Its supposed to get you to keep you elbos high and use your forearms to propel yourself.

Styrrell

I believe it is to get your whole arm involve in the pull. Correct me if I am wrong put you are talking about swimming with a closed fist? ala TI When i do this drill i try to focus on what it feels like on my arms to pull with out my open hand, then open your hands and look for the same feeling, basically you are making the blade of your "oar" bigger and more effective.

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

it teaches you to use your forearms to pull yourself through the water and also reinforces feel for the water on your hand. Not a TI drill per say as it's been around for at least a few decades.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

IMHO this is like hitting your hand with a hammer. The only reason to do it is that it feels so good when you stop.

Seriously, to get the full benefit of the FIST drill, make sure you concentrate really hard on how your hands feel in the water when you start using them again.

It forces your arms to maintain the correct stroke path throughout the cycle. You will feel especially inefficient when doing the stroke incorrectly.

I actually greatly prefer drills to swimming. Dunno why. Maybe it's the lower stress. Maybe it's because they're easier.

I finally remembered to try the closed fist drill earlier this week. All of a sudden I found my elbow a lot higher on the catch and sweep (my instinctive catch is normally horizontal, which is way way lame). If you already have a great catch/sweep/pull then the benefit is probably less to you than to me.

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Everyone's response to the drill is correct. We now swim more with drag forces (action-reaction) than lift forces (sweeping hands). Your forearms are proplusive. By getting rid of your hands you are forced to rely on your forearms. fist swimming also enhances the feel for the water. Instead of swimming an entire length with fists, swim half a length then slowly open your hand one finger at a time. You can also clap your hands until they tingle or scrap your forearms with your nails to expose nerve endings to enhance feel.

I use these drills in all my classes.

When you are swimming take several strokes without taking a breathe to see if your fingers are pointing downward or moving across your body.

Do all drills perfectly to develop perfect technique. Understand the purpose of the drill so tht you will know whether you have achieved the desired outcome.

Play hard,

Doug