Last night I was up late watching some recaps from 2012 summer games. I noticed in the 50m fr they talked about the "straight" arms of swimmer so and so... in a dead sprint like that do most all out sprinters just swing their arms straight instead of having any real elbow bend?
Straight arm above and below the water works best for me, and the right arm does it more than the left. The straight arm recovery does seem to force my torso to the opposite direction some, and it happens as the other arm is catching
Actually it shouldn't be if you're pulling correctly. The load of the pull should really fall on your lats after you catch.
The shoulder is the rotation point and must react the moment produced by the arm's pulling action through the water. The straighter your arm is, the longer the lever arm will be, thus increasing the moment. I think you're right that most of that force is going to be reacted by the lats, but I've got to think the small stabilizing muscles of the shoulder are stressed much more with a straight arm pull.
The inward rotation of the upper arm which points the elbow more forward during high elbow catch seems to bug my shoulders more than with a straighter arm, even with the greater load in the joint. Which is probably why I choose shorter events.
That makes sense. I have found distance to be my forte. I prefer my high elbow & low fingers.
something about an "old dog "& turning tricks, or something else like that !!!! L O L
Straight arm UNDER WATER ? Will this be a really heavy load on the shoulders?
Actually it shouldn't be if you're pulling correctly. The load of the pull should really fall on your lats after you catch.
And really biceps, while certainly used, are not a major contributor to the pull in free.
