Hello all,
I have a question about starting the freestyle pull. one of the other threads spurred this question, talking about stroke count.
I can usually make it at about 16 strokes per 25 yards, though I've been told by an observer that I wait too long to start pulling, which may be why my count is so low (I'm 5'4").
I have a tendancy to pause a moment on the front hand, and glide a bit before pulling my arm through.
Is this wrong? I imagine I would go faster if I just immediately started pulling as soon as my hand entered the water.. I don't know at which point the efficiency stops and I start using more energy than I need. I don't pause very long, perhaps 1 second or so.
any thoughts on this?
Jeanette.
Originally posted by jswim
Hello all,
I have a tendancy to pause a moment on the front hand, and glide a bit before pulling my arm through.
Jeanette.
It actually depends on what your other arm is doing as your frotn hand is pausing.
If your other arm is pausing at the end of your pull and staying by your side. That is freeze frame swimming and is withut a doubt a bad thing.
If on the other hand, your other arm is pulling through and immediately starting yoru recovery, then you are pretty technically sound but opinions differ on the extent to which your front arm shoudl be extending. As a general rule you'll exhibit more catch up at slower speeds.
But them MAIN thing to avoid is the freeze fram swimming.
A coupla thoughts nobody has mentioned in a while. At least in practice, try to touch your knee with each stroke (of course, you can't, but try). With the recovery of each hand, think of pulling your hand out of your pocket, having reached for a lurking dime. (Dig the resulting high elbows) And, oh yeah, why not a balistic recovery? How long do you want your idle hand to glide/ gliding hand to idle?
A problem I've recently noticed is that after my turn my first stroke is very weak. It is my left arm. I breathe to my left. The stroke hardly creates any energy. also, I am on my right side. somehow, I think that I'm turning my body coming off of the wall the wrong way? I don't know if this is true or what!
I do 3-4 dolphin kicks. I did notice that somehow my left arm is on top & I'm sort of on my right side. I don't know how this has happened. I usually breathe on my second left stroke.
Yesterday, I tried to do my flip & kicks then get on my left side before I stroked. Somehow, I've really screwed this up. I did notice that a guy swimmign next tome had a more fluid push off of the wall but that I ended up further ahead fo him when I was swimming.
I think some of this haoppened because I have asthma and worry about gettingthat breath.
IWISH THERE WAS A COACH OT WATCH. SWIMMIGN IN SMALL TOWNS IS TERRIBLE.
