with one arm than you do with the other, you’ve uncovered a strength imbalanve. You’ll want to spend more of your drill time on your “ weak” side than your “strong” side.
Variations
In addition to the one lap left/one lap right single-arm drill sequence, you can do three strokes right/three strokes left, followed by two right/two left, one right/one left, then back up the “ladder.” You also can alternate between right- and left-arm strokes with a momentary pause in between. This is known as catch-up swimming, a staple of many competitive swim programs. (picture single-arm drill)
Thumbsies
This drill is especially helpful for swimmers who have difficulty with the finishing stage of their strokes – the recovery. Thumbsies – a drill in which you literally drag the thumb of your trailing arm along the body from mid-thigh up through the armpit – is also good for teaching you to make your hands enter the water in front of your shoulder. If one of your hands has a tendency to enter the water beyond the mid-line of your body, causing you to zig-zag down your lane, thumbsies may be a big help.


Backstroke
The stroke
The backstroke is not so much swum on the back as it is on the side. Accomplished backstrokers have the ability to rotate power-fully and rhythmically from one side to the other. They spend as little time as possible flat on their backs – where the water’s resistance is greatest – and as much time as possible on their sides, where they minimize the amount of body surface that must push through the water.
By rotating your body at the beginning of each (back) stroke, your hand can enter the water at a deeper level than it could if you remained flat on your back. The deeper your hand, the more powerful a fulcrum you’ll have to push water behind you.
Your head position is the key to controlling what the rest of your body does in the backstroke. Your head is the only thing that should never move in backstroke.

Backstroke Breathing
Head Position
Point your nose skyward at all times. Find a point on the ceiling and keep your eyes focused on it as you swim. This will remind you to keep your head still. Your chin should be slightly tucked, as though your head were resting on a small pillow.
Timing
There is a breathing rhythm for the backstroke, although most novice swimmers hold their breath to avoid swallowing water when inhaling. Try swimming easily on your back, inhaling on one arm recovery and exhaling on the other. Do this for one breath on each stroke cycle. When swimming harder, inhale as one arm exits the water and exhale as it re-enters. This will give you two breaths on each stroke.
Tip: To remind yourself not to hold your breath, avoid pursing your lips or puffing your cheeks. Just relax and keep your face slack.
To make the backstroke motion second nature, you’ll need to mix in drills frequently with your “straight” swims. Alternate one length of drills (see below) with one length of straight swimming.

Drills for Learning the Backstroke Body Position
Barbecue Skewer Drill
Start by lying on your back and flutter kicking with your arms resting on your sides. As you kick, roll one shoulder up toward your chin. Hold it there briefly, return to the neutral position and then roll the other shoulder up toward your chin. Fight the urge to take a stroke. During each rotation, your whole body – from shoulder to toes – should rotate on the same axis, perpendicular to the water’s surface, as if on a barbecue skewer. Your head should remain still throughout this drill.
Hold the side-lying position briefly on each rotation. Once you’re comfortable with the feeling of controlled body rotation, practice it with the arm stroke included.
TIP: Flutter kicking on your back while wearing training fins will teach you to keep your hips elevated for better body position and a stronger kick.
Six-Six Drill
Start by lying on your back with your legs extended and toes pointed. Flutter kick on your side for six kicks (or three counts), with your bottom arm extended overhead and your top shoulder touching your . Your head should remain fixed with your nose pointing toward the ceiling – try to keep your eyes focused on the same spot on the ceiling. After six kicks, take a stroke, recover fully and then briskly roll to your other side. Repeat this stroke-recover-roll sequence with a side-lying pause between strokes. The idea is to reduce the pause gradually until you’re swimming in a nearly normal rhythm.
When rolling from side. Imagine that your body is rotating on a single straight-line axis that runs from the top of your head to the bottom of your spine.

Drills for Learning the Backstroke Arm Stroke
To understand how to incorporate your arms into the backstroke, imagine that you could reach down about two feet below the water’s surface and grab a convenient handle for leverage. This handle would allow you to pull your body past your hand (rather than pull your hand past your body).

