I am trying to improve my freestyle. I have been working on balance,timing,counting strokes.
When watching videos of world classs swimmers, I noticed that on swimmers like Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, that their arm in the water is fully extended(straight) and angled below the corresponding shoulder. It looks as though the arm that is about to catch the water is angled to where it points towards where the pool wall and pool bottom meet. Not pointed directly down but not pointed directly straight out from the shoulder to the wall.
It seems like most of the best freestylers have their extended arms pointed below their bottom shoulder at an angle before the pull. This also appears to only happen once they have finished the rotation to that side.
Has anyone else noticed this or am I way off?
Thanks,
David
Parents
Former Member
I start of slow and try to really tune into the feeling of "smooth efficiency" and catching as much water as possible....long underwater dolphin kicking and tight streamlining off of every turn until I feel I have reached a comfortable "groove".....then I gradually try and pick up the pace every 100 or so untill I am moving at a rate that is beyond anerobic threshhold to maintain for too long. I use pretty much the same approach. Slow first with longish glides (exagerated at first, "catchup like"), then I reach some sort of a "sweet spot" speed/distance per stroke ratio. After a while I can really feel the involvement of the latissimus dorsi muscles (back muscles).
Thanks NMS, I can relate to your approach to freestyle, as much as I relate to your take on energy efficiency, in the pool as well as in the real life.
I start of slow and try to really tune into the feeling of "smooth efficiency" and catching as much water as possible....long underwater dolphin kicking and tight streamlining off of every turn until I feel I have reached a comfortable "groove".....then I gradually try and pick up the pace every 100 or so untill I am moving at a rate that is beyond anerobic threshhold to maintain for too long. I use pretty much the same approach. Slow first with longish glides (exagerated at first, "catchup like"), then I reach some sort of a "sweet spot" speed/distance per stroke ratio. After a while I can really feel the involvement of the latissimus dorsi muscles (back muscles).
Thanks NMS, I can relate to your approach to freestyle, as much as I relate to your take on energy efficiency, in the pool as well as in the real life.
