Andrew Rutz's blog

Unbelievable coach ...

Well, I just finished two months of one-on-one lessons with one of the best swim coaches I will ever have the pleasure of learning from. I went once or twice a week for a one-on-one, one-hour lesson with Rada Owen, who swam at Auburn University and earned a gold medal at the 2000 Olympic games.

We worked on all four strokes, and I was amazed at her "eye" for technique. She's known in the "swimming world" for having that skill, but it was a privilege to witness it and be a direct beneficiary of it.

I recorded notes after each session, and will refer to them in the future during my attempts at becoming a significantly better swimmer.

I liken Swimming to Golf. I was amazed at how difficult Golf was to learn. It took me eight years to become somewhat accomplished; I've already spent seven years at swimming. Each sport requires an unbelievable level of skill and technique. Each seems to be a "sport of opposites". Eg, if you want to hit the ball high in golf, you swing the club down. If you want the ball to go to the left, you make the club-head go to the right. If you want the ball to go far, you have to swing "easy". What looks like a game dominated by hands and arms... is actually a game that lives or dies based on one's footwork. Power does not come from the appendages; it comes from the body's core.

I have less dualisms for swimming, as I'm not an accomplished swimmer... but the issue of "core power" is patently true. ...and the idea about "swimming harder to go faster" is certainly not the way to go. Eg, it takes a smooth application of power to move through the water faster. A smooth application (eg, acceleration) of power in golf leads to a significantly more controlled and faster clubhead.

I know the deceptive elusiveness of these two sports has been what's caused them to grab my attention so deeply. I greatly thank Rada for helping me understand and to learn some more of the basics and intricacies of swimming.

Posted at 10:23PM Jun 30, 2007 by Andrew Rutz in Swim  |  Comments[0]