I have been trying to make improvements in my swim stroke but it has been somewhat elusive. I have always felt like my right arm (my preferred breathing side) has a nice high elbow, early vertical forearm, and a decent pull and feel for the water. My left side not so much - it tends to pull a little deeper and I have a harder time getting a high elbow and efficient pull.
My masters coach told me last week that my right arm and elbow might be too high and too close to the water surface and I need to pull a bit deeper. I tried this and admit that it feels like I am pulling a bit more water, but it doesn’t seem to be the high elbow I have been working on. It seems like it could have potential to be harder on the shoulder. I would say that now my elbow is at a 45 degree angle when verticle, but before was closer to 60 degrees. I am a novice and slow so not sure if my description is adequate. Any thoughts?
Check out Shiela Taormina’s book, she does a really good job of explaining it. Good underwater photo’s demonstrate exactly what you are asking. I was really impressed with it.
Check out Shiela Taormina’s book, she does a really good job of explaining it. Good underwater photo’s demonstrate exactly what you are asking. I was really impressed with it.
I have the book. I thought my pull was pretty good with proper positioning. I have never heard anyone say, your “elbow is too high” before this. Maybe it is.
Do you have video or a photo of an example?
I’ve also never heard that before about an elbow. I wonder if it’s too high and you can engage your muscles in order to apply enough force? But I can’t say without seeing it.
Hackett’s elbow was often just inches under the water.
Do you have video or a photo of an example?
I’ve also never heard that before about an elbow. I wonder if it’s too high and you can engage your muscles in order to apply enough force? But I can’t say without seeing it.
I probably need to post a video, but not sure if I have a thick enough skin to subject myself to that. lol.
I’d ask your coach why they think your elbow is too high.
Commence speculation:
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A high elbow isn’t an end in itself, it is a word picture of what a proper catch looks like. More specifically your catch involves an internally rotated humerus that allows your forearm to be at rioght angles to the direction of pull relatively early in the pull cycle. Though please understand that in one of the few quantitative studies on it, almost no swimmers had managed to get their forearms at right angles to the pull direction even by halfway through the pull. https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/cpa/article/viewFile/1951/1819
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If your elbow is actually higher in the water than your shoulder, then yes, that is a waste. It seems unlikely to be happening but if say your shoulder socket when pulling is 4 inches below the surface and your elbow is only 2.5 then your arm is not in a position to pull with any force.
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You didn’t mention injuries, but I can and have seen people injure themselves seeking the high elbow catch.
I’d ask your coach why they think your elbow is too high.
Commence speculation:
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A high elbow isn’t an end in itself, it is a word picture of what a proper catch looks like. More specifically your catch involves an internally rotated humerus that allows your forearm to be at rioght angles to the direction of pull relatively early in the pull cycle. Though please understand that in one of the few quantitative studies on it, almost no swimmers had managed to get their forearms at right angles to the pull direction even by halfway through the pull. https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/...e/viewFile/1951/1819
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If your elbow is actually higher in the water than your shoulder, then yes, that is a waste. It seems unlikely to be happening but if say your shoulder socket when pulling is 4 inches below the surface and your elbow is only 2.5 then your arm is not in a position to pull with any force.
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You didn’t mention injuries, but I can and have seen people injure themselves seeking the high elbow catch.
From the best I can tell, my hand is probably 5-6" below surface of water at extension, I go into catch and keep my elbow 6" or so below shoulder until the midway point where it goes a bit deeper. Althought my lead arm is straight and streamlined at full extension (no cocked up wrist or fingers) and I start catch right away, he thinks my extension and catch should start a bit deeper. Not sure why but as I said before, I always thought my right side was a better catch and pull than my left.
When I got video analysis done on my stroke that was the major flaw I had. My elbows were so high that they were within an inch or two of the surface sometimes. The deeper you can get your pull the better the hold you can get on the water.