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.
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Thanks for the responses. Since I've had shoulder pain (tendonitis) in the past, I'm always looking for swimming technique alterations, no matter how minor, to prevent this injury from recurring.
As Kevin noted above, my understanding is that a slightly palm-in entry causes less shoulder impingement and might be preferable for those prone to "swimmer's shoulder."
Thanks for the responses. Since I've had shoulder pain (tendonitis) in the past, I'm always looking for swimming technique alterations, no matter how minor, to prevent this injury from recurring.
As Kevin noted above, my understanding is that a slightly palm-in entry causes less shoulder impingement and might be preferable for those prone to "swimmer's shoulder."
