Sports
TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR SWIMMING TECHNIQUE
Ever wondered how the professionals ace their swimming strokes? We’ve got some great top tips from Lizzie Simmonds, who explains how to improve your swimming techniques for four different strokes: front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
How to improve your swimming technique for front crawl
Swimming front crawl efficiently involves all sorts of coordinated movements; balancing arm strokes with leg kicks, plus remembering to breathe at the right time. If you’re struggling with coordination, try some of these elements whilst practicing at the wall of the swimming pool.
1. Practise turning your head
To practice side breathing, you may want to stretch your arms out in front of you (holding onto the wall) and kick your legs behind you on the surface. Of course, you won’t move anywhere, but you’ll have the perfect opportunity to practice turning your head to the side to take a breath.
2. Don’t point your toes
For the front crawl kick, remember not to point your toes (even though this is what it looks like elite swimmers are doing!). The foot and ankle need to be relaxed, as this will allow you to utilise a greater range of motion during your kick. Your foot will naturally move into a streamlined position in the water, but you shouldn’t be actively forcing it!
3. Practise kicks at the wall
Breaking downstrokes like this is really important, even elite swimmers do drills to improve one part of their stroke at a time. If you have little ones, practicing at the swimming pool wall can be a safe way to introduce them to the feeling of putting their face in the water. Holding onto the wall and trying to kick as hard as they can is also a fun (and splashy) way to improve their leg kick! Just watch out for other swimmers who may not appreciate their efforts quite as much as you…
How to improve your backstroke swimming technique
When swimming backstroke, you’re aiming to rotate your body on an axis (as if there were a pole going down through the top of your head through your body). The arms and hips rotate together on this axis, whilst the head should stay perfectly still, looking up at the ceiling. Try these tips to master this stroke…
1. Perfect your head position
A fun drill to practice the backstroke head position involves bringing a paper cup to the pool. Fill the cup half full of pool water, then push off the wall (on the surface), carefully balancing the cup on your forehead and trying to swim backstroke without spilling any of the water. The aim is to still get a great rotation of the shoulders and hips, without moving your head!
2. Work on your glutes
One of quickest ways to improve your backstroke is to increase your glute strength. Weak glutes mean that when you begin to tire during the stroke, the hips are likely to drop in the water. This of course increases drag, slowing you down. Working on glute strength in the gym can help you keep your hips high, enabling you to stay flat in the water.
How to improve your breaststroke technique
Breaststroke can be one of the most relaxing strokes for casual pool-goers but it is technically very difficult to get right. It’s also the stroke that you will tend to see the most variation in at an elite level. A general rule of thumb is that it’s not about how hard you pull or kick, it’s about how fast you can return to a streamline position after every stroke. Here are some tips for perfecting the technique…
1. Make yourself streamlined
A great drill for perfecting the streamline position after each stroke is practicing your breaststroke leg kick with your arms held in a streamline (thumbs linked) position at the front. Even better, use a snorkel so that you don’t need to disrupt your line to breathe.
2. Keep your leg kicks narrow
When watching elite breaststrokers underwater, you’ll notice that most have a surprisingly narrow leg kick. This is because the power created by a wide leg kick is negated by the increase in drag. Your goal is to hinge at the knee and draw your heels up rather than out. This will keep your kick within your body line, maximizing efficiency.
You can practice narrowing your leg kick by holding a pull buoy between your thighs and kicking without letting it go. Do a couple of lengths like this and then leave the pull buoy at the wall of the swimming pool and return to the main stroke, trying to emulate the narrow kick that you just practiced.
How to improve your butterfly stroke
Butterfly is usually seen as the most difficult stroke, even for elite swimmers. It requires a strong upper body, perfectly timed breathing and rhythmic momentum. Otherwise, it can feel like you’re sinking! Try these tips to improve your swimming technique for the butterfly stroke…
1. Don’t overdo the undulations
One of the biggest mistakes that beginners make when swimming the butterfly stroke is undulating up and down too much. When your arms enter the water at the front of the stroke, try shooting them forwards towards the end of the pool, rather than down towards the bottom. Flattening your stroke will save you energy and ensure your momentum is directed at moving you forwards.
2. Build your upper body strength
During the underwater catch phase, you should drop your fingertips towards the bottom of the pool, by bending at the elbow. Pull through underneath the body in this position, all the way to your hips, before exiting the water for the recovery part of the stroke where your arms return to the front of the body. Building strength in your triceps, pectoral, and latissimus dorsi muscles can help improve the force you are able to apply to the catch phase.
