thumb position

RE: thumb position

Former Member — Sun, 06 Mar 2005 14:24:53 GMT

Originally posted by DAP .... Since there is a small bit of webbing between the thumb and forefinger, perhaps sticking the thumb out spreads out the webbing a little, like a sail. But it's such a small piece of skin, it probably has a minimal effect. What if we could all develop webbing on our hands like a ducks feet.....:eek: :p

RE: thumb position

Former Member — Sat, 05 Mar 2005 08:08:29 GMT

When I was taking a class with some Masters coaches, I heard a couple of opinions about the hand and finger position. One coach said that he preferred the thumb out to the side since it helped him control his hand position. Another coach said that a slight spread of the fingers develops vortices (small turbulent swirls of water) that increase the effective surface of the hand. The effects are much smaller than having the correct arm position. Since there is a small bit of webbing between the thumb and forefinger, perhaps sticking the thumb out spreads out the webbing a little, like a sail. But it's such a small piece of skin, it probably has a minimal effect.

RE: thumb position

Karen Duggan — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 12:48:38 GMT

It is a preference thing. I know all of my fingers are separated a little bit (relaxed). I've always been told that as long as you catch correctly and accelerat through the pull that what your fingers do doesn't really matter. I do the same thing in all strokes.

RE: thumb position

Former Member — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 06:19:24 GMT

(Bernoulli: The difference of pressure between the opposing sides of a surface pulls the surface toward the lower pressure. Faster moving air or water has less pressure than slower moving air or water.) The Bernoulli effect has an impact on swimming, but shaping your hand like an properly shaped fin is not really possible. Your fingers separated means that your fingers create the pressure difference vs. your entire hand creating a very similar pressure difference. Your arm is providing most of the paddling surface area. Given this, I think it's safe to say that the position of your fingers are less important than the position and movement of your arm. I guarantee that someone has done a study to see which is more effective. I bet that it's entirely up to the shape of the swimmer's hand. On the other ha... I mean, on a differant note: An open hand may deliver an unnoticeable amount of less pressure difference at swimming speeds (of course I'm guessing). But, using a relaxed hand certainly conserves energy in relation to the effort it takes a swimmer to hold his/her fingers together under that pressure. In the end I think a swimmer should stay as relaxed as possible.

RE: thumb position

swimmieAvsFan — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 03:05:24 GMT

Originally posted by mrcnwmn But, using a relaxed hand certainly conserves energy in relation to the effort it takes a swimmer to hold his/her fingers together under that pressure. In the end I think a swimmer should stay as relaxed as possible. i totally agree with the above!! i know when i first started swimming (about 15 years ago!) all my coaches were very adamant about making sure all your fingers were tight together. but only a few years after that, the school of thought had changed to whatever was comfortable to each individual swimmer... as long as you're catching water, i honestly don't think it matters where your fingers or thumb are, as long as it feel comfortable to you!