Marieta Hanaghan has produced yet another of her fabulous water colour paintings of Orta San Giulio in northern Italy. We had a memorable swimming-based holiday there in 2015 and we will be doing it all over again in August 2017 - and 2018!

Palazzo Della Comunita , Orta’s old town hall, built in 1582. It sits in Piazza Mario Motta, the town square. Our hotel is just behind the Palazzo.

What is body balance in freestyle swimming?

First of all, we probably learned to swim freestyle by taking each movement (arms, legs, etc) separately. That may be ok for a beginner but a more advanced freestyler needs to balance the body by synergising all the various components into one smooth, coordinated whole.

Freestyle is probably the most complex stroke and, as any beginner will tell you, the most difficult task to achieve is coordination of all its components. Poor arm stroke, ineffective kicking, poor head position, uncoordinated breathing and lack of torso rotation will only add to drag, holding the body back and tiring the swimmer limiting their endurance.

​Tips on improving your freestyle will appear here over the next few weeks.

Our next Sydney trip will be from 13th to 17th November 2017. Join us to:
​

• Swim where the kings and queens of Australian swimming learned their craft
• Swim where freestyle was invented
• Swim where lifesaving in Australia (both still water and surf) began
• Visit some of Sydney’s historic buildings and galleries
• Check out some marvellous scenery
• Shop in some world-renowned boutiques
• Sample great world-class eateries.

And lots more. Check out http://www.otteraquatics.com.au/sydney.html for more details.

No plans yet? Good. Come on one of our 2018 European swimming holidays. Experience the real Europe away from hordes of tourists and in stunningly beautiful and exotic surrounds accompanied by lots of history, art and architecture and great food.

The trips will be:

1. Greek Islands – early August

2. Lago d'Orta (Lake Orta) in northern Italy - mid August
 
3.  A (mostly) cycling tour around Lake Constance (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) - late August

All trips will be in August 2018 with precise dates to be advised.

The swimming (or cycling) are not too onerous and all activities are completely optional. Expressions of interest are now being sought. Check out: http://www.otteraquatics.com.au/swim-tours.html.

Marieta Hanaghan has painted another magnificent water colour of Isola San Giulio in Italy's Lago d'Orta, which we will be visiting again in August 2017.