I'm trying to get my arm reach more correct in freestyle ... so, I'm not sure where my arm should be (or where i should direct it?) as in enters the water through the reach and ending at the catching of the water with my hand.
...did that make sense?
Anyway, i've found that sometimes I direct my reach a little away from my head, and other times I'll focus it to be directly in front of my head ... they both feel okay, but I should pick one or the other ...
Also, i breath on my right side ... and i feel like I don't reach far enough/wait before the pull ... how long should a proper glide be?
Former Member
Hm ... now I need to learn how to make it all look effortless. Scott Tucker's swim is so relaxed ... like he just woke up from a nap.
Haha, that's comforting to see because that's how I swim when I just do it--the big windmill recovery and pretty much the same underwater technique. My coaches yell at me because of my recovery and I don't keep my hands way out to my sides the whole time. I'm glad to see that some top swimmers do that. When I swim the way my coaches want, I get similar times, but I have to take more strokes and expend more energy I think. Swimming this way lets me go 25 yards in 12-15 strokes, while swimming the way my coaches want takes 16-20.
I feel more strain on my shoulder using the high elbow than I do with the windmill. With the high elbow, my shoulder pops out and gets sore after a few hundred yards.
Is straight arm recovery (windmill) easilier to cause shoulder injury than high elbow recovery?
In my personal opinion, what causes shoulder injury is swimming with poor technique for the stroke that you "choose" to swim and an muscle imbalance in the shoulders. I don't know if that makes sense, but it does on a Friday night just after coaching kids for 3 hours...sanity, anyone?
Is straight arm recovery (windmill) easilier to cause shoulder injury than high elbow recovery?
If the straight arm or a more rounded recovery(like what tucker is doing in the early parts of the clip) work for a swimmer, then "no" it doesn't cause injury.
A high elbow may work some, but the movement maybe be hurtful for others. Same is true for straight/ rounded. We each have to find the one that will fit our own bodies.
There is not one "end-all-be-all" recovery that is perfect that everyone should abide by.
Ok, so what you're asking is where in relation to your body (shoulder and head) should your hand enter the water when you swim freestyle? Just want to clarify.
Ok, so what you're asking is where in relation to your body (shoulder and head) should your hand enter the water when you swim freestyle? Just want to clarify.
yup
There is not one "end-all-be-all" recovery that is perfect that everyone should abide by.
Amen! Everyone has different body proportions which means the leverage and moment of stroke is a product of these ratios.
And stroke can also depend on what you need it for. When I was a sprinter in school, my stroke was much different than it is now when I swim for open water distance. In school, I went straight to the catch with no glide, and I used shorter strokes. Now I use a brief glide on both sides and roll my torso much more to involve my core muscles which have greater stamina than my shoulders.
