We meet hundreds of triathletes and swimmers during our freestyle clinics. A common trait the fastest of them share is great flexibility through the shoulders, hip flexors and ankles. It’s very obvious in underwater filming when an athlete is tight in these areas as it causes errors in their stroke.
Tights shoulders, back and lats = Dropped elbow during the catch, low elbow in recovery.
Tight hip flexors, glutes and hamstrings = Poor body position with legs dropping low.
Tight ankles = Feet not pointed and a poor kick with increased drag
The video below shows a great routine to follow for swim specific soft tissue massage with a foam roller. It’s going to hurt – but it will pay off!
Thanks to Mike Mejia and USA Swimming for the video.
Great video. We’ve also seen many people restricted in the triceps, teres major/minor and infraspinatus. Can get a great increase in overhead mobility by using a ball on these guys.