I have heard so many comments about what makes a good stroke. What is the most important phase?
I believe it is the catch to finish phase. I know all are important but the one I believe rates #1 is the catch to finish.
One has only to see my strokes to realize that I am not one to over-analyze mechanics. I put "shoulder roll" because that is probably what I emphasize the most but it obviously only applies to two strokes. In butterfly I would probably answer "catch to finish" and I have absolutely no business offering an opinion on breaststroke.
The key is, I think, to get the big muscles of the core engaged and give your arms as much leverage as possible. But overemphasizing a shoulder roll can lead to a stroke rate that is too diminished.
In SCY/SCM I would argue that the turns make kick and streamline far more important than 10% but the importance is reduced in LCM and almost disappears in OW swimming.
Most sports skills require the athlete to "set-up" or begin properly or everything else falls apart. In golf, starting without the proper grip is enough to predict failure. In swimming, without "setting-up" a proper catch all else is of little consequence. A streamlined body without a effective catch is a sleak slow vessel. You can finish your stroke with the power of Zeus but all you'll be doing is churning water faster then the swimmer next to you. There are many elements important to swimming fast but unless you have a great catch you can nix fast swimming. 16 out of 20 Gold Medal and 43 of 60 medals won in Athens was won with a EVF stroke. It's not the wave of the future, it's always been here but now we're learning how to train swimmers to improve it.
George Block American Swimming Coaches Association (Past President and Head Swimming Coach NISD ". It's the single most important skill (Early Vertical Forearm Position) that differentiates every level.
In the following Swimming World website video/interview www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../preview.asp titled Freestyle Coaching - Catch or Release, eleven coaches at the recent Senior Nationals at Irvine California were asked the question; what would you teach first when teaching the freestyle. Nine of the eleven said the catch (Early Vertical Forearm EVF), one said the release, and one said both are equal. Nine of the eleven said things like: a great catch leads to a great release; absolutely and definitely the catch (must be taught first), without the catch the rest doesn’t matter; elbow over the hand is what we teach. It’s time that everyone knows that the catch is not just an important component to swimming fast, it’s vital for every stroke and every swimmer can improve it.
I have dragged my feet to some fairly respectable times over the years.
I'm with you on this one Kurt! I too drag my legs most of the time and can still swim respectable times for my age.
You kick freaks are out of your minds. A good kick will certainly make a good swimmer great, but it's all about the arms. I have dragged my feet to some fairly respectable times over the years.
Kurt
It was a belief in the 40s that most of your speed came from the kick. It was rated as 70 percent of your forward movement. It was then determined later it comprised of only 10 percent of your forward movement.
I am convinced it helps but I like you believe it is the arms.
The way to make the kick really important is to swim breaststroke(or butterfrog.)Even then the most important is catch to finish,butthere are 2,pull and kick(and the also important integration of them both.)