3. Perfect your breath
When breathing, try and keep your head low to the water. Raising up high means the rest of your body will drop down, which really increases your drag.
Odyssey has been the lead content writer and content marketer. He has vast experience in the field of writing. His SEO strategies help businesses to gain maximum traffic and success.
Three orange LEDs won’t add inches to your truck’s girth.
The luminescent phenomenon known as “Raptor lights” lit up in 2010 with the arrival of the Ford F-150 Raptor, but the idea of putting three orange lights on a big truck is nothing new. These lights have been legally required on semi trucks, buses, and other large vehicles for decades. You see them on all kinds of pickup trucks and SUVs these days, although technically they have no business on your Tacoma.
What Are Raptor Lights?
Officially, they’re “identification lamps,” but whatever you call them, the three small amber lights in the grille of a truck have become a styling cue for off-road trucks. The F-150 Raptor wasn’t the first truck to wear them, but it definitely started the trend, hence why enthusiasts and the aftermarket often use the term “Raptor lights” regardless of what truck they’re on.
You can thank the federal government, at least in part, for the current fad. When Ford’s extra-girthy, desert-running Raptor checked in at 86.3 inches wide back in 2010, the automaker was obligated to put them on the pickup—any passenger vehicle over 80 inches wide is subject to the same lighting regulations governing commercial vehicles. In addition to amber front identification lights, a set of three red lights must be installed on the rear of these vehicles. These vehicles also require clearance lamps at the corners that are similar to identification lights but called out separately in the regulations.
Here’s The Legal Definition
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 108, (aka Title 49, Subtitle B, Chapter Five, Section 571.108 of the Code of Federal Regulations) lays out the legal details around vehicle lighting. Among the statutes you’ll find this gem describing how the identification lamps should be placed on any vehicle 80 inches or wider: “On the front and rear—3 lamps, amber in front, red in rear, as close as practicable to the top of the vehicle, at the same height, and as close as practicable to the vertical centerline, with lamp centers spaced not less than 6 inches or more than 12 inches apart. Alternatively, the front lamps may be located as close as practicable to the top of the cab.”
In other words, the Raptor is wide enough to require the same lighting as big rigs and dump trucks. These lights are like bright colors on a poisonous frog, but instead of saying, “Don’t eat me, I’m deadly,” they say, “Watch the heck out, there’s one big chungus of a truck coming your way.”
Now, why do so many pickup trucks put Raptor lights in the grille rather than on top of the truck like a semi? If you read the regulations like a lawyer, you’ll notice that the feds want these lights both high and at the front of the vehicle. In other words, the default location is along the front edge of the hood. Placing them along the top of the cab like you see on semis is spelled out as an exception to the rule. Heavy-duty pickups with hips exceeding 80 inches often have the indicator lamps affixed to the top of the cab, although nothing’s stopping automakers from placing them into the grilles.
Which Other Trucks And SUVs Have Raptor Lights?
The 88.0-inch-wide Ram 1500 TRX followed in the gigantic footsteps of Ford F-150 Raptor and helped make “Raptor lights” a symbol of modern off-road machines, with the orange identifiers mounted high inside its hood scoop. The Bronco Raptor, which measures 85.7 inches between its fat fenders, and the TRD Pro versions of the third-gen Toyota Tundra and Toyota Sequoia are also lit up like big rigs. Heavy-duty pickups outfitted with dually rear axles (and, subsequently, large width measurements) also bear identification lamps.
There has been some documented conflict between OEMs and state laws concerning these indicator lamps. The identifier lamps atop the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD trucks, required by federal law because of the trucks’ width, violated an annoyingly specific bit of California Vehicle Code 27606, which states, “No person shall own or operate a motor vehicle which is equipped with a light bar, or facsimile thereof, to resemble a motor vehicle used by a peace officer or traffic officer while on duty within that jurisdiction.” To summarize, the code suggests the indicator lamps too closely resemble the amber light bars atop some government vehicles and therefore cannot adorn trucks sold in California.
Why Your Tacoma Should Not Have Raptor Lights
It’s simple: Your midsize truck is not wide enough to leave the factory with Raptor lights and pressing any number of orange LEDs into your grille won’t add inches to your vehicle’s girth. Notice that neither the new 2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter nor the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor are fitted with these orange telltales, although you can imagine the marketers certainly wish they were.
