So I was swimming today with my brother and he commented that I should keep my thumb in and not out like I was doing. I tried it but it didn’t seem too much different? So which is correct? Thumb in or thumb out?
I’m not getting the visual. Can you give me a better word picture?
No idea what is correct but I do just fine with thumb out
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In or out of what?
So I was swimming today with my brother and he commented that I should keep my thumb in and not out like I was doing. I tried it but it didn’t seem too much different? So which is correct? Thumb in or thumb out?
I say thumb in, but this makes me wonder… (see new thread)
should point somewhat forward… like your other fingers
This is definitely a new swim question! elbow position, hand position, now we get THUMB position 
I’m with tigerchik, I think that your thumb should be pointing the same way as your fingers, with just a slight gap between your thumb and hand (though I’m not basing that on any scientific study ).
HAHA…just covering all the bases…
I should also note that my thumbs are double jointed and they stick out away from my hands anyway, so there is no way I would be comfortable swimming forcing my thumb in against my hand
I think he is talking about either making an L shape(showing web) with the thumb out or having it in the stop position(showing no web between fingers) with the thumb in.
as am i
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I have a book, “Breakthrough Swimming” by Cecil Colwin, which actually has a whole section devoted to hand position with relation to fluid dynamics. Believe it or not, he claims that thumb out can actually be faster in many cases because the thumb serves as an alula, which helps steady the flow of fluid around an airfoil (in this case the hand). Basically, when the airfoil has a steep angle of attack, it creates and unsteady flow of the surrounding fluid, and requires an alula to steady the surrounding flow. So depending on how your hand enters the water, it may require the thumb out to reduce drag. It also has a diagram of many different digit-postures of “talented swimmers”, and there is a wide range of positions that seem counterintuitive, but obviously work for some people.
It’s an interesting read for those interested in all of the minor details involved with swimming. But it also has a lot of the major details for less talented swimmers.
So, the moral of my ridiculously long post is that for some people, thumbs out may actually be faster, and for some people it may be slower. But, as has been said, in the grand scheme of things, this is one of the minor things for you to be focusing on.
All of this makes me wonder…I broke my hand and my pinkie finger sticks out about 75 degrees. Is this balancing my foil, decreasing turbulence or slowing me down? Would duct tape help keep it at a better angle of attack?
“I think he is talking about either making an L shape(showing web) with the thumb out or having it in the stop position(showing no web between fingers) with the thumb in.”
Super description, thanks! This is exactly what I mean. No thumbs in or out of anything else!
I’ve actually watched underwater videos of Grant Hackett. He enters with thumb in and then sticks the thumb way out to make a larger “paddle” as soon as he starts pulling. Don’t know if it actually works, but Hackett does it.
Via youtube I noticed:
Thorpe swims with his thumb way out.
Phelps tucks his against his palm.
So I guess you can go either way…
Dave
If you have a shoulder problem, thumb out. It will help decrease the amount of impingement in your shoulder
For you clinical folk, think Neer’s impingement test.