Underwater video of Eamon Sullivan's turnover both in slow motion and real time!

The video quality is sketchy but the value in seeing a turnover like that is inspiring to say the least. I also included what he looks like from above the water. Note where his elbows are in relations to his hands.

Unfortunately, I swim that way too. I feel that Eddie Reese has it right when he says keeping your elbows higher than the hands allows for a faster trajectory back into the water. I am paraphrasing him greatly from the DVD, Eddie Reese on Freestyle, but I feel that geometry backs him up.

DVD Review - 'Go Swim: Sprint Freestyle with Roland Schoeman'

I own several swim instructional videos from such coaches as Eddie Reese, David Marsh, Richard Quick et al. All distinguished coaches and all of whom have coached dozens of champions and/or Olympians.

I collect numerous swim instructional videos because I believe that swimming is both an art and science and the more viewpoints I hear about the subject the better. Best of all is that all these different styles, different approaches, and different points of view can all be tested in a pool with a good clock.

So, recently I bought the Go Swim Freestyle with Kara Lynn Joyce; (Glenn Mills most recent video), and I was electrified how exuberant it was. I was impressed with the first person narrative by the swimmer herself and how graphically illustrated the finer points of the freestyle stroke were illustrated. Soon thereafter I went out and bought the Go Swim: Sprint Freestyle with Roland Schoeman DVD because I wanted more.

I am very pleased with both investments; (cheaper than a clinic, more powerful than a locomotive), and though the production value of the ...Roland Schoeman DVD is not as grand as the Go Swim Freestyle with Kara Lynn Joyce DDV, and the narrative is more along the lines of the usual swim instructional video, I never got lost so to speak and I understood each concept because it was illustrated so well by the swimmer and the videographer.

The Roland Schoeman video has interviews with Schoeman, His approach to the Freestyle stroke, particulars on catching water, the importance of his thundering kick, drills he does, and sequence on how he does his turns. (I hate to say this but his turns are sloppy. Sorry; don't shoot the messenger.)

Coaches like David Marsh, Richard Quick, and Eddie Reese are masters at their craft: David Marsh is detail oriented, Eddie Reese is accessible in explaining technical nuance, and Richard Quick is always engaging and willing to experiment. Having said that, what makes the Go Swim videos so much better than the Championship Sports Videos, which the aforementioned coaches distribute their videos through, is that Glenn Mills understands the importance of production value.

For instance seeing Roland Schoeman or Kara Lynn Joyce catch water from a 3/4 view, or filming them catching water from underneath or from behind and from above really illustrates the concept. The Championship Sports video collections have the sublime talent and the brilliant coaches but the visual delivery and the narratives therein are very dry.

I am going to definitively say that as of now, the Go Swim with Kara Lynn Joyce and the Go Swim: Go Sprint Freestyle with Roland Schoeman are the very best freestyle videos in my collection. They are the best because I can truly see what is being explained by way of multiple viewpoints rather than trying to assess from just a front and/or side view only as in the Championship sports videos.

So, if you haven't mastered the freestyle stroke or are looking for ways to improve you stroke, first talk to your coach or coaches, but if you need a visual reference and an explanation you can refer to, I would say that a safe purchase would be the Go Swim DVDs starting with either the ...Kara Lynn Joyce or the ...Roland Schoeman which in my opinion are the best.

Go Swim Sprint Freestyle with Roland Schoeman: [Link]
Go Swim with Kara Lyn Joyce DVD: [Link]

* I paid for the videos out of my own pocket and I will receive no commissions or fees on any videos sold as a result of linking to them.

See Tara Kirk swim a 1:07.39 100 LCM breaststroke at "Blip.tv"

I just discovered Blip.TV

Lot's of hi-rez swimming there!

Talk about an industrious work ethic...

"... I'm going to do what I've always done, work hard and keep raising the bar. I hope I can put something out there at Nationals, then we get a little break. After that, we work toward Beijing. I was talking with Eddie [Reese] the other day and told him I wanted to train so hard that if I have a bad race, I'm still going to win. He said he's never heard anyone say that before."

A profile of Brendan Hansen over at Lane 9 News: [Link]

What a meet: Team Tyr stormed 2 national records and SCAQ did great!

UCLA Bruin Masters Meet short recap: Team TYR; (this blogs favorite brand), set two National records in both the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay. After I filmed the 400 relay, I turned to a girl with strawberry-blond hair sitting behind me and I ask if they broke the record, she relied, "Yes, by 8 seconds." I am deaf in my left ear so I asked her to repeat it and she said, "8 seconds." When your deaf you get yelled in an exasperated fashion if you ask people to repeat something too many times so I cheerfully acknowledged and walked away thinking I must have heard one-eighth-of-a-second since 8 seconds is HUGE!

When I bumped into Dan Leonard I asked him if they broke the record by an eighth-of-a-second, he said, "No!, it was 8 seconds." ...That's HUGE!

Michael Phelps, Amanda Beard, and Ian Crocker are signed with Team "Speedo." However, Michael Phelps swims in Michigan, Amanda Beard at USC, and Ian Crocker in Texas with Eddie Reese. There is no Team Speedo pool where they all get Speedo coaching and swim inside Speedo water. The same goes with Team TYR.

I can say with certainty that these Team TYR members: Dan, Erik, and Scott, swim, and/or coach at my swimming club, Southern California Aquatics. I appreciate their accomplishments, their advice and it was thrilling watching them do it.

I didn't get to meet "the 17th man" but I did see his 100 fly time and his 100 fly beat my 100 free time by a second. Go look at his blog for details including his insane workouts. Support swim blogs by visiting their sponsors too.

My personal times were slow today, I blame it on a lousy warm-up and a couple of silly mistakes. I still had fun though.

A UCLA Bruin Masters Meet movie is coming!!!