how to prevent fishtailing ?

Clarou said:

I had a friend watch me swim tonight, her only remark was : "You're
fishtailing ! That's very graceful, but very inefficient !"
She didn't offer much help to correct this : she thought it was
probably a problem of lack of core body strength, but I don't feel
particularily weak, maybe I just don't know how to use this strength in
the pool. So do you have any idea on how to correct this ?

Someimes it is caused by pulling across the center line.

"Martin Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Clarou said:

I had a friend watch me swim tonight, her only remark was : "You're
fishtailing ! That's very graceful, but very inefficient !"
She didn't offer much help to correct this : she thought it was
probably a problem of lack of core body strength, but I don't feel
particularily weak, maybe I just don't know how to use this strength in
the pool. So do you have any idea on how to correct this ?

Someimes it is caused by pulling across the center line.

....and strengthen up your kick.

Clarou said:

I had a friend watch me swim tonight, her only remark was : "You're
fishtailing ! That's very graceful, but very inefficient !"
She didn't offer much help to correct this : she thought it was
probably a problem of lack of core body strength, but I don't feel
particularily weak, maybe I just don't know how to use this strength in
the pool. So do you have any idea on how to correct this ?

I have a related problem, but only when I breathe. I tend to fishtail
toward the breathing side. I supposed this could be solved with better
body roll.
Madelaine

The most consistent "cure" for so-called Fishtailing is to think "the
hips lead the stroke." Everytime I bring this up, some people object,
but it's a very simple thing to try and, in my experience with giving
this advice over the past 15 years, it works almost all of the time.

What causes fishtailing is writhing back and forth with the upper
torso, while the hips/pelvis/butt/thighs are dragged passively behind.
Most novice swimmers can't kick (Diablo's suggestion), but almost
everyone will stop fishtailing if the hips are made the center of
attention. Begin each and every stroke by driving the opposite hip to
the extended hand downward. Move up and down the pool driving each
stroke with the hips. Your fishtailing should instantly be a thing of
the past.

Thank you everybody for your suggestions, I will think of this in the
pool next time, and I'll try to report on what happens. The problem is
that I don't know how to check if I'm fishtailing or not, so I'll will
have to wait until I can have someone watch me swim again, and it could
be a long time.

(Larry Weisenthal) said:

The most consistent "cure" for so-called Fishtailing is to think "the
hips lead the stroke." Everytime I bring this up, some people object,
but it's a very simple thing to try and, in my experience with giving
this advice over the past 15 years, it works almost all of the time.

What causes fishtailing is writhing back and forth with the upper
torso, while the hips/pelvis/butt/thighs are dragged passively behind.
Most novice swimmers can't kick (Diablo's suggestion), but almost
everyone will stop fishtailing if the hips are made the center of
attention. Begin each and every stroke by driving the opposite hip to
the extended hand downward. Move up and down the pool driving each
stroke with the hips. Your fishtailing should instantly be a thing of
the past.

Hmmm, it seems I am trying to breathe with my non-arthritic hip.
Instead of rolling to breathe, I seem to be kind of making myself into a
"C." My kick is OK, but I could see if a strong downbeat will stop the
c-ing.
Madelaine

Clarou said:

I had a friend watch me swim tonight, her only remark was : "You're
fishtailing ! That's very graceful, but very inefficient !"
She didn't offer much help to correct this : she thought it was
probably a problem of lack of core body strength, but I don't feel
particularily weak, maybe I just don't know how to use this strength in
the pool. So do you have any idea on how to correct this ?

Allow me to take the contrarian point of view. I doubt fishtailing has
much affect on speed. Given how humans present to the water: head,
blocked off shoulders, arms pinwheeling .. it's a mess. It's hard for
me to believe that gentle side to side undulation of the rest of the
body is really a big deal. Also, I'm always amazed at some of the
overhead shots of elite swimmers. I wouldn't say they are fishtailing,
but they often kick well outside their body line. I'm speaking of
elites who have broken kicking rhythms. I mean side ways kicks of huge
amplitude. So the notion of travelling down a narrow tube as we swim
is probably imagery reserved for swimmers who use 6-beat kicks and can
thus cancel all the many torques which get created during freestyle.
But if you don't kick much, your body IS going to undulate.

Eric

Quoted message said:

Allow me to take the contrarian point of view. I doubt fishtailing has
much affect on speed. Given how humans present to the water: head,
blocked off shoulders, arms pinwheeling .. it's a mess. It's hard for
me to believe that gentle side to side undulation of the rest of the
body is really a big deal. Also, I'm always amazed at some of the
overhead shots of elite swimmers. I wouldn't say they are fishtailing,
but they often kick well outside their body line. I'm speaking of
elites who have broken kicking rhythms. I mean side ways kicks of huge
amplitude. So the notion of travelling down a narrow tube as we swim
is probably imagery reserved for swimmers who use 6-beat kicks and can
thus cancel all the many torques which get created during freestyle.
But if you don't kick much, your body IS going to undulate.

Eric

I try not to present a "blocked off shoulders" effect when swimming the
front crawl. I put one arm forward and the other back so that the shoulders
are not square to the direction in which I am traveling. In order to do
that, I have to roll a bit. I try to minimize the "blocked off shoulders"
effect whenever I can.

Pat in TX

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