Body position

• Body position means that your entire body should be as high in the water as possible.

• It’s easy to have your head and shoulders at the surface, so it’s most important to work on having your hips and legs riding at the surface of the water, too.  The lower your hips and legs are below the surface – even if it’s just a little bit – the harder it is for your body to move through the water quickly.

Your head 

• You might not feel it, but if you lift your head too much, your legs and hips will sink.  Picking up your head even a little bit can affect your body position. 

• When swimming freestyle, try to look towards the bottom of the pool without burying your head. (You can still peek a little so you don’t crash into the wall.)

Breathing technique

• If you pick your head up too much or turn it too much when you breathe, it could change your body position. 

• When you breathe, think about not moving your head up or sideways more than you have to.  Keep it low.

Nutrition

This Tip comes from Jessica Knowles, a sports nutritionist from Evergreen, <statew:ston>Colo., and a member of <country-regionw:ston><placew:ston>USA Swimming’s Sports Medicine Database. Knowles offers some advice on pre-race meals.

Knowles’ Tip:

Pre-race meals should always be low-fat and high in carbohydrates. Fat slows down the absorption rate in your GI tract, which is not ideal. What you want is easily digestible carbohydrates so your body can use them for energy during the race. Depending on how much time you have between when you eat and the start of your first race, there are some general guidelines for the type and amount of carbohydrate to consume.

If you eat 3-4 hours before the start of your first race, you need 1.5 to 2 grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight. For a 130-pound athlete, that is 195-260 grams of carbohydrate. You want low fat, low fat proteins and low fiber (fiber also slows digestion). Good sources are cereal, fruit, fruit juices, breads, bagels, yogurt, non-fat milk and preserves.

If you eat 2 hours before the start of your first race, the amount of carbohydrate needed is 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. Now our 130-pound athlete needs 130 grams of carbohydrate from low-fat, low-fiber sources of food. Good sources are again cereals, fruit, fruit juices, non fat milk, yogurt and preserves.

If you eat 1 hour or less before the start of your first race, the amount of carbohydrate needed is .5 grams per pound of bodyweight. Our 130-pound athlete now needs 65 grams of carbohydrate. At this point, you need to emphasize liquid sources of carbohydrate and avoid protein, fat and fiber. Good sources are fruits and fruit juices.