Freestyle technique questions

RE: Freestyle technique questions

Former Member — Fri, 24 Sep 2004 12:35:52 GMT

hey Jeanette, especially if you are circle swimming, you might find your right hand hitting the lane line from time to time as it enters the water on its recovery. When that happens the third or fourth time you might reconsider whether it might not be better to try to make the hand enter the water directly in front of the center of your head. You'll probably also find that some kinds of non-turbulent lane lines are more friendly to the swimmers than others.

RE: Freestyle technique questions

jswim — Fri, 24 Sep 2004 04:37:57 GMT

Thanks for the input!, I'll work on my head position and keeping it straight.. As for placement of the hand.. I think you're right Eric,.. I do notice less "stress" on my shoulder when I enter my hand just to the side of my head.. hopefully my stroke per distance will improve once I get used to the newer style. Jeanette.

RE: Freestyle technique questions

knelson — Thu, 23 Sep 2004 12:58:29 GMT

Current thinking is definitely to keep your head aligned with your back, not looking slightly ahead. All raising your head will do is increase drag. It could make your kick slightly better since your legs will be lower, but this advantage will be more than offset by the increased drag. About the arm entry directly in front of your head. Off the cuff, I would think the entry would be better slightly to the side for the simple fact this forces more of a bend in the elbow and will allow you to maintain a high elbow position throughout your stroke.

RE: Freestyle technique questions

Former Member — Thu, 23 Sep 2004 05:18:31 GMT

Putting stroke efficiency aside for a moment, I think having the hand enter the water in front of the head places higher stresses on the shoulder than having the hand enter slightly to the side of the head. This is an important consideration for many swimmers, as we are all exposed to the risk of shoulder injury (some more than others). I'm not a doctor or a physical therapist though, so perhaps someone who knows better than I can comment on this. As far as stroke efficiency is concerned, I doubt that there is any reduction in effeciency using a technique where the hand enters slightly to the side. That's my humble opinion.