Stroke count

Because if you extend your arm out as far as possible you are effectively disconnecting it from your core. I don't think you should ever lock your elbow while swimming, instead your hand should enter and immediately drive down to the catch position. I realize not everyone is going to agree with this, but I believe it to be true.Here's a better example: www.youtube.com/watch You should not drive straight down. Reason being, if you do that, you're going to end up with a fast arm rotation, which will completely screw up the finish. Do you finish at your waist? Or have you been finishing at your side in an attempt to speed up your arms? That's a mistake that a lot of people make. It is true that you want quick arm rotation, but it's better to speed it up by increasing your strength, rather than forfeiting your form.

not sure www.youtube.com/watch nuts. You're right though, he's not keeping his hand in front of him. His stroke rotation is also .5 seconds long, and he's able to finish each stroke properly. What I envisioned when I heard "arms attached to the core" was a person swinging their arms wildly, constantly bent, finishing while hitting their body underwater, or not turning their shoulders at all, but you will notice that his arms are straight at his finishes.... not to mention every other part of his stroke lol

Anyways, the reason we see things differently is because you're a sprinter. I wish! :)

From in front it looks like he's extending out as far as possible, but I think you'll see what I mean on the side view starting around 1:10. Yes, he reaches out in front, but he also drives his hand right down to the catch position, maybe 12" or so under water, immediately.That's not 12 inches. It barely goes below his chin. Play it in slow motion. You'll see (look at 1:19 and hit play/stop really fast) his hand is in perfect streamline position while his other hand is just about to finish. Hit play/stop again, still at 1:19, and you'll see he's begun to reach and extend his body, the arm is not moving down. Finally, still at 1:19, he begins to dig down, just as his other hand comes out of the water. Your finish is the strongest part of your stroke, but it's only strong because you're streamlining at the same time. No, not what I had in mind at all. Here's an example of what I'm thinking. Try to reach your arm out over your head as far as possible. If you think about starting a pull from this position, you can feel you don't have much leverage. However, if you relax your arm slightly you can feel the core muscles along your sides engage and you have much more leverage.I see what you mean, but try streamlining with bent arms. That's essentially what you're doing. Besides, what happens when you're in that all too critical moment when you're dangling off a 10 story building? Are you going to be able to pull yourself up!? AND WHAT OF THE BABY WHO IS DANGLING ON YOUR FEET? DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT THE CHILDREN!? kidding :) Anyways, the reason we see things differently is because you're a sprinter. When we sprint our arm rotation is faster, and there is very little finish time. Distance people move to fast to be bothered with super perfect stroke technique, but when you practice distance, try it.