Single-Arm Drill
This drill utilizes the same rotating kick position as the barbecue Skewer Drill (see page 14). With your left arm resting at your side, stroke a length of the pool with your right arm only. On the next length switch arms so you’re stroking only with your left. At the completion of each pull, make sure the shoulder on your stroking arm is touching your chin. Count your single-arm strokes per length-aim for 10 to 14 if you’re in a standard 25-yard pool.

Breaststroke
The Stroke
The breaststroke has several benefits for fitness swimmers: It’s an excellent way to vary the challenge and pace of a workout, the leg motion is terrific for toning your inner and outer thighs, and the arm motion is great for toning your chest muscles.
Contrary to how it might look, breaststrokers do not move their arms and legs simultaneously when they swim. Rather, they pull, inhale, kick and glide, although there is some overlap between the elements. There should be a clear distinction between the kick and pull. As with other swim strokes, it’s a good idea to break down the breaststroke into its component parts before trying to put it all together.
Arm Motion
Imagine your hands tracing a heart-shaped Valentine in the water, beginning and ending with your arms extended in front of you, just below the water’s surface. During the pull, your arms should trace a smooth, outward, downward curve followed by an accelerated, sharper upward movement that brings your hands together beneath your chest. In the recovery, your arms should shoot straight forward, returning to your starting position.
Leg Motion
Most fitness and competitive swimmers prefer the newer, narrower “whip kick” to the old-fashioned “frog kick.” Bend your knees-not more than hip-width apart – and bring your heels together near your buttocks. Simultaneously flex your feet and turn your toes outward so your lower legs form a V. then whip your lower legs down, around and together in an outward, backward semi-circle, finishing with your knees straight and your toes pointed. This circular back-ward motion is the main propulsive force behind the kick.
Body Position
Prone and streamlined. At the beginning and end of your stroke, extend your arms in front of you with your hands together, four to eight inches below the water’s surface. Your palms and thumbs should be angled slightly downward. Straighten your legs behind you, keeping your hips and feet just below the water’s surface. Your hips should be undulating visibly during the stroke cycle.

Breaststroke Breathing
Hear Position
Hold your head still, with your eyes fixed at a point on the water just in front of your hands. Keep your chin locked and slightly tucked.
Timing
Two common breaststroke errors are breathing too early in your stroke, which robs your pull of its power, and lifting your chin to breathe. Instead, keep your face in the water as your hands press down and outside the shoulders, then breathe as your hands reverse direction and sweep inward again.

TIP: Breathe by lifting your torso rather than just your chin. As your hands sweep inward, your arm action should lift your shoulders out of the water. Inhale as your body clears the water. Fully extend your hands before your face goes back under.

Breaststroke Coordination
The correct sequence should be: Pull, inhale, kick and glide. Bend your knees to begin your kick at a pint just after you’ve inhaled, with your arms under your chest. Then, as your arms begin their recovery, your knees should be bent to their fullest – some breaststrokers have enough flexibility to touch their heels to their buttocks. Your legs should supply at least 50 percent of your propulsion in the breaststroke.

Stroke Tips & Drills~1

Basic Skills
Whether you’re a lap-swimmer, a former competitive swimmer, an injured runner, a
cross-training enthusiast or just someone looking for a fun, total-body exercise routine, you can learn modern stroke technique and become a better swimmer. If it’s been years, maybe decades, since your last swim lesson, you may be surprised to learn how much swimming technique has changed if you have children enrolled in a swim program, they’re probably learning to swim in a way that is vastly different from the way you were taught. Sometimes it’s easier to start fresh than to try to unlearn your old habits.
Good technique is what enables the better swimmers at your pool to whisk by you with apparently little effort. Even if some of them have lost their physiques over the years, they haven’t lost the technique they honed as younger, competitive swimmers.

How We Learn
As with most sports, swimming is tougher to master than it looks. Your perception of how you swim is often very different from how you really do swim. Most adults overestimate their swimming speed, not to mention their swimming skills. Have a friend or lifeguard videotape you in the pool sometime, and you’ll see what we mean. The truth can be painful, but it’s very educational.
We learn through observation , imitation, instruction and even pretend play. As adults, our egos often get in the way of the learning process when we think everyone is watching us. Here’s a tip: No one is watching you, unless they’ve read other chapters in this book! You are free to experiment and explore the world of swimming with childlike curiosity.

Determining Your Skill Level
In the fictional world of Garrison Keillor’s “Lake Woebegone,” everyone would be an above-average swimmer. But in the real world, where some of you are new to the pool and others have been swimming your whole lives, we have to make some distinctions to make this book as useful as possible.
Consider yourself a novice swimmer if you’ve never been coached, if you’ve been swimming for less than two years, or if it takes you 26 or more (freestyle) arm strokes to cover a 25-yard pool length. Consider yourself an intermediate swimmer if you’ve had little or no coaching but have been swimming regularly for two to five years, or if you can complete a length of a 25-yard pool in 22 to 25 arm strokes. Consider yourself an advanced swimmer if you come from a competitive swimming background or take fewer than 22 strokes to cover 25 yard.
How Efficient Are You in the Water?
If you’re an adult swimmer taking more than 22 strokes per length of a standard 25-yard pool, it might be worth taking a closer look at your technique. As with mastering a tennis stroke, a golf stroke or a baseball batting stroke, mastering a swimming stroke takes patience and practice. You must isolate the unique demands on your arms, shoulders, hands, hips feet and legs, before you can put them all together into a single fluid motion. Good stroke technique results from two things: minimizing drag and maximizing propulsion.

Minimizing Drag
Practicing “push and glides” off the wall will teach your body to pierce the water like an arrow. You must first learn the “streamline position.” The concept of streamlining will surface throughout this book.
Stand with your arms extended in front of you, both palms turned down. Place one palm directly over the back of your other hand and align your fingers, hooking the thumb of your top hand around the pinkie side of your bottom hand. With your hand joined together (one on top of the other), raise them over your head. Stand on your tiptoes and reach as high as you can. As you stretch, squeeze your elbows in, so your biceps brush against your ears. Remember this streamlined position. It will come in handy throughout this book.

Maximizing Propulsion (Forward movement)
Stop and glide after each stroke with one arm fully extended in front of you and the opposite arm resting at your side. Make a mental snapshot of this position as you glide for six kicks. Then take another stroke and stop again, gliding with the other arm extended in front of you. Kick six more times. Take another stroke and so on. Continue pausing with one arm extended in front of you and the other one at your side, changing arms each time, remember to push all the way back on each stroke, touching your thigh, then relax your arm. Stopping your arm at this point may feel awkward, but keep practicing.

Basic Stroke Foundation
As mentioned above, to move forward in the water you need to increase your forward propulsion while minimizing the amount of body surface that comes in contact with the water, causing drag. The most important source of propulsion is your kick. That’s right, your kick. This may seem odd since it looks like your arms are doing most of the work. But without an efficient kick, your legs will drag through the water like anchors and hold you back immensely.
Watch the better swimmers look at your pool and notice how effortlessly they seem to kick. Then look at the slower swimmers at your pool. See how they thrash in the water? Ankle flexibility, not brute leg strength, is primarily what determines the effectiveness of your kick.
Practice pointing your toes as you kick. By kicking with fins when you swim, or by sitting on your insteps on a comfortable rug at home, you can increase your ankle flexibility and eventually your kicking speed. (See below.)

TIP :one of the secrets to swimming efficiently is knowing how to relax. Good swimmers seem to go farther and faster in the water, with less effort than novice swimmers. Why? Because they’re comfortable in the water. They extend their bodies fully to get most out of each stroke.

Kicking Skills
While the kick is not directly responsible for propelling you forward, it’s pretty tough to swim well without kicking well. If you don’t believe it, try this little exercise: in a safe environment, swim a few laps with your ankles bound together so you cannot kick freely. You can use surgical tubing or a small inner tube to hold your ankles together. what happens? Chances are your legs swerve madly from side to side and then sink toward the bottom of the pool as though they had weights attached. Try the exercise again. See how difficult it is to swim in a straight line when you can’t kick?

