CSS Critique Points to Consider During Practice / Testing

Seven CSS Critique Points: Video Critique Using the System: 

Coaching the CSS is explained as a mix of freestyle and breaststroke. Then assess how the athlete swims across the pool. You look for a streamline glide, a smooth turn to breathe (rather than a pop-up to breathe), and power pulls and kicks. Sometimes, starting with perfecting freestyle is the first approach, as they can apply the turn-to-breathe directly to the CSS. This is one of many reasons we use the 50-50 swim workout: not just to get into swimming shape, but to reinforce the turn to breathe.

The top arm pull-and-turn-to-breathe is identical to freestyle. The kick and recovery mimic the breaststroke, as they are underwater recovery and glide phases, but depending on the type of kick, they can differ if you use the scissor kick vs the breaststroke kick.  Personally, if you have a history of being a land athlete, go with the scissor kick, as your hips likely developed to do the scissor kick rather than the breaststroke kick. 

1 - Kick off the Wall – (streamline / power) Good glide / no effort (5-7 yds)

2 - Transition into the stroke (turn/breathe – pullout or no pullout) - Do you do a pullout or not? This can make or break your swim time if you do it wrong. 

3 - Top arm pull with body turn to prepare to breathe  - should look more like a "freestyle catch" and turn to breathe. Fix your top arm pull. 

4 - Bottom arm pull / breathing cycle – Bottom arm pull looks like a breaststroke scull, not a full arm pull. Pull while inhaling. Fix your bottom arm pull.

5 – Kick and Arm Recovery – Open legs to begin the kick during the bottom arm pull, then kick and recover the arms over your head (underwater recovery) into a streamlined glide position.

         - Kick – If doing scissor kick,  practice more of a shorter power kick (like a B skip dynamic stretch drill for top leg and flipper kick for back leg).         

•        Also, do not roll over in the middle of the kick - many start out like a scissor kick on your side, and then do a quick 90-degree rotation that weakens the kick, and it turns into a sort of wonky breaststroke kick to finish:  Kick on your side fully, THEN rotate to your belly during the glide / not the middle of the kick. If you want to not stay on your side (up to you to glide on belly or stay in the side position).
•       PS - also read Fix Your Kick:  https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/css-help-fix-your-kick

6 – The kick will affect your glide – But if you have a bad recovery of the arms and not a tight streamline position, you will likely not be able to hold a 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, PULL ON THREE glide position and continue moving. A fast glide is a combo of a strong kick and a streamlined glide position.  Fix your glide with a streamlined position. 

7 – Don’t waste time on the turnaround – do an open turn, take a big inhale, and repeat the above. 

Now get in shape to swim the 500m at a set goal pace of 1 yard/second. This will get you a 500-second swim (8:20), which is an above-average pace. Check out the 50-50 Swim Workout

The 50-50 Workout is one you need to master to get into swimming shape quickly.   

See the Complete List of CSS Assistance Here at the CSS Help Series

NOTE: It is up to you whether to roll over during the glide.  You can stay on your side. With a pair of fins (if using scissor or flutterkicks), it is difficult to keep your feet in the water if you roll over, so stay on your side when wearing fins the entire swim. 

Here is how to develop your test-taking strategy by learning your pace for the swim so you have plenty left in the tank to crush the rest of the PST.  It does you no good to crush the swim, have the swim crush you too, and then do horribly in the remaining events because you did not learn to pace yourself and train properly for that pace. 

Same Pacing Workout with Swimming:  (do this 5-6 times a week)
Warm-up 500yds CSS or freestyle (mix is fine too), but non-stop. When you “warm up” with a 500 yd or 500m swim, you are now training to make the 500m swim “nothing more than a warm-up”.  This is more of a psychological benefit, but it will also better prepare you to swim 500m at a fast pace.

After the warm-up, do the 50/50 workout:

Repeat 10 times
50m Swim freestyle FAST (6-8 strokes per breath)
50m NO REST go into Swim CSS – at your goal pace*.
- Rest 10 seconds before starting again (if needed)

*Goal pace swimming will depend on your abilities, but a good standard is a yard or meter per second. Most military swim tests are 500yds or 500m. Shoot for a yard per second and score 500 seconds, which is an above-average score of an 8:20.  This is good enough (actually above average) for most military programs – even special ops-level swimming.

Do this swim workout 5 days a week - minimum standard daily is 1000- 1500 m, PERIOD, if you want to get in shape to swim 500m fast.