What to do: Bent knees

Extend your knees! 

That's what almost every swimmer hears on a regular basis. Some of them will fix it immediately after hearing their coach's correction, the bent knees quickly straightening up. But for some artistic swimmers, their endeavors to respond to the correction make no difference. They put their energy into extending their knees, but it just doesn't happen. So the coach keeps repeating the same feedback, thinking that the swimmer just isn't paying attention.

But what if their knees just don't straighten?

There are many, many athletes in this world who are blessed with effortlessly straight legs. But there are also countless swimmers who aren't. What's the difference? Well, the difference is years of frustration and jealousy. Scores can be impacted just because of this. 

Today I'm going to share with you the few things that would help the most if you, like me, don't have naturally amazing knees. 

Knees

There are normally two reasons for knees that don't extend.

One - the muscle required to pull the knee tight isn't strong enough, and two - the muscle that runs along the back of the knee and lower leg is too tight, restricting the range of the knee.

If it is the first case, then you are best off following the good old way: "practice makes perfect". Make extending your knees a habit. This way, you can develop the quadriceps that are responsible for lifting your leg.

For the second situation, you will want to loosen up that calf muscle (soleus). Many stretches can help with this. 

A few examples:

1. Sit with both legs straight and in front of your body. For each leg, place both hands on the bottom of your flexed foot and pull the upper middle part of the foot towards you. The leg can come off of the ground. Make sure the knee is not completely bent. The muscle does not need to be engaged, just make sure the leg is in a relatively straight line.

2. Stand facing a large object you can brace yourself against, such as a wall or heavy desk. Step into a small lunge position. Another way to say it: move your legs apart, one in front and one in back, with the back leg straight and the front leg bent. Put your hands on the wall/object, and push your hips forward until you feel a stretch in your calf. Try to keep your back foot on the ground by pushing it into the ground.

I wish you the best of luck on conquering your knee extension! With love, Ella