Lately I've not been making friends.
I am hitting people during fly. Sometimes it is from another lane since I recover my right arm over the lane line, and sometimes it is a lane mate. I have a 76" reach so I am roughly as wide as a lane.
I try to look and f I see someone I can sometimes do an alligator arm recovery, but this does not always work. People come up fast and you can't always get out of the way.
Is there a trick to this, or is hitting part of the deal?
Sometimes I'll lead so I can at least do a 25 without an issue, but anything over a 25 and I am now paranoid.
Parents
Former Member
I have a few inches on you, and my pool has narrow lanes, so I can sympathize. Still, I rarely ever smack anyone doing butterfly. (Backstroke is a different story.)
Take an extra kick as needed to adjust timing and miss the oncoming swimmer.
Take more kicks off the wall. With a decent streamline & underwater kick, you miss the 2-3 swimmers following you.
Or as a last resort, switch to a one-arm stroke when a collision is imminent.
Basically it all boils down to staying aware of where the oncoming swimmers are (in the lane and in their stroke), and an ability to adjust on the fly (so to speak).
What's an alligator arm recovery?
I have a few inches on you, and my pool has narrow lanes, so I can sympathize. Still, I rarely ever smack anyone doing butterfly. (Backstroke is a different story.)
Take an extra kick as needed to adjust timing and miss the oncoming swimmer.
Take more kicks off the wall. With a decent streamline & underwater kick, you miss the 2-3 swimmers following you.
Or as a last resort, switch to a one-arm stroke when a collision is imminent.
Basically it all boils down to staying aware of where the oncoming swimmers are (in the lane and in their stroke), and an ability to adjust on the fly (so to speak).
What's an alligator arm recovery?