The legality of adding aftermarket Raptor lights to your rig will come down to local laws, but vehicle lighting is heavily regulated. Unless you’ve installed fenders that push the body beyond 80 inches, adding exterior lights to your vehicle could earn you a ticket from a knowledgeable and ornery cop. When in doubt, refer to your local vehicle code.
Think horse sports and the first thing that comes to mind is probably dressage. But for many equestrian enthusiasts, show jumping is considered the ultimate horse sport. There are several reasons why this is the case. First, it is one of the most challenging disciplines because riders must balance speed, precision, and control while jumping over obstacles.
Second, it is a spectator-friendly sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. And lastly, it requires a high level of athleticism and training from both horses and riders. If you’re looking for an intense and exciting horse competition, then show jumping is definitely worth checking out!
What is horse show jumping?
Horse show jumping is better known by the name “Show Jumping.” This event is performed by the horse and rider navigating a specific obstacle course by jumping over hurdles. The obstacle course is designed by the organizers of the event and is in accordance with the intention of the event. There is a specific time limit as to the duration of the event. Judges grade and score the skill and efficiency and time taken to perform the event, said Alec Lawler, a talented show jumping athlete and business owner with a passion for identifying and securing international equine investment opportunities. He has competed at the highest international level in show jumping throughout North America and Europe, and has won numerous awards and accolades, including the CSI 3* Grand Prix of Lummen Belgium in 2016. Alec founded Lawler Show Jumping LLC in 2019, where he selects, imports, develops, and sells dozens of horses annually.
History of Show Jumping
The tradition of the English fox hunt is what gave birth to “Show Jumping” in the 1700’s. The laws known as “The Enclosure Acts” were written to put controlling guidelines on horse riding in order to ensure the safety of the horses.
Show Jumping events were originally mostly informal and were held in the British Isles and France throughout the 1800’s; the sport was not popular until fans were able to view the jumps in a controlled space (such as a stadium.)
In Italy Army Captain Caprilli revolutionized show jumping by introducing the “forward seat.” The rider’s position on the horse was changed which provided better balance for the horse while jumping. This new riding position was immediately adopted worldwide and is still used today. It replaced the “Dressage seat” which hindered the horse’s jumping potential. The first formal jumping event was held in England in 1907.
The riders were soldiers . There were no formal rules for these competitions as the judges wrote a personal opinion of what they had witnessed. In 1925 The BSJA (British Show Jumping Association) was established, and made specific rules for jumping events. It was preceded by The American Horse Show Association founded in 1917.
What are the jumping horses breeds
There are twelve horse breeds that are considered to be the best jumpers. They are The Holsteiner, The Arabian, The Oldenburg, The WestPhalian, The Trakehner, The Morgan, The Quarter Horse, The Connemara, The Dutch WarmBlood, The Irish Sport Horse, The Hanoverian, The Thoroughbreds. We will briefly describe their specific positive attributes.
- The Holsteiner has a long lifespan (35 to 40 years)
- The Arabian is very beautiful and has great athletic abilities and stature
- The Oldenburg is kind hearted, easily trained and strong
- The Westphalian Is easily trained, a fine athlete, and traces its bloodline to the first Persian King
- The Trakehner has great style and jumping ability
- The Morgan is much smaller than the other breeds, easily trained and friendly
- The Quarter Horse is good tempered, has great strength, trainable, and very popular in the USA
- The Connemara is of Irish origin, smaller, well balanced and ideal for training youngsters
- The Dutch Warmblood is good natured and placid
- The Irish Sport Horse is very calm and muscular
- The Hanoverian is considered to be a great investment and a great performer
- The Thoroughbred is highly intelligent, loyal, agile and fast
Is it necessary to train a horse to jump?
All horses naturally know how to jump. Any horse will instinctively know when it is necessary to jump. If you do not plan to have your horse perform jumping training is not necessary. However, if your intention is to compete with your horse in Show Jumping events it is recommended that both you and your horse have training with a seasoned professional trainer.
You both will learn the fine points of jumping and how to jump correctly according to standardized jumping procedures. These procedures must comply with strict internationally prescribed rules. In a competitive tournament, your jumping activity and jumping time will be keenly observed and scored by professional judges. This process will determine who is considered as the best jumper and the winner of the event.
These competitive events are conducted mostly on an adult level. However, there are also competitions for teenagers only.
Odyssey has been the lead content writer and content marketer. He has vast experience in the field of writing. His SEO strategies help businesses to gain maximum traffic and success.
Odyssey has been the lead content writer and content marketer. He has vast experience in the field of writing. His SEO strategies help businesses to gain maximum traffic and success.
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