Freestyle head position?

mostly around the tips of my fingers, sometimes I mess around and put my head in different positions and the "resistance" goes away for a stroke or two, then it comes back.. I don't know. I think I may be trying to pay attention to too many things at once while I'm swimming, but then when I don't pay attention I just end up doing the same stroke I always have.. I must just have swimming ADD or something.. ;)

I’m not sure what relationship there is between “head position” and “feel like my front hand is getting pulled through the water”??? Also, if your front hand is getting pulled through the water then it is causing slowing resistance, if it is pulling through the water then it is providing thrust, so I’m not sure at what point of the stroke the coach is referring to getting pulled (maybe the entry and catch). But after the catch the hand should be accelerating through the pull causing resistance to be felt on the hand and arm. And to your post script… Stretch cords (the ones that let you barely make the 25) are one of my favorite training toys. I find them a great tool to work on generating maximum power. And while the free ride back is fun, there is not a lot of other benefit beyond working on the streamline.

I once heard it described as you should feel like you are climbing up a ladder, almost as if your arms are remaining stationary and your body is gliding ... I like that description ... Use your arms to anchor your stroke

The ideal head position is looking downward at the black line. Any lift of the head means that the hips will sink, and this causes drag. Kind of like swimming with the brakes on. In the articles section on this site you'll find some very helpful info from Coach Hines regarding head position. As far as the feel for the water question....that's very unique to each individual. The ladder imagery has been around for a long time. If you think about the hand grasping a rung of a ladder and then pulling yourself past it,...this is the best analogy of good stroke mechanics. The forearm should really remain vertical for as long as possible throughout the pull and push of the underwater arm cycle. Paying attention to having a high elbow position can be better than wondering too much about the hands.The leverage will be much better to allow the torso to connect to the stroke. This works for not only freestyle, but butterfly and backstroke too.

I've never really understood what feeling resistance on your hands means. I've heard other people say they have to move their hands through the water. Where is the resistance? What part of your hand do you feel it on?

Originally posted by SwiminONandON The "spear the water part"? Think of your hand as a spear, it should glide in, then fully extend. In my mind I see my arm entering the water like it is entering a jacket sleeve. After my hand hits the water, I thrust it forward like I'm putting it into a sleeve. And to address the point that the "feel" feels different for each person, for me I feel my whole forearm, not just my hand, pressing againt the water as I do my pull. And SwiminONandON said, "Use your arms to anchor your stroke." That is a beautiful description.

Originally posted by valhallan The ideal head position is looking downward at the black line. Any lift of the head means that the hips will sink, and this causes drag. Kind of like swimming with the brakes on. In the articles section on this site you'll find some very helpful info from Coach Hines regarding head position. Thanks valhallan! This is the answer I was looking for in this thread... BTW, in order to correct my head position, a friend of mine had to tell me to look at my FEET (not the black line)... that's how far up I was holding my head. Now that I've corrected the head position, a lot of other things are falling into place, including some fishtailing... Mary

You want to feel resistance on your hands as you press them through the water when you're swimming. your head position should be neutral, don't look up don't look down, keep in mind, when you're swimming through the water, your body creates a profile like a pipe, any time one body part goes up, another body part goes down. When you lift your head, it lowers another part of your body creating a larger diameter to your pipe/body. Lifting your head acts like a brake. Besides neutral takes less effort. This concept applies to every stroke. It's especially important in breastroke and butterfly. Ande Originally posted by jswim ok, I've been working on my free stroke quite a bit, but still feel like something's off. My coach said that when done correctly it should feel like my front hand is getting pulled through the water, and that there should not be and resistance felt on that hand. Well, I still feel resistance most of the time and I'm wondering if I'm leaning on the hand too much, or perhaps my head position is not correct.. Does anyone know what i'm talking about or any ways to correct this? thanks, Jeanette. ps.. we used the stretch cords in practice last night for the first time. It was so much fun! (well at least the coming back from the far wall was) lol.. Has anyone else used these and what do you think of them?

Thanks for all the input!.. I think my head position has been too high, I will look down further and see how that effects the stroke. Also great input about the arm position during the pull, thanks! As for the feeling of the arm being pulled through the water, I should have been more specific. He says it would feel that way just before the catch and pull.. right after your arm enters the water... maybe my hands are just not "slicing" into the water good enough?? well, I've got some things to try now and see how it works.. thanks!! J

ok, thanks!... ps.. nice quote! ROFL!.