:cool:I know the title is almost an oxymoron, but I wanted to share with other beginners or, ahem, less than strong swimmers like myself, a few things that I've been working on that have really helped my stroke (and that of my son). A lot of these things may have been mentioned at various times, but I know that I always like to read advice from others who point out a specific thing that improved their stroke.
1. Arm, hand, and fingertip drag drill. Many months ago I posted video on youtube of my own stroke, and one of the most common suggestions I received from the experienced swimmers here was improving my recovery with these drag drills. I didn't understand why at the time, but it is so clear to me now. Here is why it is so helpful.
a. It helps me to keep the elbow high on the recovery. I am forced to move my shoulder and keep the forearm relaxed, which I have found to be energy saving.
b. It keeps my recovery in a straight line so that when my arm extends it neither crosses over to the other side nor strays to the outside. I now pretend my hands are wheels on a railroad track and do my best to prevent them from derailing.
c. When I keep my recovery elbow high and arm/hand loose, I find that my entry into the water sets my arm up for a high elbow catch. In the process of driving the recovery arm into the water and extending after a high elbow recovery, I find that my upper arm is naturally rotated inward slightly. This keeps my elbow pointing to the side of the pool rather than to the bottom. I used to extend my arm with the elbow pointing toward the bottom, and so the resistance from the water pushed the elbow down. When the elbow went down, there went my paddle.
2. I don't rotate until I feel some stretch in my recovery side lats, i.e. my shoulder and elbow are extended forward. I find that this helps me harness the power from rotation better. I also find that it keeps me from entering my hand too early and creating unnecessary drag.
3. I pretend that I have no hands on my catch. In other words, I focus all my sensory attention on my forearms. Am I feeling resistance against my forearms throughout, until the moment I start my recovery? I know my hand will contribute to the paddle naturally if I concentrate on the forearm. This is kind of a variation on the fist drill.
4. Breathing. One of the things I have found to make a HUGE difference for me is doing the following. I do a 25 turning my head on each stroke. One time I turn my head but do not breath, just looking at the surface of the water to see how close it is, getting my mouth out (without breathing), and making sure one goggle is still in the water. The next stroke I try to emulate that but actually breath. I do the 25 continuously alternating one with no breath (just looking and feeling), the next with breathing. The next 25 I switch sides. This, perhaps, has been the most helpful drill I have ever done.
Hope this helps someone. Sorry for the redundancy for those who already know this stuff cold.
