Directions to Party

Meadow Hills Pool

See you all there at 6:30!

Party Saturday

Hey all,

What a wonderful last meet and a wonderful way to end the season. But remember that the season isn't quite over until we have a PARTY!

The end of the season party is this Saturday the 8th at 6:30PM til 8:30 PM. There will be food, swimming, awards, and FUN!

Please let me know if you will be able to attend. If you decide to show up the day of, be warned that if you do not bring a dish you will not be able to eat. So... Show up Bring some food, have some fun!


See you all then and thanks for a wonderful season!

Sorry all we're not going to Miami this weekend. Here is the right Link, I hope. Lookout Park Pool.

See you all bright and early tomorrow morning!

Swim Meet Saturday July 25th

Hey Everyone the meet this weekend is at Lookout Pool, Which is over by EagleCrest High School.
Directions are here, http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Lookout%20Park%20Pool%205455%20South%20Riviera%20Way&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

See you there, before 7AM please. I think that seating will be sparse and also you may want to bring tents and lots of water to stay cool!

Pictures!

We will be doing team pictures the 23rd (Thursday) at 7:30AM. Please arrive on time ready to take our pictures as fast as possible so as to be able to get some practice in. Thanks!

Swim Meet. July 11th

We have our second SWIM MEET this weekend at the Westminster Life Time Fitness Center.
I posted the directions to the meet.
Fiteness Center

Also warm up is at 7:30

Sarah will not be there, if you have any questions please call Coach Chrissy at 303-881-2823

Practice Time Re-scheduled!!!!

Due to another swim lesson make-up day, Wednesday July 1, practice will be re-scheduled to a MORNING practice. The 11 and up, will practice at 7 AM and the 10 and under will practice at 7:45 AM.

See you bright and early :)

Practice Canceled

Wednesday June 24, practice will be canceled due to make-up swim lessons. We will see you all Thursday morning

Park View Swim Meet

Just as a reminder we have our first meet this Saturday the 20th at Parkview. Directions are below. We will go over meet sign up the rest of the week.

Parkview Directions

Forms Due

Just as a reminder, the Order Forms and the Swimmer Contact Info sheets are due Friday, June 12.

Shirts $6
Sweatshirts $20
Caps $ 3

*** swim suits must be on seperate check, and made out to SWIM N' THINGS****



For all your swimming needs check out http://www.swimnthings.com/

Welcome

Welcome to the 2009 Summer Season! The coaching staff is excited to try a team blog, where we can post important information (meet info, parent meeting, weather closures, etc.) As you see below, the coaching staff put together a packet of swimming techniques we hope you find this interesting.

Lastly, we will be having a Parent Meeting June 6th at 6:00.

We look forward to having a wonderful season.
-Coach Chrissy and Coach Sarah

Butterfly

Butterfly needs both stamina and technique, but the body movements are not difficult because you will have done many of them before in other strokes.

When racing butterfly, your arms must come out of the water on every stroke.

They must not drag through the water when they move from your hips to the entry position.

STEP ONE

Both of your arms work at the same time and keep moving throughout the stroke.

Put your hands in the water in front of your shoulders and pull them towards your feet.

STEP TWO

When your hands reach your thighs, lift them out of the water and throw them back to the start.

You should keep your head in the water all the time, except when you need to breathe in.

If you lift your head up at other times it will be almost impossible to get your arms over the water.

The easiest way to breathe in is to push your chin forwards so that your mouth comes out of the water.

It is best to do this when your arms are almost at your thighs.

STEP THREE

The difficult part is getting everything in the right order, so:

Kick your legs down as your hands go in Kick your legs down as your hands come out Keep your head down when your arms go over the water Keep your head down until your arms are near your thighs Breathe in quickly Remember to try to improve one bit at a time

Backstroke

The back crawl is different to most strokes because you cannot see where you are going.

It is a good idea to count how many strokes it takes you to swim a length so you will know when you are getting close to the end of the pool.

Try and swim with all of your body close to the surface of the water, almost like you are lying on your back in bed with your head on a pillow.

STEP ONE

It is difficult to keep your body travelling in a straight line if you don't kick your legs.

Use long fast kicks, making sure your legs are moving up and down.

Keep your knees underwater and bent a little, and your toes should make a small splash when you kick.

STEP TWO

The arms provide the power in back crawl, making a circling action as they move in and out of the water.

You start by putting one arm in the water in a straight line above your shoulder.

Once your hand is in the water it should push down and towards your feet. Bend your elbow slightly and pull your arm by your side to your thigh.

Keep pushing your hand towards your feet until your elbow is straight. Then lift it out of the water, back to its original position and repeat the motion again.

Keep the arm straight all of the time it is out of the water.

The left and right arms do the same movement, but not at the same time. One should come out of the water at about the same time as the other enters it.

Breaststroke

Breaststroke is a traditional stroke popular with people who like to swim for fitness.

