After reading Khodo's thread on Turetski, I thought it might be interesting to chat about what each of us does with our hands on the entry, as well as throughout the stroke.
The first thing I look for in my hand position is zero bubbles coming from any of the fingers. To do this, I have made adjustments throughout my years of swimming and have decided that, for me, I swim with my hands (and my feet) as loose appendages; nothing is fixed. I had found that having a strict fixed hand position tires my forearm, then tires my upper arm, and finally my shoulder. Having my hands relaxed seemed to be key. My hand position does change slightly if I have to sprint, but basically my hand enters either flat, thumb away from the hand (to the left), or at a slightly downward angle, thumb first. I seem to get the same results from either position as to the setup for the catch and then the pull.
Toward the recovery of the stroke, my hand is slightly more vertical than horizontal right before it exits the water. And during the recovery into the next stroke, my hand is so loose it looks like it could flop around if I let it.
I think a cupped hand will make a tired swimmer.
I find that doing pulling breathing sets allows me to be more focused on my hand position because my face is in the water for longer periods of time, so I get two for the price of one using this drill.
Your thoughts?
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Former Member
being as new as i am to this, i am not sure i am qualified to post something on this topic.... that said....
when i swim, i listen (swimming in a pool helps substantially in this). i listen to my hands, arms, legs and feet. i listen for bubbles.
when i swim , i feel. among the things i attempt to feel are bubbles and tension.
on entry my hands are very relaxed. fingers and thumbs very relaxed. thumbs pointing toward the center (right thumb points to the left, left points to the right) arms not fully extended. i try to imagine my hands sliding into the water at a very shallow slope. much like an aircraft on a landing slope glide path. once in, i hold the extension until the bubbles are gone from around the hand. during the catch and pull phase, my fingers tend to stay relaxed and definitely not held tightly cupped. there is definitely space between each of the fingers. as i catch, my wrist stiffens enough to maintain a straight line with my forearm. i try to hold/feel the water with my hand, wrist, forearm and (because my reach tends to go a tad deep) upper arm. as my arm travels back to a trailing position, i again relax everything. on every stroke, i gently touch my thigh with my middle finger and hold it there for just a very short second. during recovery, my fingers just barely "scrape" the water as my hand comes forward. again, the relaxation here is critical for me. i learned from running that hand tension transmits to the arms, shoulders and chest, robbing me of energy. so every element of my stroke is based in relaxation and (referring back to the listening and feeling) flowing with the water not fighting it.
i'm sure i've not said this well and it probably flies in the face of all that is taught by people who know what they are doing... but there it is... it works for me.
be,
jim
being as new as i am to this, i am not sure i am qualified to post something on this topic.... that said....
when i swim, i listen (swimming in a pool helps substantially in this). i listen to my hands, arms, legs and feet. i listen for bubbles.
when i swim , i feel. among the things i attempt to feel are bubbles and tension.
on entry my hands are very relaxed. fingers and thumbs very relaxed. thumbs pointing toward the center (right thumb points to the left, left points to the right) arms not fully extended. i try to imagine my hands sliding into the water at a very shallow slope. much like an aircraft on a landing slope glide path. once in, i hold the extension until the bubbles are gone from around the hand. during the catch and pull phase, my fingers tend to stay relaxed and definitely not held tightly cupped. there is definitely space between each of the fingers. as i catch, my wrist stiffens enough to maintain a straight line with my forearm. i try to hold/feel the water with my hand, wrist, forearm and (because my reach tends to go a tad deep) upper arm. as my arm travels back to a trailing position, i again relax everything. on every stroke, i gently touch my thigh with my middle finger and hold it there for just a very short second. during recovery, my fingers just barely "scrape" the water as my hand comes forward. again, the relaxation here is critical for me. i learned from running that hand tension transmits to the arms, shoulders and chest, robbing me of energy. so every element of my stroke is based in relaxation and (referring back to the listening and feeling) flowing with the water not fighting it.
i'm sure i've not said this well and it probably flies in the face of all that is taught by people who know what they are doing... but there it is... it works for me.
be,
jim
