Butt-driven Swimming

Engaging the butt in swimming freestyle has finally become
something I can feel every time I cruise down the lane.

It was a mystery 12 years ago when I was swimming with a
Masters club. I could see swimmers have big lats but the
idea of initiating from the hip for each stroke was hard to
grasp. I remember going to Coach Emmet Hines's forum and
reading about it. I couldn't feel it consistently even as I
tried to focus. I concluded it was not a big deal and spent
most of the time honing my form and making myself smooth. I
had some success and could swim non-stop for 3 kilometers.

Just not fast. My legs dangling behind like dead weight and
most times they were not high enough which produced extra
drag. Kicking with a board, I was always the last, beaten
even by the slower swimmers in my lane. I should've asked
questions and kept working on it.

Lately, reading on running shedded new lights on my
understanding of swimming. I realized that every powerful
stroke in swimming, just as every efficient stride in
running, had to come from the core.

Kicking from the hips helps position my strokes by
tightening the "rubber bands" extending from the finger tip
to the toe. The effective stroke length is much longer--I'm
not simply striking with the arms and the torso but am
engaging the entire body length. The revelation did make a
difference. I became more aware that I swam with muscles
from the whole body, not just the lats. Following a new
drill, I started to enjoy freestyle kicking and felt that
enlightenment finally has come.