Introduction:
This is _not_ yet another one of those "Larry vs TI" threads. It is, rather, an attempt to identify
a problem in stroke technique and to discuss potential approaches to solving the problem.
I pre-discussed this with Terry Laughlin, and he graciously gave me permission to temporarily post
several pictures of him swimming on my website, for the purpose of facilitating this discussion:
I took these images from a circa 1997 instructional video which I purchased from Total Immersion as
part of a workshop I attended in the Fall of 1997. They show Terry swimming (not drilling) and they
illustrate a very important point.
Image #1 shows Terry just starting the catch with his right hand. His body position is good, but not
quite perfectly horizontal.
Image #2, captured only a fraction of a second later (note time stamp), shows him during the
power phase of the stroke. His posture is not optimum (bisect the angle between his thighs and
you will note a slight forward bend at the waist. His head is down, and his butt is well under
the water line.
Image #3 was captured at the perfect moment when he is applying absolutely no downward force at all.
His horizontal body position is close to perfect.
Image #4, again only a fraction of a second later (again note time stamp) shows him in mid-pull with
the left hand. The posture is again nowhere near optimum, and the butt is again well under the
water. Bisect the thighs, and the trunk is again somewhat forward flexed.
What is important here is the contrast between body position when it is streamlined and gliding
versus when it is pulling (best shown in the contrast between #3 and #4). This graphically
illustrates the principle of "Miller Torque," in which downward forces applied ahead of the center
of buoyancy will push upwards that part of the body in front of the center of buoyancy and sink the
legs. Note that Miller torque is maximized when downward forces are applied farther out in front of
the body. If you reach way forward and then start applying forces before your hand has descended to
the position where you can apply rearward, as opposed to downward forces, this will increase Miller
torque and sink your legs further. But Miller torque is unavoidable, even with a perfect high elbow
catch, whenever force is applied ahead of the center of buoyancy. The more that one "front quadrant"
swims, the greater will be the tendency to produce Miller torque, by virtue of moving the moment arm
further in front of the fulcrum, which is the center of buoyancy.
Now, as Eric recently pointed out in the thread entitled "The Most Sacred Cow," it is striking how
many elite swimmers -- virtually a who's who of the fastest swimmers in the world -- do the
following. Coincident with the catch and pull of their strong side (the side which produces the
greatest Miller torque), they tilt their heads forward, maintaining good posture, which is to say,
maintaining the same degree of lumbar lordosis (or lower back arching) that is maintained when one
"stretches to full height" when standing upright on land. In point of fact, many of the most
prominent swimmers (e.g. Evans, van den Hoogenband, de Bruijn, Munz, Hackett) incorporate a distinct
head lift at this time also.
What does the head lift do?
Well, the Miller torque sinks the butt by elevating the forward part of the body and, therefore,
sinking the rearward part of the body (on the opposite side of the center of buoyancy fulcrum). A
forward head tilt increases the back arch, increases the amount of the head which is above the
water, increases the weight of the forward part of the body, and, therefore, counteracts Miller
torque. The higher the head is lifted, e.g.
the greater the counterbalance to Miller torque.
Look at the above and underwater clips of Janet Evans:
weisenthal.orgevans uw.mpgOpen ↗
Note how extremely high she lifts her head, coincident with her strong side pull. Note how, when she
does so, her butt actually rises up in the water (in contradistinction to the images of Terry, where
the opposite happens, as he maintains his relatively poor posture and "hidden head"
(downward-looking) position).
I think that Total Immersion-style swimming would be improved, were the swimmers taught to maintain
good posture in the water (maintain a prominent lower back arch, of the type which exists when one
stretches oneself to full height on land) and to tilt their heads to look somewhat forward,
coincident with the catch and pull of their strong sided hand. With time, there will be a tendency
to develop of bit of a head lift, and this should not be discouraged, if it is both natural and
comfortable.
Kicking with a kickboard is extremely useful, in that it specifically strengthens the muscles
necessary to maintain good posture (lower back arch) in the water, helps the swimmer get used to an
arched back posture, helps the swimmer get used to looking forward with an arched back, and
improves the kick.
Larry Weisenthal
Certitude is poison; curiosity is life