Synchronized swimming is a beautiful sport, but it also demands precision, strength, and especially stamina from its athletes. In this third special article in the Underwater series—exclusive to the Rubro-Negro Official Website—we'll introduce hybrids, a fundamental element of the sport, which make up the performance routines and further impress swimmers. Check out the specifics and curiosities of this fundamental:

 

Hybrids are a sequence of movements performed with the legs out of the water or on the surface, in which, generally, the athlete is upside down and holding their breath. The length or duration of a hybrid will vary depending on the choreography, the athlete's technical level, and their own apnea ability.

 

To last so long underwater, it's not uncommon to see athletes specifically training the apnea technique, often as part of their physical training. However, there's no better preparation than repeating the same hybrid technique during training, not only to perfect the execution of each movement and synchronization between athletes, but also to improve apnea capacity.

 
 Although hybrids are a leg movement, make no mistake: the arms also work hard during this fundamental exercise. They're the ones working hard underwater, performing various "slaps" to keep the athletes' legs above water as much as possible, and they're also responsible for moving around the pool during hybrids. And don't forget, these arm movements, which don't appear above water, also need to be synchronized... for this, in addition to a highly trained eye for the techniques, when available, we use underwater footage as a training tool.

 

You can check out the last two articles in the series here e here, and learn even more about the particularities and curiosities of synchronized swimming.