Form question

I have a quick form question. I know that are supposed to make an "s" shape underwater with your stroke when swimming free but how deep is the arm supposed to extend underwater? Is it supposed to stay on one plane just below the body or should the arm extend as deep as possible? Thanks it's my understanding that part of the design of the S-Pull is not geared to propulsion as much as it is geared toward levitation. Essentially, by pulling in the S formation, you are creating a rush of water that pushes you up a little in the water. This creates less drag for your body as you pull through. That being said, and once your hand has begun to traverse your underside, you still want to pull the water within the jetstream that you have created around your body. Pulling water outside of that immediate area around your body will create drag as the part of your body outside the jetstream slows the entire body to the speed of the water pulled from outside the jetstream. Additionally, if your pull is too deep, your body won't get as much of a levitating effect, thereby canceling out one of the main benefits of the S-Pull: energy conservation. --Sean Edit: As LindsayNB has mentioned, Swimming World features a discussion with Ernie Maglischo, a noted swim physiologist and coach. As he explains, the levitation portion of the S-Pull that has been touted for so long is now being downplayed in favor of the natural benefit created by the longer, curvilinear, path your arm takes in an S-Pull. From this perspective, the energy conservation would largely be due to the reduced number of strokes necessary to traverse the pool when using longer strokes. Less recoveries equals less energy expended. Whether it is levitation or curvilinear path, though, I would still recommend moving your arms within your jetstream rather than outside your jetstream, since: a) digging deeper into the water requires that you expend a lot of energy pushing directionally down and then up rather than focusing your efforts on pushing back, and b) I don't think the additional time to dig your arm down and then bring it back up is justified by the amount, if any, your pull is augmented by pushing your arm against the higher resistance water.

I have a quick form question. I know that are supposed to make an "s" shape underwater with your stroke when swimming free but how deep is the arm supposed to extend underwater? Is it supposed to stay on one plane just below the body or should the arm extend as deep as possible? Thanks it's my understanding that part of the design of the S-Pull is not geared to propulsion as much as it is geared toward levitation. Essentially, by pulling in the S formation, you are creating a rush of water that pushes you up a little in the water. This creates less drag for your body as you pull through. That being said, and once your hand has begun to traverse your underside, you still want to pull the water within the jetstream that you have created around your body. Pulling water outside of that immediate area around your body will create drag as the part of your body outside the jetstream slows the entire body to the speed of the water pulled from outside the jetstream. Additionally, if your pull is too deep, your body won't get as much of a levitating effect, thereby canceling out one of the main benefits of the S-Pull: energy conservation. --Sean Edit: As LindsayNB has mentioned, Swimming World features a discussion with Ernie Maglischo, a noted swim physiologist and coach. As he explains, the levitation portion of the S-Pull that has been touted for so long is now being downplayed in favor of the natural benefit created by the longer, curvilinear, path your arm takes in an S-Pull. From this perspective, the energy conservation would largely be due to the reduced number of strokes necessary to traverse the pool when using longer strokes. Less recoveries equals less energy expended. Whether it is levitation or curvilinear path, though, I would still recommend moving your arms within your jetstream rather than outside your jetstream, since: a) digging deeper into the water requires that you expend a lot of energy pushing directionally down and then up rather than focusing your efforts on pushing back, and b) I don't think the additional time to dig your arm down and then bring it back up is justified by the amount, if any, your pull is augmented by pushing your arm against the higher resistance water.