Kicking: A Closer Look
Kicking propels you in two directions: forward and upward. The forward component is of minimal value to non-competitive swimmers, but the upward component, or lift, is what allows you to hydroplane on top of the water, giving you speed. You kick also helps you counterbalance your arm stroke. What happened when you wrapped the band around your legs? You zig-zagged like an eel. Unless you have a perfect stroke with high elbow recovery and zero lateral movement, you need to kick just to maintain a straight line in the pool.
You’re probably seen novice swimmers at your pool whose legs appear to be scissoring when they kick. The problem is in their arms, however, not their legs. Next time you’re at your pool, watch how their arms cross past the midline of their bodies. Their legs have no choice but to counterbalance their arm stroke by scissoring. If they didn’t do so, they’d sink or swim in circles. You might want to share this insight with them (politely).

Checking Your ankle Flex: The Toe Point Test
Ankle flexibility is the key ingredient to kicking speed and thus, successful swimming. If you are able to point your toes, your feet will act like fins in the water. If you can’t point your toes – are you listening, runners, cyclists and triathletes? – your feet will act like anchors.
You can measure your ankle flexibility with a ruler. Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you and your heels resting on the floor. Point your toes as far as you can without causing pain (or have a friend press down gently on your toes.) Measure the distance from the floor to your toes. If your toes are within two inches of the floor, you should have a decent kick. If your toes are two to four inches from the floor, that’s fair. If you measure four to seven inches or more from the floor, your ankles are very tight, and you probably find it very difficult to kick with a kickboard. Many runners, cyclists, weight lifters and aerobics enthusiasts fall into the latter category. (See stretching exercise below.)

Ankle Flex Exercises
1. Have a partner press down on your feet as you sit with legs extended.
2. Sitting on the floor, tuck the tops of your feet under a sofa. Slowly scoot back in the floor. Try to extend your legs fully. Be careful not to exert too much pressure on your Achilles tendon (behind the ankle area).
3. While sitting on a chair, dangle your feet and curl the tops of your toes to the floor. Press down.
4. Practice swimming with training fins on, especially when you kick.

Head-Up Kicking Drill
“Head-up” kicking will teach you proper body position – elevating the hips and chest to reduce resistance – and help you develop a strong kick. Clasp your hands together, arms fully extended in front of you, with your head out of the water. Inhale by lifting your chin straight ahead. Don’t forget to keep kicking when you breathe. The head-up kicking drill will come in handy when we discuss open-water swimming later.

Hand Skills
Experts say that after kicking, hand entry is the most critical aspect of a swimmer’s forward propulsion. When swimmers’ hands enter the water, they direct a flow of water under their arms and past their torsos. This “ lift, “ combined with a strong kick, is what enables good swimmers to stay on top of the water.
As your hand enters the water during the initial (catch) phase of your stroke, you’ll want to keep your elbow high and your palm turned slightly outward. Slide your hand forward, as if putting it into a coat sleeve. Then turn your hand and the inside of your forearm toward your feet, point your fingertips down (or slightly across your body) and press your hand straight back. As you bring your hand past the center of your torso, your thumb should pass directly under your navel.

TIP: years ago, you may have been taught to cup your hands while swimming, but your hands really shouldn’t hold water like cups do. Instead, they should work more like paddles. The most effective position for your hands is flat and open, with your fingers extended. Remember that the angle of your hand must adjust constantly to changes in the water, just as a sailor must constantly adjust the angle of his sail to changes in wind conditions.
By constantly changing the angle of your hands (sculling) you can maximize the amount of water you’re able to hold and displace during your stroke. The more you can hold and displace, the more powerful your stroke will be.

Tennis Ball Drill
Swimming with your fists closed, or while holding a tennis ball in each hand, will help you develop sensitivity to the water when you re-open your hands (or swim without the tennis balls). Without the use of your fingers, you lose sensitivity to the water, not to mention a good deal of your pulling surface. To compensate for the relative lack of surface area, you raise your elbows, hoping to create propulsion with your forearms rather than your hands. When you re-open your hands, you’ll feel as though you’ve got trash can lids attached. Your pulling surface and power will be that much greater!

