Is there an optimal position of the recovery arm/hand when you start the pull? I’ve seen swimmers start the pull when the recovery hand is by the head/ear, slightly in front of the head, and almost close to water entry. So just curious if there’s the “optimal” position where the recovery hand is when you start the pull.
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Re: Recovery arm/hand at start of pull [atxtri1]
[ In reply to ]
Next time I get in the water I'll have to think about this because I really don't know what I do.. I either have a decent form or I'm blissfully unaware of my deficiencies. I think I would take a few minutes of warm up time to just swim smoothly without breathing and play with different techniques. I also think it changes with water conditions, in rough water you tend to put more oars in the water so to speak to keep balanced.
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Re: Recovery arm/hand at start of pull [atxtri1]
[ In reply to ]
I saw a video in which Russian coach Gennadiy Turetskiy used a broomstick to illustrate proper stroke mechanics for freestyle/front crawl. The demonstration was a swimmer bent at the waist, holding and moving the broomstick like a kayak paddle.
I tried it, then got in the water and swam a few 50’s with a snorkel as if I were holding the broomstick like a kayak paddle.
Try it: it forces high elbows and activating the lates for the pool. The hands in entry and recovery will fall into place following this model.
I tried it, then got in the water and swam a few 50’s with a snorkel as if I were holding the broomstick like a kayak paddle.
Try it: it forces high elbows and activating the lates for the pool. The hands in entry and recovery will fall into place following this model.
Re: Recovery arm/hand at start of pull [atxtri1]
[ In reply to ]
Depends on the distance and speed. Faster shorter distances (25s and 50s) the trailing hand entry is late so your arms are like the "broomstick" analogy. Longer distances the recovering hand enters earlier. A good rule for triathlon distances is that both hands should been seen through the goggles ie in the front quadrant. For me the catch is being made as the recovering hand can just be seen coming into view in the corner of my eye. As I said this will change with speeding up or slowing down so experiment!
Re: Recovery arm/hand at start of pull [atxtri1]
[ In reply to ]
atxtri1 wrote:
Is there an optimal position of the recovery arm/hand when you start the pull? I’ve seen swimmers start the pull when the recovery hand is by the head/ear, slightly in front of the head, and almost close to water entry. So just curious if there’s the “optimal” position where the recovery hand is when you start the pull.No. It’s dependent on effort level, kick, how efficient the pull is and how early the swimmer can start generating power, the size of the swimmer, and a host of other factors like conditions, wetsuit, etc....
So what you want to do is be able to effectively pull with a variety of timings, so you can match the stroke style to the conditions.
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The timing will affect your body balance, you need to find the right timing for you at that speed to have optimal body position.