Immediate catch or catch after a little outsweep?

I've seen a number of articles recommending immediate catch right after the entry of the hands. Of course, right after the entry (Freestyle), there is a phase where the hand moves or planes forward as you extend the arm. Video clips of competition swimmers also seem to adopt this method. However, when I try a little bit of outsweep and downsweep first without catching and then start catching with a high elbow, it feels less tiring and just as propulsive. What is the today's recommended manner of catching in terms of the timing? Others, please correct me if I'm wrong. To avoid the outsweep and to go straight down and back you really need stronger muscles (pecs, delts, lats and a bit of biceps at this early stage). Try it swimming quite slowly and you'll probably be able to tell the difference and then work on strengthening those muscles. :2cents:

Feeling pressure at the beginning of the stroke by sculling outside the mid-line of the body may feel propulsive but it's probably not helping you go faster. The establishment of an Early Vertical Forearm allows the hand to hold water, sculling or moving the hand to the right and/or left allow the hand to avoid turbulance caused by water that is swirling around the body and the hand. So, getting your hand in an EVF position may not feel like it's getting you anywhere but when the fingers are pointing down early and the elbow up early, you're putting your hand in the most effiecient position to hold water. Please google EVF + swimming and read some of the articles. There are a couple threads on the subject (Isometrics, EVF, Catch, etc.) Good luck

I have a pair of TechPaddles and use them frequently to reinforce EVF. They are effective in getting me to concentrate on my freestyle catch. Time (and times) will tell if this helps. Rob -- can you tell me a link to see what TechPaddles are? I am trying to learn the proper Catch time and technique and these may be of help to me. Thanks

Rob -- can you tell me a link to see what TechPaddles are? I am trying to learn the proper Catch time and technique and these may be of help to me. Thanks www.techpaddle.com/index.html Not trying to steal your thunder, Rob (but I didn't know where you got yours from. This is where I researched and from which I ordered them).

I've been doing some EVF isometrics and for the short amount of time I perform them I've been getting wonderful results from nearly every swimmer. I've been doing some virtual swimming (dryland swimming where I mimic the perfect stroke). I spend less than five minutes doing the isometrics and I can't imagine why I've been skipping this kind of practice. Good luck to all! Coach T.

www.techpaddle.com/index.html Not trying to steal your thunder, Rob (but I didn't know where you got yours from. This is where I researched and from which I ordered them). Thanks for the link Ahmed. And Tom -- do you have more info about EVF (whatever that is) and where I might read more to learn more? Thanks

I have switched to the I stroke used to do the slight outsweep, both are still very effective. There is no rush to get to the catch, I believe we just press the hand down enough to take advantage of the bow wave, when you get to the catch max it to the finish. Now where is the finish - controversy where is the finish??? and how do we get the hand into the recovery stage??? EFV swimming.about.com/.../developcatchevf.htm

I have a pair of TechPaddles and use them frequently to reinforce EVF. They are effective in getting me to concentrate on my freestyle catch. Time (and times) will tell if this helps.

Mind you: All this applies to "my" Freestyle only which is my real non-alter-ego (1stroke) Read a lot of the EVF-related articles and then went in the water with my eyes wide open (literally and figuratively). I realized the following (bearing in mind that I always breathe on the left and that I breathe every cycle, except on the first pull-out stroke after start or turn glides): 1- my right arm's elbow is, and always has been, bent at 87 degrees (well, almost 90. I didn't carry a protractor). Therefore, I always -naturally- EVF'ed on that side. 2- my left arm is a lot straighter. The elbow bend, although there, is a lot less noticeable. Then, wanting to develop the ability to breathe to my right (not so much for balance, but to get the ability to do a back somersault in freestyle if I reach the turning wall on my left hand, after a quick breath to the right. I'm borderline emphysemic and I need that last breath before turning on my back and doing a back somersault) I started doing one arm drills: right-arm pull, breathing on the right. I could achieve a pretty good clip, while still not going all out but, working on the torso and head swivel (creating a trough) and concentrating on EVF and a good full stroke. 25m at a good clip, breathing every two strokes and doing it (the 25m) in only one cycle more than when swimming normally. So far so good, then .............. I tried the reverse: How would I do, doing one(left)arm pulls, breathing on my natural left-side? One word, thee letters (for an adjective) or five letters (for an adverb), bad or badly (take your pick). My left arm had less than half the propulsive power or efficiency of my right-arm. Some things I resolved to do (between yesterday and this morning)***: Work more on left-arm one hand pulls (to strengthen that arm) in the water and on dryland. (I don't do any wetlands work). Work more on right-arm one hand pulls (to breathe more comfortably on my off-side). Once this (2. above) is achieved, work on my back somersault, arriving to the wall on my left-hand. While doing 1. and 2. improve my right EVF and create a left EVF. Therefore I just ordered a pair of Techpaddles. techpaddle.com/techpaddle_specs.pdf and will -eventually- report on how effective they are and how they're affecting any aspect of my swimming.Has anyone here (USMS) used those TechPaddles? Report? Views? Comments? *** P.S.: The resolution took place between yesterday and this morning. The doing will be over the next days, weeks, months and hopefully less than decades. Now, off to the pool and then to the office.

I have a pair of TechPaddles and use them frequently to reinforce EVF. They are effective in getting me to concentrate on my freestyle catch. Time (and times) will tell if this helps. Thanks for the reply, Rob. I was kind of a bit apprehensive that the replies I would receive (because I didn't wait for comments and ordered them this morning) would be of the "Forget-it-they're-only-good-as-oven-mitts" or "expensive-fly-swatters" variety. Time and times (that's a good one) will tell.