What is ‘easy speed’? ‘Easy speed’ is described by legendary Australian swim coach Bill Sweetenham as developing efficiency at speed or performing at 100% speed with 95% effort.
A great visual example of this comes in the form of Shaq vs Michael Phelps. In this video Shaquille O’Neal attempts to hit the wall in a 50 freestyle before the 18 time Olympic gold medalist swims a 75 freestyle. It is obvious that the hall of fame basketball player is giving 100% effort to achieve 100% speed, which results in a great deal of tension and inefficiency while Phelps performs in a relaxed efficient state.
Although the race with Shaq shows a great contrast in moving with effort and moving with ease Phelps is not swimming at 100% speed, but you can see that same type of relaxation and efficiency on his way to winning gold in the 200 freestyle at the 2008 Olympic Games.
‘Easy speed’ at its highest level is often referred to as the ‘zone’ or a ‘flow state’. In the book The Rise of Superman Steven Kotler explains flow as:
In flow we are so focused on the task at hand that everything else falls away. Action and awareness merge. Time flies. Self vanishes. Performance goes through the roof.
Being able to understand and tap into a flow state is something that skateboarding legend Daniel Way feels has given him the ability to achieve some of the most impressive feats on a skateboard that the world has ever seen, “When I’m pushing the edge, skating beyond my abilities, it’s always a meditation in the zone,” Way told Kotler.
“I’ve gotten really good at pulling the veil down, at camouflaging reality, locking out my conscious mind and riding my focus into the zone.”
How can yoga help a swimmer develop ‘easy speed’? Three ways include:
- Focusing on Breath
- Developing Greater Body Awareness
- Allowing Your Breath to Lead Your Movement
Focusing on Breath
Bringing attention to the breath brings awareness to the present moment, which is encapsulated in the term mindfulness. Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
When attention is anchored on the breath it can release tension in the mind and the body. Most often stress is caused by focusing on things that have already happened or anticipating things that will. When we attach our attention and emotions to the past or the future it can generate stress, which in turn creates tension in the body.
Focusing on breath does not stop thoughts from the past or the future from entering the mind, but it can allow them to flow in and out of our consciousness more easily. By doing this it can prevent us from attaching emotions to those thoughts and in turn not allowing them to create stress and tension, which will have a negative impact on moving with ease.
Three Ways to Focus Your Attention on Breath
- Counting – There are two ways that you can apply this; you can either count the number of breaths or the length of the inhales and the length of the exhales.
- Three-Part Breath – A three-part breath focuses on the stomach, the ribs and the chest. On an inhale the stomach fills, the ribs widen and the chest rises. On the exhale you can feel the chest fall, ribs relax and the stomach empty. Quite often I direct students to just release the breath, which promotes release throughout the body.
- Three-Dimensional Breath – A three-dimensional breath is closely related to the three-part breath. It creates a focus on your inhalation and the bodily sensations that come with it. On an inhale the focus is on creating expansion in front of the body, the sides of the body and the back of the body. The exhale is released with ease allowing the body to relax.
Developing Greater Body Awareness
To move with ease and efficiency it is important to understand how we hold our bodies and how our bodies react to movement. Yoga develops body awareness in several different ways.
One is by using a body scan. A body scan is where awareness and attention are brought to different segments of the body one at a time. An example would be moving your attention from your feet to your head. Your awareness will be focused on your feet, noticing how they feel. Are they tense? Are they relaxed? Are they fatigued? Are they fresh? Once you have noticed how the feet feel the attention moves up to the calves where you do the same.
The second is intentional relaxation. One of the ways that I will get swimmers to do this is in conjunction with their body scan. As they move through the body when they come to an area that is tense they will start to use their breath to create release and relaxation. On an inhale they bring awareness to the chosen part of the body and on the exhale they will create a release.
*I find these two skills easiest to develop first in stillness at the start or the end of a session.
The third way to develop body awareness is noticing how each side of the body feels different throughout the practice. In a yoga session, just as in any dry land session, we do the same poses on both the left and right side of the body. Once a swimmer changes from doing a pose on one side they are asked to bring their awareness to the opposite side and notice how each side feels different.
*To stay mindful while practicing this cultivate a mindset of non-judgement. Don’t label one side as good and one side as bad, but instead just use your awareness as education on how you are holding and moving your body.
Allowing Your Breath to Lead Your Movement
The third way yoga can help you develop ‘easy speed’ is by allowing your breath to lead your movement. By having your movement follow your breath you allow your body to move in a much more relaxed state. Another way I describe this is exerting ‘effortless effort’. What I mean by that is allowing the body and mind to be relaxed while applying effort to your movements and holds.
In a sense this is combining both the awareness of breath and the body scan. You notice and become aware of how the body feels as you move you then can use your breath and mindfulness to release tension. By doing this you are moving with greater efficiency and towards a state of ‘flow’.
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By practicing these skills on the mat you develop an understanding and habit of moving with ease and efficiency, which you can then transfer into the water to generate ‘easy speed’.
Other articles in our Yoga for Swimmers series include:
3 Poses to Improve Your Posture
3 Ways Yin Yoga Can Improve Your Performance
3 Poses to Strengthen Your Core
3 Poses to Keep Your Knees Healthy
5 Ways to Make Yoga More Enjoyable
7 Reasons Why Swimmers Should Do Yoga
3 Ways to Increase Shoulder Stability
3 Fundamentals of Yoga to Focus on With Swimmers
3 Restorative Yoga Poses to Help the Effectiveness of Your Taper
4 Ways Mindfulness Can Improve Your Swimming Performance
3 Ways You Can Use Yoga to Prepare for a Race
A Short Sequence for the Shoulders
Incorporating Yoga Into Your Seasonal Plan
Yoga a Key Part of World Champion Mitch Larkin’s Success
Why Yoga Takes Swimming to the Next Level
Yoga for Swimmers: Increase Your Core Strength
Why Olympic Swimming Champion Rebecca Soni Does Yoga
Watch more videos from our Yoga for Swimmers series:
Yoga for Swimmers: Yin Yoga for the Back, Shoulders and Hips
Yoga for Swimmers: Developing a Cross Body Connection
Yoga for Swimmers: A Short Sequence to Increase Shoulder Mobility
Yoga for Swimmers: A Short Sequence to Improve Your Freestyle
Yoga for Swimmers: A Short Sequence to Improve Your Core Strength
Yoga for Swimmers: 3 Poses to Enhance Recovery
Yoga for Swimmers: A Short Sequence for Your Knees
Yoga for Swimmers: Release Tension in Your Quads and Glutes
Yoga for Swimmers: Increase Your Core Strength
How Madi Wilson Uses Yoga to Improve Her Swimming
Yoga with Mitch Larkin and Madi Wilson
Why Olympic Swimming Champion Rebecca Soni Does Yoga
ABOUT EXCEL WITH GRACE
Excel With Grace’s mission is to assist people in improving their health and achieving their athletic goals through the creation and delivery of targeted yoga.
Excel with Grace offers specialized Sport-Specific Yoga programs and workshops in Vancouver, BC.
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About Jeff
Jeff Grace is the owner and operator of Excel with Grace which specializes in teaching sport specific and therapeutic yoga.
Jeff is trained in vinyasa (flow), hatha, yin, restorative and therapeutic yoga practices. He is also completing his 500 hour certification as a yoga therapist.
Jeff has been deeply immersed in the sport of swimming for decades. He has been coaching for over 20 years and has had athletes medal at both CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) Championships and Age Group Nationals. He has also coached over a hundred athletes who have competed in Ironman competitions.
