Freestyle - Joao de Lucca

Important Note to the Viewer

LESSONS: 22 VIDEOS

Turns - Kick Through Your Turn

Learning an effective flip turn means learning to NOT slow down into your flip turn. Why do it: There are so many small factors that go into this, we'll focus on just one today... kicking THROUGH your turn. Maintaining momentum through your turn can make for a faster turn. How to do it: 1 - First, identify a couple problem areas. Do you lift your head or look at the wall as you approach? This gets you going in the wrong direction for a great turn. 2 - Do you drive the turn from a dolphin kick in the back? While even great swimmers have a small dolphin, too many swimmers think the dolphin IS what drives them over. 3 - Once you've identified the problems, do some turns keeping your head down, and maintaining a flutter kick for as long as you can into the turn. How to do it really well, the fine points: Watch for the "breach" prior to the turn. That means do you POP-UP, or do you submerge into the turn? Leaning into the turn and maintaining your flutter kick for as long as you can, will help you develop a turn that flows smoothly and quickly. Keep everything moving, and don't wait for the wall to come to you.

Freestyle - Joao Pause Flips

Great flip turns aren't just about the turn, but also about a solid, direct push off. Why do it: How you leave the wall will have direct impact on how fast you'll be swimming. Positioning your legs and body correctly will help you use all your power more effectively. How to do it: 1 - Swim in like a normal flip turn. 2 - When your feet hit the wall, STOP and hold. 3 - Make sure you're body is in the position you want it in to push off. 4 - Once you've determined you're in the right position, push off into swimming. How to do it really well (the fine points): Joao flips DIRECTLY over on his turn, laying flat on his back. Once he knows he's planted his feet properly, he drives and rotates over for his dolphins and breakout. He is extremely precise in all of his swimming, including this drill. Amazing swimmer!

Head Position.

When you think of what a "stable head" looks like, think of this. Joao is amazing at his ability to keep his head absolutely still and stable as he swims. Use these images to quickly show your swimmers (or yourself) exactly what you mean when you say "STABLE HEAD!"

Hand Extension

Watch how Joao extends his hand directly forward on every stroke. Keep these images in mind when you get to the pool.

Underwater Flips

Want FAST flip turns? Try overloading the legs as you spin around. Why do it: Staying TIGHT through the turn will allow you to spin faster, to get off the wall quicker. This teaches you just how much you're opening up. How to do it: 1 - As Olympic Joao DeLucca demonstrates, submerge as you come into the wall, deep enough to make sure you're not going to allow the feet to come in contact with the surface. 2 - Approach the wall and do a flip turn like you normally would. That's it. How to do it really well (the fine points): Even Olympians will slow down the spin as they go through this. This drill will show you just how much you slow, and will awaken the need to stay as tight as possible. Look at how close Joao's thighs get to his chest as he tries to create the smallest ball possible to spin in. Compare that to his regular turn, and you'll see as the feet escape the resistance of the water, they get even tighter. You'll also notice that Joao places his feet a bit higher on the underwater turn than the regular turn. This is due to the slowing of the flip. If you can get the underwater turn fast, then the regular turn, with he feet coming OUT of the water, is going to be fantastic!

Freestyle - de Lucca Catch

To celebrate our friend Joao de Lucca qualifying for the Rio Olympics, we'll look at his drill for developing his catch. Why do it: Don't miss the beginning of the catch, and this drill will help you focus on the initial step. 1 - Start by making sure you're head is in the neutral position, eyes looking downward, both hands forward. 2 - Initiate a catch by dropping the hand and forearm into the catch position. 3 - Keep the elbow very high, close to the surface as you initiate this catch. 4 - As soon as you feel the catch, let go and send the hand back forward back to position 11. How to do it really well (the fine points): Don't depend on the power of the catch to move you forward, but keep your kick consistent to create momentum. Keep the head down, but when it's time to grab a breath, quickly turn the head at the initiation of the fingers dropping, get some air, and turn back to the head down position.

Flip Turn - Step 7 - The Breakout

The final step of a great turn is the transition to swimming. Keeping the head in line, and making sure the body doesn't pop out and then crash down on the water. Keep everything moving FORWARD!

Flip Turn - Step 6 - Transfer to Flutter Kick

The transition from dolphin kick to flutter kick should be seamless. Make sure you're not relaxing during this transition, but smoothly moving from one kick into the other. Don't allow the slim chance that you'd lose momentum or slow down while you're thinking of switching from one kick to the next.

Flip Turn - Step 5 - Initiate the Dolphin

WHEN you start your dolphin kick will depend on many factors: - length of race - your ability in underwater dolphins - your fitness level - the experimentation with your coach to determine how fast you get to a specific spot... and which combination of glide and dolphin kicks get you there the quickest.

Flip Turn - Step 4 - Kick Through the Turn

Don't wait for the wall to come to you, and don't focus on a BIG DOLPHIN KICK to help get you over the top on your turn. Keep your momentum going, and don't allow any opportunity for slowing into the wall. Keep the kick going until the body starts to tuck as in the approach.

Flip Turn - Step 3 - Tight Tuck

We've all heard about "getting the body in a small ball", to help the spin in the flip turn happen faster. Here is an excellent example of what it really is supposed to look like.

Flip Turn - Step 2 - The Hands

Using the hands to help swimmers improve their flip turns is important IF you don't carry the momentum, speed, and understand how important the APPROACH is in setting up a proper turn. This will also take into consideration the next two lessons, kicking through the turn AND the tight tuck.