Qestion about my swim stroke for you ST fishes. I’ve been swimming a fair amount recently and have really been trying to focus on the early vertical forearm. But when I get my forearm vertical quickly, it feels like I’m levering about my elbow. This causes some weirdness/discomfort in my shoulder since it feels like I am pulling my shoulder forward. I’ve noticed over the past week that if I drop my shoulder toward the bottom of the pool it seems like I start levering about my shoulder instead. It feels a lot better to me - like I’m finally on top of my stroke.
I’ve looked at some articles and videos, but I can’t tell if this is okay or if I am just covering up some other flaw in my stroke.
Qestion about my swim stroke for you ST fishes. I’ve been swimming a fair amount recently and have really been trying to focus on the early vertical forearm. But when I get my forearm vertical quickly, it feels like I’m levering about my elbow. This causes some weirdness/discomfort in my shoulder since it feels like I am pulling my shoulder forward. I’ve noticed over the past week that if I drop my shoulder toward the bottom of the pool it seems like I start levering about my shoulder instead. It feels a lot better to me - like I’m finally on top of my stroke.
I’ve looked at some articles and videos, but I can’t tell if this is okay or if I am just covering up some other flaw in my stroke.
Not sure I’m fully understanding what you are saying, but I will tell you that I typically hyper extend my shoulder as I start to pull.
I don’t know if “quickly” is a good thought here. Stick with “early” even though the process may be slow and smooth. Quickly may cause you to loose your hold on the water and overly strain your shoulder. You don’t want to have a quick vertical forearm anyway. You just want to go vertical before you start to either drop your elbow below the surface or start pulling your elbow down the length of your body.
** This causes some weirdness/discomfort in my shoulder since it feels like I am pulling my shoulder forward.**
Yes, EVF does not feel strong. That is why people need to be specifically taught how to swim that way. There is a lot of stress on the shoulder to pivot your arm around your elbow like that. If you are not strong enough, you may want to go with ESVF – early somewhat vertical forearm. That way you still go vertical early but maybe not as extreme before beginning your pull.
**I’ve noticed over the past week that if I drop my shoulder toward the bottom of the pool it seems like I start levering about my shoulder instead. It feels a lot better to me - like I’m finally on top of my stroke. **
Yes, this could easily feel stronger. It just won’t be faster. Swimming isn’t about feeling strong. It’s about generating forces in the exact opposite direction you wish to travel. Any forces generated in tangential directions are a waste. Generally, humans beings feel strong in the water when they are generating forces in those tangential directions. It’s just the way our muscles are more naturally inclined to move. Slowly, over time, a swimmer’s concept of “strong in the water” changes into what is faster versus what positions allow them to produce the most absolute force.
I have a hard time figuring out exactly what you mean but one thing is for certain: it IS an odd movement! We never practice full internal rotation outside of the pool. It does fatigue the shoulder a lot in the beginning.