Breathing Skills
Many sports make you breathe heavily, but when you’re in the water, proper breathing is essential. When your breathing technique is off, your whole stroke will be affected. Experts say 60 to 70 percent of a swimmer’s improper body alignment stems from improper head movement when breathing.
Confident swimmers turn their heads just far enough to get their noses and mouths above the water line for air. But novice swimmers, out of fear and inexperience, feel they must turn their entire bodies – head, shoulders, hips and back – just to get air into their noses and mouths. This takes you out of your optimal streamlined position and wastes valuable time and energy.
P11Tip to control your head movement in the water, try to maintain an imaginary straight line that runs from the top of your head to the base of your spine. Never lift or drop your head from that axis, even when you turn your head to breathe.

Rock 'n' Roll in Swimming: Analysis of Rhythms in Crawl and Butterfly Strokes

游泳中的搖滾：分析捷泳和蝶泳中的律動(節奏)

很多教練和泳士經常談論游泳時的律動，但是他們對律動能做的解釋卻非常有限。

這篇文章是根基於2007年所舉辦的運動生物力學國際座談會的演講。這是一篇敍述游泳時的律動如何被拿來描述、分析、量化的少數文章之一。

以蝶泳和捷泳的分析做為例子，這篇文章描述如何使用傅立葉分析法來量化律動，也從過去和現在的研究呈現出有代表性的結果。

結合律動力學和其動力資料分析可以提供一個洞見：在游泳時如何建構”良好的律動” 。重要的是，去使用律動的知識是可能的，並且發展它來改進游泳技巧和運動方式。

典型的狀況是這樣，好的泳者，律動波流經他的全身，包括手臂、肩膀、身體、大腿、小腿和腿板。這篇文章證實了：推進力並非產生於將平靜的水向後推動的論證。而推進力產生於推動平靜的水，是推進力如何產生的較早期的概念。

文章也提出捷泳時身體滾動可以接收到下肢打水時所產生的向量動能(角動量)，下肢打水產生轉距的力量傳導到身體，而手臂在其中也扮演了重要的角色。

律動波被描述為環繞身體縱軸的滾動運動。

在蝶泳方面，它是水平的滾動軸。他包括了肩膀、臀部、膝和腳踝。

有效的將身體的能量傳達到水中，端靠律動的身體波動。這就流體力學和有效能的推進力的結合。
Trainers and swimmers talk often about rhythm in swimming, but very rarely they can explain what they mean by this. The article we present here is based on lecture held at the International Symposium on Biomechanics in Sports 2007. This is one of the few articles that describes how rhythm in swimming may be described, analysed and quantified .
Using examples from analysis of butterfly and front crawl swimming, the article describes how rhythms may be quantified using Fourier analysis and presented ‘typical’ results from past and current research. In combination with kinematic and kinetic data analysis of rhythms can provide an insight into what constitutes ‘good rhythm’ in swimming. Importantly, there is potential to use knowledge of rhythms and their development to improve swimming technique and sports performance.Typically, in good swimmers, rhythmic waves are travelling through the body that involve the arms, shoulders, trunk, thighs and shanks, and the feet. The article's corroborates evidence that propulsion is not generated by pushing undisturbed water back, as proposed in earlier concepts about how propulsion is generated (more on propulsion: Propulsion through drag or lift?).
The article proposes that the body roll in front crawl swimming is initiated by the angular momentum created by the lower limbs while kicking, as the torque forces of the limbs are transferred to the trunk. The arm action also plays a role in this. The rhythmic waves are characterised by the rolling motions around the longitudinal axis of body segments.
In the butterfly stroke, there are horizontal rotational axes that include the shoulders, hips, knees and ankles.
The efficiency of the energy transmission from the body into the water depends on rhythmic body undulations that are both hydrodynamic and propulsion efficient (whole article as a PDF).