How far should hand move during last phase of stroke?

depends how long your arms and torso are if possible you should push your hands past your waist until you can't push them anymore water which is where they will naturally come out of the water for your recovery one mistake novices make is they stop pressing and lift their hands out of the water too soon causing them to miss out on an important part of their stroke cycle you'll notice swimmers accelerate their hands, the last part of the press is very fast Hi everyone- I am new here and have been wondering something and there seems to be a lot of differing opinion on this. I am asking about the last phase of the stroke (freestyle) after you have had a strong catch and are pulling through---how far should you pull through? Should your hand stop at the waist or should it push through until you lose grip on the water (past the waist)? I have heard/read both opinions but wondered if there is a general consensus on this now. Thanks for your help.