The skill of streamlining is taught to children from a very young age. It is used by children in learn-to-swim (often disguised as torpedoes) and by elite swimmers at National and International swim meets.
At this year’s Australian Age Championships, it was evident during warm-up that up to 80% of swimmers still fail to streamline correctly when they start and turns. Watching swimmers in warm-up, 4 out of every 5 swimmers did not streamline correctly.
There is no excuse not to streamline!
Swimmers - you must streamline every time you start or push off the wall. Place your head in between your arms, lock your ears in, extend your elbows straight and place one hand on top of the other. Stretch forward so that you cut through the water. Every time you streamline correctly, you get extra distance with no extra use of energy.
Coaches - Make your swimmers streamline at all times. Get them out of the water and practice streamlining standing up. If they can’t do this, they will not be able to do it in the water. Streamlining becomes a habit and not streamlining does too. Coaches should ensure swimmers maintain a streamlined position in training in starts and turns. What ever a swimmer does in training is what they will do in a race.
Great swimmers will streamline on every start and turn - are you a great swimmer?
Great coaches will insist that their swimmers streamline on every start and turn - are you a great coach?
