I just read the Speedo tip of the week about "muscling" the recovery in buttetfly. I'm definitely that guy. I love the butterfly and want to swim faster, but seem to be stuck with the same times over and over. I'm sure my recovery has something to do with it. Any advice out there beyond the speedo tip of the week or is it really a mental thing that I've turned physical?
... Is it OK to recover with the arms slightly bent? Like a kind of double arm front crawl recovery. By bending the arms (roughly when the arms go past the ears)....
If I recover with straight arms, it feels harder on the shoulders and I have the feeling of slaping the water surface....
My advice is to do whatever will cause the least amount of pain and suffering. I think I tend to keep my arms straight, but I have shoulder rotation issues. I’ve seen photos of flyers with bent arm recoveries, but it seems you have to get a lot of loft to do this, way more than my lazy fanny is willing to accomplish. Plus I panic when I try to get my shoulders rotated to attempt this.
