End of Controversy - No catch-up or straight arm catch
Former Member
I know everyone has been watching the Olympics and if anyone sees someone (in any stroke and at any distance) not showing an Early Vertical Forearm (EVF) stroke please point it out to me. In the men’s 400 Fr Relay, Lezak’s better EVF stroke helped him touch the wall before Bernard who dropped his elbows in the last few strokes. These Olympic Games should put to rest the controversy of the catch-up stroke (never once performed by any freestyler in these Olympics). So what you see someone do in a drill (catch-up) is not done in competitive swims when it counts!! The high elbow at the front quadrant of every stroke is so pronounced that every lay-on-a-straight-arm proponent has to become a convert (I know it’s not ever going to happen). I’m anxious to hear the rationalizations and support from the opposition. If you’re watching with your eyes open, there’s no catch-up and no straight-arm catch - PERIOD!!!
If you want to make significant gains in your swimming focus on improving your Early Vertical Forearm technique. Improving your EVF should take about 6 to 8 weeks and when that becomes better you should focus on improving a good streamlined position by spending as much time as possible on your side while making sure that your catch begins early. Of course athleticism goes hand in hand with improvement. But you get my drift. Nuff-said.
Parents
Former Member
Here is what I have seen - and there are always some exceptions -- but overall.
A) the sprinters have gone to straight arm or no catch-up - that is very obvious. They don't spend even a split second with either hand stretched out (which makes sense - it's an all-out sprint).
B) the 400 swimmers all did close to a catch-up stroke with a monster kick. Nobody actually catches in the front - but many of the swimmers have one or both sides where the hand is almost ready to enter and the other hand is just starting to catch.
Now - I am wondering if one should make a decision early on - depending on being a distance swimmer or a sprinter. If you are a sprinter and learn I nice long close to catch-up Free stroke - you will never reach the top.
Here is what I have seen - and there are always some exceptions -- but overall.
A) the sprinters have gone to straight arm or no catch-up - that is very obvious. They don't spend even a split second with either hand stretched out (which makes sense - it's an all-out sprint).
B) the 400 swimmers all did close to a catch-up stroke with a monster kick. Nobody actually catches in the front - but many of the swimmers have one or both sides where the hand is almost ready to enter and the other hand is just starting to catch.
Now - I am wondering if one should make a decision early on - depending on being a distance swimmer or a sprinter. If you are a sprinter and learn I nice long close to catch-up Free stroke - you will never reach the top.
