I suspect many people (myself included) view the arm
recovery in freestyle as time to give the recovering arm
muscles a little rest.
But consider the possible advantages of working the recovery
a bit harder. (This is at speeds less than sprinting)
(a) The recovering arm could be back in streamline sooner
so less form drag.
(b) The recovering arm will be more free of bubbles
when beginning the catch,
(c) The recovered arm can begin to catch as soon as
the pushing arm leaves the water.
(d) The energy cost of a fast recovery isn't that high.
The recovering arm moves through air not dense water.
(e) Front quadrant swimming is still achieved without introducing
any delay in the pulling arm i.e. you are not waiting
for the recovering arm to "catch-up" before staring the
pull.
Any Comments?!?
Parents
Former Member
Have you attempted to implement this change in your stroke? It sounds to me like it would create a significant imbalance in your overall swimming. To me, body rotation is linked to recovery and the pull. Accelerating only one of these motions will affect the other two in ways that I am unsure of, although I predict the results will be less than stellar.
Have you attempted to implement this change in your stroke? It sounds to me like it would create a significant imbalance in your overall swimming. To me, body rotation is linked to recovery and the pull. Accelerating only one of these motions will affect the other two in ways that I am unsure of, although I predict the results will be less than stellar.
