Synchronized Swimmers Getting Started

Hello all, I read the book and it seems to outline exactly the sort of exercises that I need to incorporate into my athlete's dry-land synchronized swimming training. (The rank beginner's variations seem like a great challenge for us!)

A quick background: I am a professional synchronized swimming coach (with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology). My athletes are post pubescent girls and women who train between 15 and 30 hours a week. They have great aerobic/anaerobic capacity, decent flexibility (close, but not quite up to the level of competitive female gymnasts), and have acquired some proficiency with bodyweight exercises like V-ups, push-ups, jumping chin ups, yoga headstands etc but there are times when I would have to use the words "floppy" and "struggling" to describe their in-water technical elements instead of "extended" and "supported" - that is what I am hoping to change with some static positions and other complementary exercises.

However, after an initial trial session we have encountered some difficulties and I was wondering if anyone could orient me.

The biggest problem seems to be that their hand strength does not permit them to hang on to a bar for very long at all. Frequently they lost their grip before their arm or core muscles were fatigued. Are there ways to work around weak hands, or will progress be limited to the speed that their grip strengthens?

The second worry I have is about their shoulder flexibility - they have a much larger range of motion than normal and about half of the athletes have "soft" joints to begin with. For example a regular part of warm-ups is to do the "shoulder dislocation with a band" exercise starting with a 24 inch rope and working down to bare hands or as close as possible. Other than common sense and taking the necessary time to work through the progressions are there any screening tests I can do? My nightmare is to see someone damage their shoulder.

To provide you with a base line here is a link to some synchronized swimming technical elements, not a video of my athletes, but it's roughly in the ballpark.

Thanks so much for any guidance you can offer

Adding in another question, as I was browsing through the workout plans and suggestions made for the introductory level I noticed that all the examples of arch holds I saw have the arms quite far away from the head and below head height (closed shoulders). Is that deliberate? We usually "streamline" when working with extended arms which involves pressing the elbows to the back of the head so I'm not sure if I should evaluate that as an equivalent exercise or something that we need to start from scratch.

Thank you for your time in answering these questions

as no one else more knowledgeable replied you yet, I give you my thoughts on it.

I've been in Gymnastic Strength Training™ for a year now, training regularly along many gymnasts.

I have bad news about grip strength and pain, there's not much you can do about it, it has to be build over time, the more you practice the quicker it improves. Hands calluses management is a matter of fact in gymnastic, at least these prevents blisters.

Anyway keep in mind that support exercises are much easier on hands than hanging ones. For hanging exercises you can either provide your athletes with some gymnastic grips or web bar straps (not elastic bands) to ease the problem a bit.

http://www.gymsupply.com/beginnergrips.aspx

http://www.gymsupply.com/barstraps8pr.aspx

as to improve shoulder strength and stability, working to 2-3 min of continuos good form wall handstand is probably your best bet, though basics FBE and FSP are needed as well.

here's what I mean

http://www.beastskills.com/tutorials/tutorials/33

good arch form should have arms well above shoulders, if not it's both due to lack of strength and active flexibility.

http://www.gymnasticsrevolution.com/Arch-sm.jpg

goodluck.

Working with a totally different group of people i was also waiting before replying.

If the girls are having a hard time with the holds, and you are worried they are very weak and hyper mobile in the shoulders then you do want to work progressively. It may be you need to start with foot supported hangs at 45 deg, and work down to horizontal and then to the bar.

It can be allot for the wrists and shoulders, but it is very valuable, and should give you stronger athletes.

I would also add shrugging movements to the support hangs as this will begin to condition the rotator cuff to engage and pull the shoulder in socket. For the hyper mobile this can be problematic at first and i think it should be done as prep to any full on pulling.

As for the arch, it must just be because its an introductory move in the book you referenced, the full one will have arms high as noted above.

Thanks so much for the advice. Its very interesting going from one "system" to another. The whole using the hands as grabbers instead of paddles and signal flags is probably going to be the biggest challenge.

I like the idea of the shrugs while hanging there with the feet on the ground, that should help with the grip strength and the shoulder protection strength in a way I can work in nice easy progressions. (and can sneak it into the dry-land warm-up without too much fuss).

But as to the arch hold- nope. It is that we have been doing a different variation. When we leave streamline position and go to the position depicted in your link something near the bottom edge of the scapula (would it be the lats or serratus or teres minor :? ) contracts and permits us to increase the arch a lot, not a bad thing, but definitely different. When I get permission to post images I will asking for feedback.