I used to be a lousy swimmer. After two years of getting friends with water, I am becoming an average swimmer. Because I still think that chasing the black blurry line under my belly for lap after lap is about the most boring exercise in my weekly routine and is somehow connected to the more masochistic part of my brain, I try to add a new torture to my training from time to time. I’d like to share a great little addition, which has helped me getting closer to solving the problem of balance in a bad kicker:

Actually, I have no clue how foot shackles look like, and so far my searches for detailed instructions have come up empty. But upon finding this word the first time a few weeks ago on the (bilingual) website of the swiss swimming federation, I have been trying the technique in my own swimming sessions and I have to say that I am impressed with the result.

As you can see from the picture, I took a bike tire to give my feet at least some freedom of movement. Once you are in the water and have lost the draft of the first push, you will realize that your arms have to do much more work than usual to get forward movement. In the beginning, my feet seemed to be touching the bottom of the basin at the end of each lap, but miraculously, after a few hundred meters, my body started to do new movements to counteract this sagging of my rear. My back stretched longer, my arms started to grasp further ahead in the water, the angle of my arms before the stroke became steeper and my ass did movements I had never before experienced swimming. After a few sessions, even my bad breathing side started to improve, I didn’t swallow half the pool anymore and I got more confidence breathing on both sides, which greatly improved my swimming rhythm.

There is no exercise attached to it; just bind your feet and start experimenting with your body. I am completely convinced that I just entered a new stage in my swimming experience just by crippling the part in my body which has been hiding the real culprit of my balance problem; my mid-section.

The website of the swiss swimming federation can be found here. It is a huge compendium of information about swimming in both german and english. Sadly enough the website is blocked in China (I guess the reason behind this is the fact that they write quite openly about swimming and doping in China), but if you follow the link provided, you can open the site through a proxy to read the articles. Swiss Swimming Federation. The original (blocked) URL is: www.svl.ch

I remember there was once an article in that’s BJ (www.thatsbj.com) that listed all the bike stores in Beijing where you could purchase a decent bike and also would also be likely to find a mechanic who actually knows how to work a wrench and fix a tire. I put it aside no never find it again, so I had to start all over again and put together a list of bike stores all over Beijing. The good thing about it is that it also includes maps and google earth directions, so your purchase is only a click and a taxi or bike ride away!

In the future I might even write a short introduction to buying a bike, so frequent the site once so often to check out the progress.

All locations mentioned in the list below with one click in Google Earth:

Windspeed Dianmen Store

66 Di’anmen Dongdajie, 100 meters west of Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District
Phone: 010 8403 6967
地安门东大街66号,南锣鼓巷往西100米路南
Map:

Windspeed Chaoyangmen Store

Chaoyang District, 10 Ritan Jinghua Road
Phone：010-85622509（Chaoyang Store 朝阳门店）
010-82622915（Shuang Yushu Store 双榆� �店）
URL：http://www.windspeedcycling.com
北京市朝阳区日坛晶华一层10号
Map:

Windspeed Shuangyushu Store

Haidian District, Zhichun Dongli, Building 14
Phone: 010-82622915
URL: www.windspeedcycling.com
北京海淀区知春东里14号楼
Map:

Windspeed Shunyi Store

Shunyi District, Eurovillage, Pinnacle Plaza
Phone: 010-80465538
顺义区花梨坎日祥广场
Map:

Giant Beijing West Flagship Store
Chaoyang District
Qijia Huangzi 2 Guo Heng Jiya Mansion, Building E
Phone: 010-62379740/62377295
URL：http://www.giant-beijing.com.cn
朝阳区 祁家豁子2号 国恒基业大厦E座底商
Map:

Giant Beijing East Flagship Store
Dongcheng District, 77 Jiaodaokou Avenue (22 Middle East Side)
Phone: 010-64034537
URL：http://www.beijing-giant.com
东城区交道口东大街77号（22中东侧）
Map:

Merida Store
Phone：010-68016789
Xicheng District, 18 Fu Wai Da Jie
西城区阜外大街18号
URL：http://www.merida.cn/index.asp
Map:

Ore Store
Haidian District, 18 Fuxing Street
北京市海淀区复兴路甲18号
Phone: 010-63957778
URL: http://www.ore.com.cn
Map:
Map 2nd Store:

Taishang Store
崇文区天坛东路2号
Phone：010-67012046
Map:

BJGOLDEN Store
Chongwen District, 6 Tiyuguan Lu
北京市崇文区体育馆路6号（100061）
Phone: 010-86002824
Fax: 010-67122121
Contact：杨洋（13901329274）
Email: bicycle5803@sina.com
Map:

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