Here I go again, stirring up the pot. But I love debunking some of the (unfortunately) common teaching going on in swimming…particularly when it is plain ol’ wrong.
Myth #1 To go faster in swimming one must push out the back of the arm pull
I believe this myth may have originated with an article that appeared some time in the 90’s. The article showed a swimming figure mimicking Alex Popov’s freestyle pull. It showed the figure with the left arm in front and the the right arm in back ready to exit the water for the recovery. A graph showed the velocity of Popov’s body in the water as a function of the position of the hand. The velocity ranged from nearly 3 meters per second down to about 1.4 meters per second during a single pull cycle. The slowest speed occurred when the hand appeared to be at around the shoulder and the fastest speed occurred in the position shown in the figure. The author erroneously concluded that since the speed was so high as the right hand was about to exit, that this is where the most power must be…hence push out the back.
My study with the velocity meter doing freestyle concurs that it is these two positions that consistently show the highest and lowest velocities of the stroke cycle in freestyle (though I was seeing more like a 30 to 40% drop, not 50%). But it is not because of the power out the back that we see the speed highest in this position. It is because it is by far the position of least drag (most streamlined). The propulsive power in this position actually is derived mostly from the left arm out in front and the kick, with little or no power coming from the end of the arm pull. The propulsive power may be even greater when we see the hand at the shoulder (slowest body speed), but because the arm is jetting straight out, perpendicular to the body, the drag coefficient skyrockets and our speed drops instantly.
The harm that is done by pushing out the back is that it delays the recovery and slows the stroke rate. Most of the arm propulsive power is derived from the entry to the shoulder (called the front quadrant…about 1/2 of the total arm cycle time is spent there). So the sooner one can get the hand back to the front quadrant after leaving the shoulder, the better.
If you happened to be blessed with Mercury motors for legs, like Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe, Gary Jr, Natalie Coughlin etc, then you can afford to use a slower stroke rate…but hold in front, not in back.
For the rest of us mortals, keep your arms moving faster and in the front quadrant. Think you can’t do that for 2 1/2 miles, think again. Lot’s of distance swimmers use high arm stroke rates. You just have to train that way and get fit.
Regards,
Gary Sr.
Interesting. What are the next 9?
They will be coming soon.
Gary Sr.
In a previous post, you offered your expertise to us mortals. Here is my question:
I am a very fast cyclist (top 2% in most races sprint - IM) decent runner (top 15-20%) and a terrible swimmer (50-60%). I realize soliciting coaching on a forum is not the best way but what the hell, there aren’t too many super-human Olympians here in Charleston to coach me.
I am 6’1, 210lbs 8-10%BMI (Via the Bod-Pod). I have a strong pull but a weak and inconsistent kick. I can swim a pretty consistent 1:28 100m long course…but at 500m, I am about 8:45 and the longer the distance, the slower I get. I swim 5 days a week and do a good number of drills. Every time I get advise, it is to fix my kick. I’ve never been able to fix it though. At one point, I had my friend who is a former Olympic swimmer help but he couldn’t figure it out either. It is kind of like a flutter with a scissor kick at every breath. I can kick fine with the board, but I can’t get a rhythm when I am swimming free.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Hate to mention it to you, but that myth died about 10 years ago.
Sadly not so… Just heard a guy, presumably this girls coach, telling her to “really finish the stroke - you have to push all the way through the back of the stroke” while I was swimming this morning. I think finishing the stroke was the least of this girls swim problems, but I just kept my head down and continued swimming. 
Sadly some coaches have not kept up with the current thought/practice/literature. You should do the coach a favor and mention something to him.
but because the arm is jetting straight out, perpendicular to the body, the drag coefficient skyrockets and our speed drops instantly.
I’m having a hard time accepting this statement.
If you are pushing any water at all with your stroke, doesn’t your arm have negative or at least zero velocity relative to the water?
i had a coach tell me the exact same thing at a training camp last year. That I could be 2 sec faster/100 if I finished my stroke. I just kinda rolled my eyes
Gary, have you read Samantha McGlone’s article in the last Triathlete Mag? She seems to really emphasize using the triceps & finish off the stroke (quite opposite to what you are saying). I have read your pedigree & am just pointing out that she is putting this information out there with a pretty good swim background herself (from a triathlon perspective). My question to you is, do you think it may vary from person to person on if “finishing” that stroke as she says in the article is effective or not? I know it is speculation, but would wetsuits in your opinion, change the myth #1 to some degree? Just stirring the pot a bit here to see why the difference in opinion from two obviously well accomplished swimmers…(although you are by far more accomplished).
Can’t wait for the other nine!
not to belittle Ms. McGlone’s palmares, but she is just an okayswimmer. A great triathlete, yes. A great runner, yes. But I wouldn’t say she has an excellent swim background. Far from it…she swam 27 high at WF, most decent AG men can outswim her. The fact that she is giving swimming advice is suspect.
unfortunately, it doesn’t seem very hard for pro triathletes to get a byline these days.
jp-while not in the same class as Gary Hall or his crew, she is likely a little better than a “pretty good AG swimmer”. But I guess it depends on “pretty good”. If she’s writing an article on swimming I’d assume Triathlete Mag would not let an average swimmer write an article talking about technique for swimming. Now to change the subject, I never heard of Gary Hall Jr. until I read “Gold in the Water” which was excellent by the way. Then I started following swimming a bit more (not a swimmer background at all by admission). Then I saw GH Sr. writing on ST…and I like what he has to say. I was just pointing out there may be “other” factors which Gary maybe could have not included which may or may not affect the use of that final follow-through on the stroke (such as wetsuit or individual stroke variations due to one’s physical attributes, fitness level, or something else).
i think you assume too much about the quals that Triathlete Mag requires to get a byline. Take a look at Ms. McGlone’s credentials. She has a duathlon background, she was Canadian Duathlon champ in 2004 before switching to triathlon. I can find no evidence that she ever competed as a swimmer at an elite level. Again, not to take anything away from her…she is a phenomenal athlete. But her strength is bike/run.
Mr. Gary Hall Sr on the other hand, in his prime, was arguably the best swimmer in the world. He has spent his entire life around the sport at the highest levels.
So, yeah…I’d take his advice over hers in a heartbeat.
but because the arm is jetting straight out, perpendicular to the body, the drag coefficient skyrockets and our speed drops instantly.
I’m having a hard time accepting this statement.
If you are pushing any water at all with your stroke, doesn’t your arm have negative or at least zero velocity relative to the water?
Gary and I (and others) debated this topic in this thread:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2583049#2583049
While the drag may in fact be highest with the arm out (especially the upper arm which is likely causing drag rather than the thrust from the lower arm), I don’t think this is the main issue.
I was never able to convince him that with cyclical periodic motion, the maximum force will appear at the same moment as maximum** acceleration**, not maximum velocity. And, in fact velocity will be minimum at this time. (F=MA)
I still purchased his swim video, though. (I think he’s swam faster than I’ve run…) 
jp-please re-read my questions to GH Sr. It wasn’t about who had better advice really, only that if it was a possibility he hadn’t included all the possible scenarios which may cause one to go with Sam’s description vs. GH Sr.s–although I’m with you in that “more than likely” he thought of that already & has a higher % of being correct on this. Just wanted to make sure he was saying this is true in ALL scenarios. He would know I would assume since he also coaches top triathletes as well per a thread (last week?) I read.
+1
I would like this answered.
Fair enough. I’m curious about Gary’s response, though I think I know what it will be.
you realise he means jetting arm straight out OF THE WATER right?
Changed the wording for ya…“excellent” to “pretty good” as you are correct in that she is more of a runner than a swimmer.