Can some of the fishies please recommend some drills to help develop a high elbow and strong catch?
Fingertip drag:
I think he meant the other high elbow.
Nice video.
I didn’t mean high elbow during the recovery phase. I meant high elbow during the catch and pull. I tend to have a week pull and I think I keep my arm too straight.
Find a post by desert dude and click on his blog, he has a nice article about ‘catch’ up that he wrote.
Check it out:
I wrote a little bit on catch in this thread http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2165488;search_string=moulli;#2165488
Drills
If you know what you’re meant to be doing I think that training with a cord tied to the block can be great. Try 4 times 60secs on 30secs off then swim 200 free. Repeat. (read more specifics in the other thread).
Water polo is also ok. Keep you head up, looking straight ahead. Try not to move your head from side to side to breathe.
Kick with one arm by your side one arm extended in front of you sculling slightly. You should be on your side but with your face down (ie. ready for the catch). Do the very first part of your catch only (eg hand / wrist / forearm down, elbow / upper arm should remain up). Press and release. Then repeat. If you do this sharply you should feel it grab in your lats. Sharp catch, release, repeat. Try 25 one, side 25 the other (depending on how good you are at kick this can be tiring). Repeat for a couple of 50’s then do some normal swimming.