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?
Parents
Former Member
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.
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.
