Have you ever wondered why some swimmers glide effortlessly while others struggle? Excessive splashing can slow swimmers down by breaking their streamline — one of the key elements of efficient swimming.
Splashing can be caused by a splashy kick or a slappy stroke. These can break your streamline, causing you to swim slower. This week’s Tuesday Tips post will explore the importance of streamlining and how to reduce splashing.
What is streamlining?
Streamlining is a position that minimises resistance and maximises speed, by creating an aerodynamic shape in the water. A streamline position involves keeping your arms tight by your ears and your legs straight and close together. By reducing resistance, streamlining allows swimmers to conserve energy, maintain speed, and swim efficiently for longer.
It is vital that streamlining is taught correctly from the start of a swimmer’s journey. At Mighty Splash, we teach streamlining in a variety of ways:
- Pencil floats: Lying on your front or back, with your arms extended and your body tight, to practise body position control.
- Rockets: Push and glide drills that teach swimmers to maintain a streamline position while moving forward in the water.
- Kicking drills: Practising flutter kicks while maintaining a streamline body position.
- Jumps and dives: Ensuring a streamline position is met before the swimmer enters the water, reducing splash on entry.
How can I reduce my splashing?
As streamlining is a fundamental skill within swimming, it is important that swimmers feel confident in maintaining this position. One of the biggest culprits for not achieving a streamline position is having an overly “slappy” stroke — this means swimmers’ arms are smacking the top of the water. Another cause is having overly splashy feet. Both of these result in an ineffective streamline position whilst swimming.
One approach to amending these issues is silent swimming. Silent swimming is a great technique to refine stroke efficiency. The goal is to minimise splashing by focusing on a smooth arm entry and quiet kicks, allowing swimmers to glide effortlessly. This involves arms gliding into the water and legs gently kicking just below the surface.
Final remarks
Maintaining a streamline position is one of the more important aspects of swimming. It allows swimmers to glide through the water whilst reducing resistance and maximising speed. By mastering streamline and reducing unnecessary splash, swimmers can maintain speed, improve endurance, and glide through the water with ease!
Mighty Splash can teach you how to swim effectively and improve your strokes. Click here to find out more about the lessons we offer for children and adults!
