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
Lindsay: It was for the particular swimmer. It sure seemed to work for him. He almost beat Jim McConica at Nationals last May.
Frank:
Thanks. I went back and read that thread. I wasn't clear on what to take from it though. I am a flyer (or former flyer) and have always been a bit naturally straight armed on free. But I have had people constantly hammering away on me as a youth and master swimmer to bend my elbows more. I am told this will reduce shoulder problems. I am told it is the only proper way. When I sprint, as I'm purposefully "not thinking" during a race, I tend to lapse back into my prior habits and have more of a straight armed recovery, probably to increase turnover. But I sure seem to go faster that way. Hmmm...
Lindsay: It was for the particular swimmer. It sure seemed to work for him. He almost beat Jim McConica at Nationals last May.
Frank:
Thanks. I went back and read that thread. I wasn't clear on what to take from it though. I am a flyer (or former flyer) and have always been a bit naturally straight armed on free. But I have had people constantly hammering away on me as a youth and master swimmer to bend my elbows more. I am told this will reduce shoulder problems. I am told it is the only proper way. When I sprint, as I'm purposefully "not thinking" during a race, I tend to lapse back into my prior habits and have more of a straight armed recovery, probably to increase turnover. But I sure seem to go faster that way. Hmmm...
