Big sigh! - here comes another lockdown for gyms/pools

England's second anti-COVID-19 lockdown - is supposedly just for 1 month, but will probably drag on towards Xmas or later. Due to ex-pm Tony Blair's bright idea of "devolvement", Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have their own different rules - and the conflict between them, when wishing to cross their borders, seems ridiculous - e.g. I could go for a pool swim in Wales next week (they are just emerging from their own "lockdown"), but not here in England!  

Just when some of us were getting used to things, and waking-up to almost forgotten "muscle-memories" after that first lockdown in the Spring/early Summer - and my preferred DW gym/pool's financial collapse    followed by "migration" to another pool (a Nuffield one) - it's no swimming from this Thursday onwards for us in England!

It is a pity for you Don since you had been getting wet and doubtless enjoying it.

I had to suffer hearing my bro in Perth WA reporting how he had a super swim at Coogee last Sunday in a good time, as a result of his recent 1-2-1 analsys session with SwimSmooth.

The sharknet is back up again at Cottesloe too which was wonderful to swim in last year.

My tennis club has just cancelled all outdoor tennis so my rusty doubles play will procede to get even more rusty.

Oh well, back to the cake making.

Made 2 little discoveries during my last swim before second lockdown started.  I had been very disappointed that my efforts to swim fly have hitherto been spoiled by "old-age stoop" (permanent spinal curvature preventing standing up straight) meant that getting the mouth above the water line for an inhalation when looking forwards, seemed impossible (the water line occurring about mid-nose level).  Thinking initially that meant I would need to do a sequence of "one head-down fly stroke followed by a one-arm fly stroke with inhalation to the side (which is easy!) - would mean that I could get some "fly stroke joy".

 I've been trying to do "breast stroke fly" with complete underwater arm pull/recovery - nodding the head down to start a kick upsweep with feet breaking the surface (getting some motion forwards from the dolphin kick upbeat initiated by that head nod down). The tum goes low as the legs push water backwards and they rise to the surface - think of how it's the kick upbeat that is important in back crawl!) - doing the "scoop" part of the pull (semi-circular), then simultaneously throwing the thighs forwards to start the kick downbeat, with the elbows tucked beneath the tum to exert more force as the close together hands complete the upsweep - followed by UW arm recovery aided by the second dolphin kick of a stroke.   Was very pleased to be able to snatch a quick inhalation as my head momentarily popped up above the water line. I think this ties-up with what the experts say - the inhalation should be made before the arms recover (or exit the water in the proper stroke).  More practice at this breast-fly needed after the lockdown (which P.M. Boris says will definitely be the 2nd December - come what may!?).

 The other little thing I noted, is not so good - have noticed for quite a few years now, that if I don't actively and continuously give the legs some firm definite action to do - then I soon get cramp in my lower left leg.  Yonks ago, this was shown up in a swim analysis - when lightly flutter kicking, my left foot pointed outwards awkwardly from the body line on kick downbeats.  This was said be a sign of body tension, but it only seems to happen when am doing my best to just lightly flutter kick - the left-leg cramp soon develops when am doing back crawl! If I put more "beef" into the leg action then I get arthritic pain in the bones of the instep. I just can't "win"! Some of us are just "odder" than others!!!

Well that didn't last very long! Went for a swim just before Christmas and was very disappointed to discover a further old-age degradation - been living with a "loss of balance" problem (walking with a stick in each hand to avoid falls) when not swimming  - but found that "giddiness" was an additional problem when swimming F.S.  After a quick roll and turn of the neck for an inhalation , was a bit disorientated by giddiness, when doing normal inhalation on second arm-strokes.  It was a bit less disturbing when inhaling on every 4th arm stroke. It's the quick movement of the head that causes the problem - associated with movement of fluid in the labyrinth of the "inner ear".

So all that is history now 'cos we have just entered our third national lock-down with all gyms/pools now closed!  The medicos have put me on "Betahistine" (used for Menieres disease etc) and that seems to help me a lot when moving around the home. Ah but when can we get back to swimming?  My wife is "gutted" by the lack of swimming - 'cos she normally does an hour of FS every day!

Thanks for your report.
Nothing doing here.