Shoulder Flexibility in Swimming

This past week, I was working with some of the athletes at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center when I was perplexed at what seems to be a common theme among some athletes who are learning to swim for the first time. In particular, two of these athletes were having a hard time with their shoulder movement. It seemed that something about their flexibility was preventing them from getting a full extension of the arm from the shoulder. Upon further inspection, neither athlete was able to lift his arms straight above his head into a standard streamline position.

I find that this is something rarely touched upon in triathlon swimming: streamline. Yes, it's true that athletes do no ever have to push off of a wall when swimming in open water. However, as I stress in my discussions with athletes and coaches alike, the making of an athlete comes before the making of a triathlete. This means that all of the aspects that are important to pool swimming are also important to triathletes learning to swim, included in which is streamline.

First, let me talk about what a good streamline is and then I will explain what this means for these aforementioned elite athletes. A good streamline puts the athlete's body in as narrow and straight of a line as possible. This will create the least drag in the water and thus allow the athlete to move more efficiently through it. This requires that the arms be straight overhead with one hand on top of the other; the head is held tightly and slightly in front of the biceps; the athlete's core is tight and there is no flexion or extension in the joints that would cause excess drag. When pushing off of the wall, this positioning should be obtained as soon as is possible. In fact, the upper body should be postured in streamline as the legs are in a squat, prepared for the explosion off of the wall into the swim.

Why does this matter to triathletes? Well, when an athlete gains a complete kinematic understanding of a streamline, he or she will hold the core rigidly such that the body is more hydrodynamic. The rigid core of the athlete actually should never be broken except during flip turns. Only the arms and legs should ever be outside of the same streamline. However, when the shoulders and back (particularly the latissimus dorsi) are inflexible, that musculature prevents the full extension of the arm from the shoulder. These athletes who were still relative novice swimmers (elite runners and cyclists, however) were finding other ways to compensate: the athlete's spine will curve to give the athlete the ability to reach further, but simultaneously forcing the core out of the streamline position.

To identify this problem, have someone watch you swim. Send your videos to me at karl@v-tri.com, if you prefer. Once you have determined that you or an athlete you coach is compensating in this way, release of the shoulder, pectorals, and latissimus is a good place to start. Then, a re-learning of proper positioning in the water will be necessary.