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.
Ok, I'll rephrase it to make everybody happy. You're right - no swimmer swam with a catch up stroke.
On a side note, I was surprised to see how many world class swimmers didn't have a perfectly symmetrical stroke. I used to feel bad since my stroke is not absolutely symmetrical and I tend to 'lope' a bit. Apparently it's not such a big deal, though, as many of the big names do it too.
Why don't the women gallop?
It is just an untested fledgling hypothesis but in a couple cases I looked at it seemed that the gallop was the result of swimming very low in the water and rising to the surface to breath. Phelps for example swims very low in the water with an almost fly-like breathing pattern. If it were the case that women don't tend to swim as low in the water, possibly due to higher buoyancy, that might account for some of the difference?
On the original topic, I think Kirk is correct that it isn't helpful to mix up effective forearm positioning, i.e. not dropping the elbow, and stroke timing, i.e. kayaking versus larger front quadrant overlap, they are two independent phenomena.
If you’re watching with your eyes open, there’s no catch-up and no straight-arm catch - PERIOD!!!
www.youtube.com/watch
This is Alain Bernard swimming really fast. He's doing the exact same thing with his elbows that he did at the end of relay, which you call bad technique. Have you been watching with your eyes open?
Sorry you people who call front quadrant swimming a catchup stroke it is not. Just because you see something and give it the wrong name does not mean you are right. If your coach told you they were swimming catchup front crawl, better change your coach.
These guys with the hands extended let it drop into position and then start the catch phase properly.
May I add this even though delayed slightly I shall call it it D+EVF
These guys with the hands extended let it drop into position and then start the catch phase properly.
Right--while the recovering arm is "catching up".
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.
I thought that the "early" in EVF referred to early in the pull phase, but not necessarily early (ie rushed) in the stroke cycle. In other words, don't rush the catch.
If he told you those guys were swimming a catch up stroke fire him. No matter what his name is.
But then again everyone refers to his explantions as gospel. I read what he said he did not call it the catchup stroke although he did mention your concept. The arm is catching up, to me it is not saying catchup stroke.
Again I read English not latin or do not use my imagination in translation.
I will notify Maglischo of his error as well. Thanks for pointing that out.
