Which recovery do you use for freestyle and why? I have been a traditional bent arm recovery swimmer for years. Lately, I have been trying a more straight arm recovery(not totally straight and locked out like Michael Klim)
I don't know why, maybe it's because it is different and I don't have the same expectations that I do with my normal stroke, but having more of a straight arm recovery has seemed to help me clean up my entry on the left side.
This could be cause I am not thinking as much about it and just letting it flow. Or it could be more efficient for me. I don't really know at this time.
Thank You for your feedback.
David
Parents
Former Member
I also read this the other day on the merits of straight arm from Dave Denniston:
"Actually, a straighter arm recovery will help prevent shoulder injuries because when it is done properly it forces the swimmer to use more of their body.
What is interesting is the low hand, high elbow recovery tends to tear up shoulders more and faster than any other stroke. Part of this is because it makes entering thumb first a natural thing to do and this is the WORST thing you can do for your shoulders. Some articles have been written about how David Marsh changed Fred Bousquete's stroke at Auburn to help him go 18.7 in the 50.
This is interesting. When I first started back swimming, I had my daughter's swim teacher work with me on technique. I had sprained my left shoulder badly last summer and I didn't want to re-injure it. I have a high elbow recovery (like a crane for my lower arm and hand). My shoulder was giving me grief after a couple of hundred yards. One thing he noticed right away was my thumb first entry and recommended pinky first. Since then, I've felt normal muscle fatigue but no shoulder pain. Just a little change in motion, but a big difference in outcome.
Edit: This isn't to say that I haven't made other bigger adjustments, I have, but this one paved the way for me to get serious about swimming without the limiting pain.
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Former Member
I also read this the other day on the merits of straight arm from Dave Denniston:
"Actually, a straighter arm recovery will help prevent shoulder injuries because when it is done properly it forces the swimmer to use more of their body.
What is interesting is the low hand, high elbow recovery tends to tear up shoulders more and faster than any other stroke. Part of this is because it makes entering thumb first a natural thing to do and this is the WORST thing you can do for your shoulders. Some articles have been written about how David Marsh changed Fred Bousquete's stroke at Auburn to help him go 18.7 in the 50.
This is interesting. When I first started back swimming, I had my daughter's swim teacher work with me on technique. I had sprained my left shoulder badly last summer and I didn't want to re-injure it. I have a high elbow recovery (like a crane for my lower arm and hand). My shoulder was giving me grief after a couple of hundred yards. One thing he noticed right away was my thumb first entry and recommended pinky first. Since then, I've felt normal muscle fatigue but no shoulder pain. Just a little change in motion, but a big difference in outcome.
Edit: This isn't to say that I haven't made other bigger adjustments, I have, but this one paved the way for me to get serious about swimming without the limiting pain.
