I have recently become aware that i was slipping water during the underwater pull. This was happening because I have unusual flexibility in my hand.
I can lay my hand flat on a surface and raise my fingers up to 45 degrees while keeping my palm flat. They will bend back to 90 degrees from the palm with some pressure.
I had read "Colwin's" info on hand position in "breakthrough swimming". This discusses whether the hand should be cupped or flat for good propulsion during swimming. I was also watching a sequence in "New ideas in free & back" by "Marty Hull" where he has the swimmers deliberately " SLIP " water during the pull. They did this by allowing the hand to bend back from the arm.
When i was next in the water I checked my hand position and during the pull my fingers bent back quite far, even though my palm was still at 90 degrees to the water. This allowed the pressure against the water to " flow away".
New fluid dynamics research has shown that the water pressure flows from the fingers up the hand and to the forearm. If the fingers are not slightly cupped then this flow cannot happen as effectively and pressure against the water is lost.
I realised that I was swimming with only my palm (and forearm) providing propulsion. I corrected by making a real effort to slightly cup my fingers and instantly I held more strongly onto the water. My stroke count dropped by 1 - 2 strokes per 25m and my time was 5% less.
I have a meet coming up and I will see then whether my race times will drop after making these changes. Has anyone else noticed this effect while they are swimming ?
Parents
Former Member
thanx gil,
You've made me realize that not everyone has gotten the full message of the crawl stroke, and that I should mention a few more negatives to complete the thoughts.
It's been over a decade since I was swimming in a lane next to a visiting swimmer who had neither hands nor feet. He told me that he had been a "thalidamide baby" and was in training for a special olympics to be held later that summer. He seemed to be perfectly normal except that his arms and legs terminatedd at the wrists and ankles. Yet he moved through the water perfectly naturally. I don't remember his speed except that it was not slow. Observing him even casually brought home to me the fact that the were a whole lot of things I had to learn about the mechanics of swimming.
The negatives? Not 90 degrees. Neither water temperature (just kidding) nor thumb entry, nor hand position against the water. Hand position against the water 0 degrees? It might be worth a try. It might not be too far wrong for you. It will certainly accent accelleration in that aspect of your stroke. I don't know what the ange should be, but somewhere there is a secret angle that will be best for you. If I remember right, 45 is
likely to be mentioned in most books, but for you it could be less.
As for thumb entry, 90 degrees is probably too drastic for most swimmers and not helpful since it could cause imingement at the shoulder (I guess), and would lead to too deep a penetration below the surface for best stroke movement. My thoughts about how deep the stroke should go include my worrying about my thumbnails being too long and might scratch my chest as they pass by.
Touching the knee? Who could ? Arms aren't that long, but full length extension without stretching or hyper extending might contribute to the longer, fewer stroke count. The pace clock is able to confirm this and most anything else. Touching knees is what I try to do in practice, knowing that Doc said that studies show that the hand too close to the body creates a drag. In competition I don't want to have that part of my attention.
thanx gil,
You've made me realize that not everyone has gotten the full message of the crawl stroke, and that I should mention a few more negatives to complete the thoughts.
It's been over a decade since I was swimming in a lane next to a visiting swimmer who had neither hands nor feet. He told me that he had been a "thalidamide baby" and was in training for a special olympics to be held later that summer. He seemed to be perfectly normal except that his arms and legs terminatedd at the wrists and ankles. Yet he moved through the water perfectly naturally. I don't remember his speed except that it was not slow. Observing him even casually brought home to me the fact that the were a whole lot of things I had to learn about the mechanics of swimming.
The negatives? Not 90 degrees. Neither water temperature (just kidding) nor thumb entry, nor hand position against the water. Hand position against the water 0 degrees? It might be worth a try. It might not be too far wrong for you. It will certainly accent accelleration in that aspect of your stroke. I don't know what the ange should be, but somewhere there is a secret angle that will be best for you. If I remember right, 45 is
likely to be mentioned in most books, but for you it could be less.
As for thumb entry, 90 degrees is probably too drastic for most swimmers and not helpful since it could cause imingement at the shoulder (I guess), and would lead to too deep a penetration below the surface for best stroke movement. My thoughts about how deep the stroke should go include my worrying about my thumbnails being too long and might scratch my chest as they pass by.
Touching the knee? Who could ? Arms aren't that long, but full length extension without stretching or hyper extending might contribute to the longer, fewer stroke count. The pace clock is able to confirm this and most anything else. Touching knees is what I try to do in practice, knowing that Doc said that studies show that the hand too close to the body creates a drag. In competition I don't want to have that part of my attention.
