Dave Scott and torso twist

Some interesting thoughts from Dave Scott:

http://lavamagazine.com/ask-the-man-10-tips-to-fine-tuning-your-swimming/?cbg_tz=-60

An economical swimmer will roll their shoulders and hips independently. The shoulder rotation will vary from 65–30 degrees, with hip rotation from 45–10 degrees etc

.....since the feet aren’t anchored while swimming,

They should feel their shoulders and hips roll independently, which stretches the internal and external obliques, and the iliacus and psoas muscles of your stomach and hips. The athlete should also feel this stretch through the entire back musculature. Holding the buoy tight between the calves will also engage the adductors, sartorius, and gracilis muscles of the athlete’s inner thighs. This teaches athletes to rotate along their longitudinal axis, keeping their feet close together and allowing their body to engage their core muscles. This stabilizes the spine, and now the “tight” athlete can swim with proper shoulder and hip rotation and engage the core.



The end result is that the body rolls with the hips moving first and then the shoulders—not like a rigid plank! This staggered roll increases the stretch in the trunk and back muscles, and it provides a firmer hold on the front end of the stroke that minimizes deceleration.


Great find Cott. Confirms all my suspicions based on observations, common sense and personal tryouts.
Exactly the topic where Salvo and I have been experimenting with lately.

I steal it and present it to the TI folks

Brent Hayden is a good example if you have some flexibility in upperbody and shoulders. Dont see many extreme angles there only reachable by freaks of nature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8zPpJ5dHVk

Moreover, with nearly flat hips the legs float better and, if you flutter kick, you kick up and down (not sideways) which lifts the butt even more and gives a bit of propulsion too. Rotational kicks never really worked for me.

Salvo