In an effort to correct a "dropped elbow" problem with my stroke, I have been swimming a lot of laps with closed fists--to a point where I can swim almost as fast doing this drill as normal swimming. I do find I have to concentrate hard on extending the arm on both the beginning and end of the underwater portion of the stroke--maybe something about not having the fingers extending as usual from the hand makes the stroke feel shorter.
This drill definitely helps keep your elbow high and forces you to use your forearm and back muscles for propulsion. I've found it also seems to reduce post-workout twinges in the shoulder/rotator cuff area.
My question is: Would doing a lot of fist drill laps have the potential to create some other bad habit, perhaps in compensation for the lack of hand surface, that I might not be aware of? I try to keep everything else about my technique the same. Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Parents
Former Member
You can also use Fist swimming to correct stroke imbalances and to work on "flow control".
Swimming with your dominant arm closed in a fist and the weaker arm with hand open can help to improve the stroking pattern of your weaker arm. This works for all 4 strokes. Try a ratio of 4:1, swim 4 times as much with your weaker arm than your dominant arm.
Swimming 2/2/4 with either one hand in fist or both hands in fist is good. 2/2/4 is 2 strokes left arm only / 2 strokes right arm only/ 4 strokes both arms.
You can also try swimming where you do the 1st half of the stroke with hand closed in a fist and you open your hand at mid stroke, this helps to work on your "push phase."
This can also be reversed to where you do the entry, catch and 1st sweep ( pull phase ) with open hand and then close the hand into a fist for the rest of the stroke.
The last 2 drills are not easy to do well. There is another drill where you start swimming with a closed fist and progresively open your hand 1 finger on each length.
I find that fistgloves are good, and I have some, but you can't do transition drills of moving from fist to open hand if you are wearing them.
You can also use Fist swimming to correct stroke imbalances and to work on "flow control".
Swimming with your dominant arm closed in a fist and the weaker arm with hand open can help to improve the stroking pattern of your weaker arm. This works for all 4 strokes. Try a ratio of 4:1, swim 4 times as much with your weaker arm than your dominant arm.
Swimming 2/2/4 with either one hand in fist or both hands in fist is good. 2/2/4 is 2 strokes left arm only / 2 strokes right arm only/ 4 strokes both arms.
You can also try swimming where you do the 1st half of the stroke with hand closed in a fist and you open your hand at mid stroke, this helps to work on your "push phase."
This can also be reversed to where you do the entry, catch and 1st sweep ( pull phase ) with open hand and then close the hand into a fist for the rest of the stroke.
The last 2 drills are not easy to do well. There is another drill where you start swimming with a closed fist and progresively open your hand 1 finger on each length.
I find that fistgloves are good, and I have some, but you can't do transition drills of moving from fist to open hand if you are wearing them.
