Body Position

1.       In general swimmers should always have their elbow higher than their hand when swimming, except for backstroke, both in the water and above the water

2.       In freestyle and butterfly strokes, the hand should enter the water directly in front of the shoulder.  This places the hand in the most direct line to the target path and is therefore more efficient. Entering the water with the hand too far to the face side or behind the head is inefficient and places excess stress on the shoulder.

3.       Fly kicking on your back with fins (with your arms at your sides) is a great way to strengthen the core and get some quality kicking into the practice.

4.       Don't neglect the hamstrings, hip flexors/adductors and calves in pre-swim stretching/warm up. They are vital to an efficient kick.

Shoulder And Spine

Tips for a Healthy Swimming - shoulder and spine
AthletiCo Rehabilitation, Fitness, and Performance
Aaron J. Stoll, PT, MPT, OCS, ATC
Physical Therapist/Athletic Trainer

The swimmer’s shoulder is a delicate balance between laxity (mobility) and stability. Successful and long-time swimmers tend to have naturally lax or “loose” shoulders. However, with improper training and postural dysfunction, the stable but flexible swimmer’s shoulder can be compromised, leading to excessive mobility (instability) that can no longer be controlled by the muscles around the joint, with subsequent breakdown of shoulder tissues and function.

1. Avoid prolonged, intense shoulder stretching before training or competing. Intense or prolonged stretches inhibit muscle stretch receptors and decrease muscle stiffness. This is detrimental to the protective joint position sense of the shoulder and can hurt performance by decreasing the muscles’ ability to generate force by being stretched. Instead, a gentle warm up emphasizing gradual stress increases and full-range movements can decrease any soreness/tightness from previous sessions and prepare the body for swimming. Short (1-2 second) holds for shoulder stretches can help prime muscles for competition. Any sustained stretches should be gentle and performed only AFTER swimming.

2. Posture is vital to a healthy and optimally functioning shoulder. Throughout the day, try to keep your shoulder blades pulled together slightly. This prevents tight chest muscles and increases the endurance of the upper back muscles, preventing harmful muscle imbalances.

3. Avoid carrying heavy bags on one shoulder for extended periods of time. Successful swimmers have shoulders which are naturally lax or “loose”, but this type of prolonged stress can cause dysfunction through cumulative stress.

Neck pain is becoming increasingly common among swimmers and is a frequent problem for swimmers who take up competitive swimming later in life (such as triathletes and recreational swimmers). Many of these problems are directly related to breathing errors in the water, which cause the swimmer to contort their neck to obtain air. Other daily activities not related to swimming can also contribute to problems experienced during swimming.

1. If you are a student or have a sedentary occupation, focus on making yourself as tall as possible at all times while sitting. This prevents postural muscle imbalances which contribute to shoulder and neck/back pain and dysfunction.

2. During freestyle swimming, the neck should not rotate >45 degrees for breathing. Over-rotation of the neck during breathing (or similarly, lifting the head out of the water to breathe), is commonly caused by a lack of body rotation in the water. Have a coach check your form, and focus on full body rotation especially at the end of a training session when fatigue sets in.

3. Practice bilateral breathing. This prevents excessive strain on the neck by over-rotating to one side repeatedly.

4. Avoid lifting the head up to look at the end of the pool. The eyes should be looking straight down to the bottom of the pool and the head should be in line with the body.

5. During the Butterfly stroke, time your breathing as soon as your head/chest clears the water. Breathing too late will cause you to extend your head backward. This will also harm efficiency by driving the legs downward, increasing drag.