freestyle timing

Thumb first entry can lead to shoulder impingement problems. Be very mindful here. I strive for fingertips but actually aim for pinkies to overcompensate for my tendency to go thumb first.

I'll defer to others with more knowledge of technique and timing, but I will say: Should it be thumb first entry, pinky first or finger tip first? I was taught a thumb-first entry when I was a kid. That may or may not be out of style now, I'm not sure. But I can say that thumb-first entry is tougher on my shoulders. When I make a concerted effort to have a fingertip entry (which feels to me like pinky-first) then my shoulders complain much less. Should one pause briefly before trying to pull? Whether you call it a pause, a glide, a skull, etc, there is some value to extending your reach before initiating your catch, at least for longer events.

What is the proper timing for the freestyle stroke?I think it's about rhythm Should one pause briefly before trying to pull? I try not to. Any pause is fast deceleration. I try to begin the catch as soon as the other hand finishes pushing back. Can kicking too much mess up the timing of the stroke?Too much as in 6-beat? I try to avoid any interruption in kick with stroke. If my stroke rate slows, my kick does too. When you swim with a freestyle snorkel, how much does that slow you down?It does not slow me down except for the extra drag it creates for actual speed. The open turns definately slow me down though I'm not an expert but good luck!

As you can probably guess by my name, freestyle is a confusing stroke for me. What is the proper timing for the freestyle stroke? Should one pause briefly before trying to pull? Can kicking too much mess up the timing of the stroke? When you swim with a freestyle snorkel, how much does that slow you down? Should it be thumb first entry, pinky first or finger tip first? Thanks for your help. Have you worked with someone one-on-one to take a look at your stroke? I think that having someone (a coach) take a look at what you are doing when you swim then you can have some more specific feedback.

As you can probably guess by my name, freestyle is a confusing stroke for me. What is the proper timing for the freestyle stroke? Should one pause briefly before trying to pull? Can kicking too much mess up the timing of the stroke? When you swim with a freestyle snorkel, how much does that slow you down? Should it be thumb first entry, pinky first or finger tip first? Thanks for your help. Is your goal to race, or are you looking to get a workout? The answers to these questions really vary from one swimmer to the next and what the goal is. If you are interested in developing a freestyle stroke for competition, I'd suggest looking at some videos on YouTube- look up Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe, or Grant Hackett. In some clips they have good closeup shots of the individual while swimming, while others show side-by-side comparisons with other elite swimmers. You could also do some digging around in Anders Rasmussen's Swimming Faster Faster thread: Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster - U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums If you are wanting to become more efficient for fitness purposes (someone help me out here), maybe take a look at Total Immersion (TI) videos, which, I believe, help with efficiency. Although to be honest, I don't know a whole lot about it and I believe there are some TI coaches/developers here in the forum that could describe it better than I can. :angel: I hope this helps- good luck.

Thanks for the reply. My goal is to race. My freestyle use to be my best stroke. Over the years, I have tried to adapt to the idea of extend, glide, don't focus on the pull. My freestyle has gotten into a rut. As I have read more articles and watched more videos of elite swimmers, it has gotten worse. I started to try to improve it with the ideas of T.I. TI has helped improve my balance and take away some shouler issues. But the rythm of the stroke is gone, the speed is gone too. If I drill, it's fine. When I start to swim, my stroke feels like a gorrilla is beating me down.

I like Speedo's suggestions, but since you said you've done most of that, and still were a little confused, here's some specific answers with my experience. (x-collegiate, and getting back into competitive). But remember to get advise from many different sources. Someone will have ideas that will work better for you than others. What is the proper timing for the freestyle stroke? It's not a windmill motion. I always thought of it as one arm, then the other. But I honestly wouldn't even worry about a timing of the arms. Just the technique. I think the freestyle is a more natural feeling rather than a specific timing. Should one pause briefly before trying to pull? I say no, but when you watch most swimmers, there seems to be one. This is because many are still streatching further and starting the skull. So there's always something going on, not just a pause or glide. Can kicking too much mess up the timing of the stroke? No, It can't mess up the timing. You'll notice that different swimmers (usually depending on the distance they swim) have a huge variety of kicks. I'm a two beat kicker. My legs pretty much drag behind me. I have most of my power in my pull. So this is definitely something I need to work on. But if you are focusing on your kick hard, you will forget things in your stroke and it might feel like you are messing up the timing. When you swim with a freestyle snorkel, how much does that slow you down? Probably depends on the swimmer. I tried the snorkel and just couldn't handle it. But maybe if I kept it up, I would get better at swimming with a snorkel. I wonder if it hinders the body rotation? I'm sure someone more experienced here can let you know. Should it be thumb first entry, pinky first or finger tip first? I've always focused more of a thumb entry. You don't want to slap the water, and a pinky entry is just a bit uncomfortable. But Having a completely sideways hand might be trying too hard. You don't want to slip water because you entered your hand it too sideways. A good clean cut into the water is the goal. At a camp, I'll never forget Jeff Rouse commenting, "Like a knife through butter." So, a slight angle toward thumb entry is how I do it. But, this is another item where I beleive that you can find what's most comfortable and easiest for you, then perfect it. Good luck.

Have you worked with someone one-on-one to take a look at your stroke? I think that having someone (a coach) take a look at what you are doing when you swim then you can have some more specific feedback.:agree: