This video kicks off the backyard swim lab, hosted by Jenna and Miguel @ Freestyle Tri. Today we had a 60+ yearold swimmer come in looking to improve efficiency with limited mobility (from past shoulder reconstruction). Impressively, the "precovid benchmark" for this swimmer is around 1:201:30 per 100yd pace, and we chatted about many things we can work on in his stroke to get him back and beyond that pace now that pools and masters teams are opening back up. Here's the summary:

lesson 1: entry and catch
takeaways: arm alignment upon entry (fingers, elbows, and shoulder), and highelbow catch
drills: sculling, and sidekicking

lesson 2: kicking
takeaways: small, hipdriven kicks near the surface
drills: superman kick, and kicking with fins

lesson 3: head position and breath
takeaways: rotate around stable head ... minimalist breathing
drills: singlearm freestyle, and sidekicking with breaths