So far, I’ve covered why sculling is important, the key strategies for effective sculling, and the various ways you can scull to improve your feel for the water. In this article, I’ll cover two advanced strategies that can be used if you’re struggling with your sculling, OR if you’re getting really good at sculling.
Resisted Sculling
Swimming against resistance is a valuable tool for increasing the pressure you feel on your arms, as well as enhancing the feedback you’ll feel. In addition, if you’re not sculling effectively you won’t go anywhere when you scull against resistance.
Resisted sculling is great if you’re having a hard time really feeling what you’re doing. The extra resistance will create extra pressure, and that pressure will definitely get your attention. It’s also a great tool if you have had some success with basic sculling and want to take it up a notch.
Stationary Resisted Sculling
This is a subset of resisted swimming where you use a resistance band to tether you in place. As you’re sculling, the resistance band is actively working to pull you backwards. The particular challenge here is that you have to work effectively with your sculling to maintain your position in the water. If you start using ineffective strategies, the band is going to pull you back. That’s great feedback! Focus on maintaining you position in the water throughout your sculling, and if you can stretch the cord further over time, that’s improvement.
Another cool advantage is that the cord adjusts to your abilities. If you get better at sculling, you’ll move further out. If you’re not as good, you won’t. In both cases, it will be equally challenging for you. This applies to different types of sculling as well. You might be more effective with your arms out in front rather than by your side. The resistance will adjust to your skill level.
Those two strategies should help you take your sculling to the next level, regardless of what that level is!
Sculling Wrap-Up
While sculling isn’t necessarily swimming, it’s a very effective way to help you tune in to how pressure changes as you move your arm through the water at different angles and different speeds. The problem is when sculling is introduced in a haphazard of inconsistent way. If you follow the key points for sculling effectively, and introduce sculling in a progressive manner, it’s a wonderful tool for helping you learn to feel the water better.
Further, sculling is much more effective when integrated into an entire framework that is working towards a more effective relationship with the water. That’s a much different approach than adding a couple 25s during warm-up. If you’re consistent and attentive with your sculling, it can make a big difference when used in conjunction with all of the other strategies we go over.
Start simple.
Start by consistently wrapping the water, then add the more nuanced skills.
Start by sculling in a stationary position, then get vertical, then add motion.
Take it step by step, and you’ll be shocked by how much progress you make.
Faster. Better. Easier.
Andrew
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