Patent Application
20060063446
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1. Field of Invention
This invention generally relates to an apparatus used as a means for teaching the various swimming strokes. Additionally, this invention relates to an apparatus used while conditioning the muscles used in the various swimming strokes. The invention specifically relates to a guide used to train the upper body movements of efficient swimming.
2. Prior Art
Over the years the swim coaching community has refined its analytical tools and is better able to study the most elite swimmers and detect techniques that improve propulsion and/or minimize resistance. These techniques are adopted and incorporated into the teaching and training models for further advances in the sport. Over the last twenty years advances have been made from a straight-arm windmill type stroke to a sculling “s” pattern and most recently to techniques coined High Elbow Catch and High Elbow Stroke Path. Examples of the most recent techniques are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,023 issued to Topolski. The aim of his invention urges high elbow technique. It is only potentially effective when used in the water due to buoyancy. Many athletic advances are made by improved conditioning of the specific muscles used to perform the desired sports movement, as noted in the last paragraph of the summary of U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,443 issued to Askins. The concept of training specificity applies to out-of-water swim training apparatus as disclosed in several swim bench U.S. patents:
In particular Doane states the use of rubber tubing as a resistive mechanism. He concedes the advantage of tubing is simple implementation and its technical drawback “is that it provides no simulation of the relationship between force and the cube of hand velocity believed to exist in swimming”. All the swim bench examples above provide various types of resistive forces for conditioning swimmers in a simulated swim situation. However, none of the examples address the techniques named in Topolski which are substantiated by biomechanist Ernest W. Maglischo in his publication, Swimming Fastest, Pub. 2/2003. The advantages of the two techniques are as follows. The High Elbow Catch shortens the arm lever so the hand and inner forearm push water backwards earlier in the stroke cycle than the traditional dropped elbow catch. This creates propulsive forces for a longer period each stroke cycle. When the arm is in a dropped elbow posture it relies predominantly on the chest and shoulder muscles. The High Elbow Stroke Path places the arm in a position to more effectively engage the latissimus dorsi and back muscles. Engaging the latissimus dorsi and back muscles in addition to the chest and shoulders creates a more powerful arm stroke.
The High Elbow Stroke Path should not be confused with the concept of high elbow recovery which is the path of the arm after it leaves the water to the re-entry of the water.
A common error of training the swim stroke out-of-water is not accounting for the natural body roll that occurs in water. Duplicating the body roll of swimming while out-of-water especially in the prone position is very difficult due to many factors including buoyancy and gravity. Many of the prior art swim bench apparatus attempt to simulate body roll but do so in convoluted manner. Although this factor needs to be considered in out-of-water training, it can be simply accomplished by guiding the arm in a path relative to the swimmer's shoulder plane, not the pool bottom or water surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,268 issued to Roberts and U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,952 issued to Ortiz disclose mechanisms to guide the appendages or the hand in a set pattern. Neither easily adapt nor are designed to accomplish the three dimensional movement necessary for the desired swim pattern technique.
The present invention provides a device for teaching stroke techniques of the various competitive swim strokes, namely Freestyle, Butterfly, Backstroke, and Breaststroke.
An objective of the invention is to guide the swimmer's hand, elbow, arm, and shoulder through a stroke path that enhances stroke efficiency. It is also the objective of the invention to engage hand, arm, and shoulder muscles along with chest and back muscles in a specific manner conducive to efficient swimming.
It is the objective of the invention to promote two primary factors in the swim strokes when training out-of-water. The first identified as High Elbow Catch and the second as High Elbow Stroke Path. The High Elbow Catch positions the hand and inner forearm to push water backwards, opposite the swim direction, early in the stroke cycle. This creates propulsive forces for a longer period each stroke cycle. When the arm is in a dropped elbow posture it relies predominantly on the chest and shoulder muscles. The High Elbow Stroke Path places the arm in a position to more effectively engage the latissimus dorsi and back muscles. Engaging the latissimus dorsi and back muscles in addition to the chest and shoulders creates a more powerful propulsive force.
It is the objective of the invention to provide not only a guide for form, but a guide for form that can be used while training with resistive means to increase strength.
Many swimmers utilize resistive devices out-of-water to develop strength. As previously mentioned, the more specific a training exercise, the more effective the training. The advantage of this invention is it provides a simple means of form and resistance training. Another objective of the invention is to provide a template to guide the swimmers hand, elbow and shoulder in a path relative to the swimmers shoulder plane, a method that effectively compensates for the absence of body roll that occurs in out-of-water training.
Another objective of the invention is provide a guide made sufficiently flexible as to not prevent a dropped elbow, but when the undesired dropped elbow occurs flexing the guide the swimmer is immediately reminded that the stroke path is improper. The advantage of this flexible construction is to alert the swimmer to the undesired movement and allow self-correction. In some instances the guide should be completely rigid in order to reprogram or break a pattern when the swimmer is incapable of self-correction.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an assortment of shapes and sizes to accommodate various body types.
The guide (10) is made flexible as not to prevent a dropped elbow, but when the undesired dropped elbow bends the guide the swimmer is immediately reminded that the stroke path is improper. The degree of flexibility may vary with material, but the purpose is to have the swimmer self correct the error, not to have the mechanism force the path of the stroke. In some instances the guide (10) should be completely rigid.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
