Another ridiculously hot day, with temperatures reaching 33°C. I was late for calisthenics class, so did mobility / stretching instead. Not a bad thing as my feet and legs are super tired. Went for swimming lesson #2. The upside of the swimming stress is that I got to cool down in the pool!

Notes from Swimming lesson

Troubleshooting:

  1. Always have strong straight legs when kicking (no spaghetti legs). Point toes to keep legs straight.
  2. [Sinking when on back] Keep head and neck in neutral position. If tilt head back, then legs go down and I start sinking. Be aware of position of legs. Kick them up.
  3. [Sinking when on front] Keep hands in front, but lower in the water. Always look down not ahead, and only see hands at the periphery of vision
  4. [Sinking when sideways] Turn to the side in one smooth motion – hip, shoulder, head. Look backwards, ear to leading arm. Do not pop head up when turning. Popping head up causes imbalance and the legs to sink

Recap:

  1. Pointed toes; strong straight legs and when kicking
  2. Arms lower in the water 
  3. Face always looking down, not forward
  4. Turn in one smooth motion (hips, shoulder, head)
  5. Be aware of body position in water

 New drills / Drills to work on:

  1. Count arms to three with the following movement:
    • 1) Bring arm to hip, then high above the water (let the body follow so streamlined with hips and shoulder up), wave at the lifeguard, put hand next to head, bring into water to meet leading hand, clap.
    • 2) Then next side
    • 3) Back to original side, and bring other hand to hip and breathe to that side. Original hand is the leading hand and count 6 kicks on side, before repeating the routine with hip hand (opposite side)
  2. Three strokes on one side, and then swim sideways for 6 kicks 
  3. To practice straights kicks and smooth rotations, keep drilling front to back.
  4. Notes for drills: keep hands relaxed as I bring it into the water. Make sure hands are high up and I take the time (hence wave to lifeguard). Count arms correctly, so that each cycle I am breathing on alternate sides.

APT

Song of the day, “APT”.

Cousin J sent me a video of an APT dance choreographed by YeChan HERE and said she wishes she could learn the dance. I do really like the choreography, and now the song is on a repeat loop in my head, so I volunteered to break down the dance, and we’ll try to learn it and perform it together. Mini summer project!

I had heard ‘APT’ off and on before and thought it might have been Korean, but didn’t think much of it. Then a saw a dance performed by kids at F’s talent show, and was kind of surprised the kids knew it. But according to O, every body knows the song. I hadn’t even realised Bruno Mars was involved, and cousin J, who follows K-Pop, didn’t realise that Rose (from Blackpink) who involved, and didn’t realise it was even remotely Asian.

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