It is the slowest stroke, but that does not mean it cannot be swum powerfully and at speed.

STEP ONE

The most important thing about breaststroke is to keep your body level at the surface.

Your shoulders need to be in line and your hips also need to be flat in the water.

Now move your feet and legs together like a frog - this is usually the most troublesome area of breaststroke.

It is the only stroke which uses these movements and can be difficult to get both legs to do the same thing at the same time.

Here are a few tips to help synchronise your legs:

Bend your knees and lift your feet up to your bottom Turn your feet out so that you can push back with the bottom of your foot Move your feet out and in again to meet each other Straighten your legs with your knees touching You can try this sitting on the side of the pool with your legs dangling in the water Alternatively, you can do it in the water holding on to the rail with your legs stretched behind you. STEP TWO Take long stretches between each stroke with your arms. A really good tip is to make sure you can always see your hands. This will help to get the arm action right. Start by stretching your arms out in front of you, just under the surface of the water. Then press both hands out and round to draw a full circle, making sure your hands stay in front of your shoulders. Your hands should finish by stretching forwards again. Your arms and legs should stay in the water all of the time, making no splash at all. STEP THREE Breathe in as you finish the circle, lifting your face out of the water. Put your face back into the water as you stretch your arms forward to begin the circle again. STEP FOUR The last step is to put the stroke together, so: Pull with your arms and breathe in. Kick your legs. Stretch out with your body level in the water. Start again

Freestyle

Front crawl is the fastest stroke and gives you the feeling of being powerful in the water.

It is often hard to get the hang of at first because fitting in the breathing can be difficult.

STEP ONE

Swim with all of your body close to the surface of the water, keeping your hips and legs behind your shoulders.

Imagine you are trying to swim through a narrow tube without touching the sides.

A good way of doing this is to put your face in the water and keep your legs kicking all of the time.

STEP TWO

Try to use long fast kicks, making sure all of your leg is moving up and down.

Your knees should bend a little bit and your feet should make a small splash. Try counting to six quickly and kicking your legs in time with this.

STEP THREE

Your arms provide the power for the stroke, so one arm should follow the other through the water and over the top.

Try putting your hand into the water in front of your head and stretch it forwards as far as it will go, slicing it into the water with your thumb first - the less splash the better.

STEP FOUR

Increase your speed by bending your elbow and pushing your hand towards your feet, keeping it going until it reaches the top of your leg.

Lift your arm out of the water and try to control it as it goes back to the starting point.

STEP FIVE

Breathe regularly. Your face is in the water so you need to remember to turn your head when you want to take a breath.

Flip Turns

The main purpose of the tumble turn is to finish one length and begin the next as fast as possible.

In freestyle races, you do not have to touch the wall with your hands.

Any part of your body is fine, and using the feet gets a much faster turn.

The turn is basically a somersault and twist. Here's what you need to do:

Swim towards the wall. Forward somersault just before the wall. Place your feet on the wall and stretch your arm out. Push your feet hard on the wall and twist on to your front. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT There are a number of different ways to practise the turn: Push away from the side and do a somersault. Try swimming five strokes and then do a somersault. Swim towards the wall and do a somersault, putting your feet on the wall as you go over. Practice pushing away from the side underwater and streamlining - swimming flat and thin with one hand on top of the other. Add a leg kick and start to pull as you reach the surface. Finally, put the whole thing together - swim, tumble, push off, streamline and swim. TOP TIPS Swim to the wall quickly. Turn when you see the "T" on the bottom of the pool. Tuck your head in tight. Put your feet on the wall approximately 50cm below the surface. Stretch your arms out before you push away from the wall

Starts

Most top swimmers use the grab start to get their race under way .

This gets you moving off the blocks quickly and into the water smoothly.

The starter will not begin the race until everybody is ready and still.

This is really important because you can be disqualified if you fall in before the start or if you are slow getting ready.

The better your starting position, the better your dive, so:

Head : Tucked in as close to your knees as possible Hips : As high as possible, lift them up and try not to push them back Legs : Curl your toes over the edge of the block and bend your knees slightly Arms : Should be in a "hands on" position, this means one hand on top of the other. Stretch your arms down, point your fingers to the floor and put your palms on the front of the wall or starting block. STEP TWO Push off with as much power as possible. Press hard with the palms of your hands and throw your arms forward. Look up slightly as you push away to get your body to follow your head. If you look up for too long, however, your feet will go in at the same time as your hands. This is not a good idea. As soon as your feet leave the starting block: Tuck your head in Push your hips up Streamline your body so that you go into the water head first STEP THREE As you approach the water, imagine you are trying to slide through a hole without making any splash. As you go in, let your hands and head lift slightly. Try to hold the "hands on" streamlined position until you are close to the surface and ready to start swimming. A really good tip for making a smooth change from diving to swimming is to imagine that there is no join between the two. Someone watching should not be able to see where one finished and the next one started.