I am going to see the stroke doctor!” I said very excitedly.

“Why are you so happy you need to see a cardiologist?” my friend asked.

Um, not a cardiologist.  The Stroke Doctor is Gary Fahey, a competitive swim coach for 24 years who also helps swimmers with their form.  I had heard of him, I had seen videos on his website, but had never met him so when we arranged for my friend Mickey and I to go see him last week, I was thrilled.

Of the three triathlon disciplines, swimming is by far my strongest; that is, swimming is the only one in which I am not at the back-of-the-pack.  This is quite a miracle since prior to triathlon training, the last time I swam a lap in a pool I was about eight years old.  To whoever my coach was then, or whoever taught me to swim, I owe an enormous debt.

So when I arrived at the pool in Davie, Florida to see Gary, I had been swimming for two years, fairly well.  Still, although I have managed to get a little faster because of my teammates who push me, I felt like I had plateaued.  I was looking for some information of what I can do better, something to think about as I swim, and this was the guy who could give it to me.

We arrived and Gary met us right on time.  He told us to swim a couple of easy laps, so that he could see how we swam.  He then swam alongside us underwater.  He immediately gave me a diagnostic that would be my major takeaway from the experience.  My form is basically good, but I did something weird with my right hand.  That’s it.  In two minutes he told me what it was.  

But to fix it, well that is another story.  He then looked at my paddles and showed me how to use them to practice fixing my hand problem.  I tried, but my hand would still involuntarily wiggle.  He told us the sport of swimming is continuously evolving, and that experts are still searching for “the perfect technique.”  In his opinion, that’s why world records are constantly being broken in swimming while in track and field, for example, it’s a lot more difficult to break a record.  The running form has been studied and optimized but in swimming there is still a lot to be learned.

His advice, he mentioned, was the best he could offer today but theories might change in the future, and with swimming there isn’t a magic technique that makes you a perfect swimmer.  So we swam again, looking at arm entry positions and how the angle would affect our stroke.  He would tell us exactly how to swim, and where to aim our arm.  By doing so, we could feel the difference in how we propelled further and it was easier to “feel” what he was asking us to do.  That helped the hand wiggle thing.

Then he had us swim toward him.  So he had a forward view of our swim and that is where the final piece of my puzzle appeared.  My hand was stiff and cupped.  If I fixed the hand and the entry angle my wiggle problem would be solved.  Again, he we went underwater so he could show me what I was doing, and then how he wanted me to do it.   Now he had seen my swim from different angles and the problem seemed to be well diagnosed.  It will be up to me to think about these things as I swim, and to try to correct them.

Mickey got some pointers too.  Her swim is different than mine, she has a higher cadence, her arms go way faster.  He gave her a whole different set of instructions, but I got the benefit too.  For example, she had to work on her head position.  I also did the swim with my head at different angles and felt what he was trying to tell her.  That also helped me understand the mechanics of the stroke.

I was grateful to know what I had to do, but what I most enjoyed from our lesson were the general things Gary told us to think about.  Mickey’s higher cadence did not necessarily translate into faster speeds unless legs, power and heart rate were also optimized.  You shouldn’t fight the water, you are not trying to push it back.  Think instead of using the water to propel you forward, like in rowing.   Subtle but deep changes in the way I swim. 

So if you are in South Florida and are struggling with your swim, Gary Fahey, the SWIM Stroke Doctor is the guy to see.  He can be reached at: 954-629-7724 or by email atgary@strokedocswim.com.  His website is www.strokedocswim.com and on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/QQOwe7. Don’t forget to tell him Triathlon Mami sent you there!