Part I - Freestyle Overhead Arm Development - 1/2 Kneeling 1-Arm Vertical Pallof Press

The One Arm "Overhead" or Vertical Pallof Press

For swimmers, upper extremity mobility and stabilization are crucial and the Vertical Pallof Press progression is excellent for preventive or emerging problems, sports rehab of the shoulder and as well as optimizing sports performance.



Core stability with optimal mobility and strength in the shoulder is necessary for optimal technique development and performance in freestyle swimming.

Stability of the Lead Arm into Catch Position

ABC;s of the Lead Arm Position & Body Line 

Assessing the ABC's of movement first.

A - Alignment - static posture in and out of the water

B - Balance - single leg, birddog, plank

C - Control or Coordination - simple arm and limb movement

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A - Assess movement patterns - in this case, the arm reach overhead

B - Build the correct movement - what needs to done to rebuild the correct overhead arm reach pattern

C - Condition the movement patterns with external resistance - in this case, the One arm pallof press

Specifics of the 1 Arm Pallof Press to Freestyle Swimming:

1. aids in kinesthetic alignment of the upper extremity

2. improves activation of the shoulder to the core (oblique muscle chains)

3. improves hand, wrist, and forearm strength during entry to catch position - *altering hand position to palm forward can facilitate a sports-specific transfer.

Conclusion:

Overhead arm mobility, alignment and stability is a basic requisite for health, fitness and sports performance.  Coaches should regularly evaluate their dryland and sports performance routines to insure inclusion of relevant-quality exercises which are capable of fertilizing the growth and development of our athletes.

*Note - Look for the part II section on the Double Arm Overhead Pallof and it's role in dolphin kick, streamline control and short axis strokes.
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Brett J. Lemire, DC CSCS, founder of Universal Chiropractic Spine & Sport in Elk Grove.  Dr. Brett is also a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA, has been trained in Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) according to Kolar.  He has taken numerous post-graduate courses with some of the world’s leading authorities in Manual Medicine, Spine and Sports Rehabilitation techniques.  You can contract Dr. Lemire at 916-683-3900.