Can you just make a fist and hold it, or do you really feel the need to pay money for something?

Umm, make a fist?

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

All depends on what you are trying to accomplish. The first thing I would say is that if you are swimming less than 4x a week, don’t worry about drills.

You can use the “donut” spacers from in between the lane ropes. It’s a modified “fist” drill where you press down against the buoyancy of the “donut” and try to grab/pull the water with your forearm.

Hope this help,

Tim

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http://www.magnoliamasters.com
http://www.snappingtortuga.com
http://www.swimeasyspeed.com

Tennis ball?

I know the device he's talking about. It's basically a forearm paddle with a grip that sticks out from the end. No idea who makes it, but if you dig through triathlon taren videos he shows it in one of his videos.

I'm kinda on the "just make a fist" side of the fence though.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Is it the Finnis Forearm Fulcrum?

If so, I tried that thing once and thought it was crap. I'm with Jay on this one and just close your fist.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

This one?

https://www.techpaddle.com/#/

Yea similar to the fulcrum, and making a fist is great and all but if you are doing drills at the end of a swim workout feeling the forearm in the water isn't easy. That's why aids are so useful. They keep your stroke 100% honest. It's easy to compensate and take a shortcut when using just a fist.

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Strava:https://www.strava.com/athletes/20890878

If you're talking about these, I have a pair of the 7" (used twice) you could have if you pay shipping.



I find tying my ankles together and panicking my way through 25-50 at a time is better than anything I can do with my hands.

Two Tee Shirts, one in each hand.

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All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

 

Not sure if these are the same ones:

https://www.metroswimshop.com/...ove.htm#.XMcx6qSndPY


.

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Once, I was fast. But I got over it.

I don't know as I haven't seen the videos you mention. But Finis has (or used to make) the PT paddles - SwimOutlet still carries them.

I know SwimSmooth recommended them at some point.

It is?

Personally, I prefer swim "aids" that make things harder to execute, essentially forcing you to overcompensate. But that's me...

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

available at your local swim shop or bondage shop, though those only come in black...

seriously though - terrible idea. if you can't hold a fist, then you're not taking enough time to do the drill.

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I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

Golf balls. Tighter fist and they sink if you cheat.

https://www.youtube.com/...33&v=qiYPRklOqzA this guy knows what he is talking about - found it ty guys

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Strava:https://www.strava.com/athletes/20890878

Dangle I sent you a private msg

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Strava:https://www.strava.com/athletes/20890878

Actually, this video discusses about 10-12 diff drills to correct various mistakes but none of these are the fist drill.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I’m just quoting this for posterity. You linked to a Taren video and said that... I’m chuckling a little bit.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Yea the tech paddle is on display at 8:30, also you chuckle at taren? He is only quoting what pros and Jerry from tower 26 says. He doesn't just pull info out of the air. Jerry coaches some of the best and also has helped mediocre swimmers become front of the pack guys at the pro and amateur level. Your ignorance is bliss. Gl trying to be fast in triathlon :)

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Strava:https://www.strava.com/athletes/20890878

I can quote Albert Einstein. Doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about...

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Really? Gotta be doing 4+ swims per week in order for drills to be effective? That not only sounds preposterous but also condescending.

One-arm swimming drill, IMO, is a fantastic way to achieve the feeling of the catch and pull. And a 2-4-6 breathing drill is a great way to build lung capacity. And on and on.

Perhaps suggesting drills to improve technique is a better prescription for improvement than simply putting in yards before one can benefit from such drills?

Hypoxic breathing does nothing for improving lung capacity. I like it for other reasons, but not for that. And I don't consider that to be a drill. It's just a breathing pattern.

And Snapping T is pretty much correct. if you're doing fewer than 4 swims per week, your time is generally better spent doing various forms of swim / kick / pull.

I know I'm not a beginner, but right now I'm swimming about 3x per week on average, doing 2500-3500 per session. I might spend 100m of each practice doing "drills", and it's not that they are necessary, just that I like doing some of them. If I was swimming 4-6 times per week I'd probably put in a day that's more focused on drills and specific technique work, but my best ROI at the moment comes from just putting in the work.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

In my experience coaching triathletes, yes. You’ll get a much better return on investment with your time in the water by focusing on swimming faster with better technique than in doing drill work. Especially if you are only swimming 3x a week.

The triathlon community, in my opinion, tends to overestimate the importance of drills and underestimate the importance of getting in the water consistently to just do some hard swimming.

Hope this helps,

Tim

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http://www.magnoliamasters.com
http://www.snappingtortuga.com
http://www.swimeasyspeed.com