Is there any consensus on the correct postion of the hand at freestyle entry?
On the one hand I have read that the hand should be angled slightly palm-inward toward the body at entry (third or fourth finger entering the water first), but have also seen the reverse suggested (palm-outward, thumb entering the water first).
Palm-inward feels more natural to me and seems to put less strain on the shoulder, but I can see the advantage of palm outward in terms of preparing for the catch phase and keeping a high elbow.
The current thinking seems to be that the thumb down entry puts you at high risk for impingement.
Thisis of course moderated by the degree to which you do it.
On the other hand the catch does seem to be well initiated by an initial movement to the outside.
The current thinking seems to be that the thumb down entry puts you at high risk for impingement.
Thisis of course moderated by the degree to which you do it.
On the other hand the catch does seem to be well initiated by an initial movement to the outside.
