Conventional and EVF can be one in the same unless a conventional swimming stroke means purposely dropping your elbow. The pulling pattern should never be straight back because the longer and the harder the hand moves backward the greater reduction in drag force (negative drag coefficient). The hand must move (scull slightly) into less turbulent water so peak drag force or pulling power can be maintained. As strong swimmers begin to improve their EVF, sprinters will begin to evolve into more right angled looking strokes like Rebecca Addlington's and less like Alain Bernard's. With everything being equal, a stroke like Bernards, in my opinion, can become faster by getting his forearm/hand vertical earlier. With that being said, Bernard may have anatomical factors (weak shoulder cuff, flexibility issues, EVF strength conversion habit issues) that could prevent that EVF alteration (his coach knows best). My contention is that any swimmer who can, without compromising anatomical health, improve the length of time they can keep their hand/forearm in the vertical position and improve how early they can get their hand / forearm in a vertical position, will drop time. I think conventional (as long as it doesn’t mean purposely dropping your elbow) and EVF are the same and physical limitations and training habits create the variances from swimmer to swimmer. The fastest swimmers in the world may have different looking strokes but the winners keep their hands/forearm in the vertical position earlier and in a vertical position that produces the most power the longest. Getting your hand / forearm in a power position early and keeping it their longer, isn’t all about pulling strength, it’s more importantly about the ability to resist dropping one’s elbow. I started doing an exercise where swimmers kick 50 yards with fins, holding their arms in front of them (breathe to the side or in the front), holding an EVF position. Try it and it will show you the ability to “set-up” your stroke early (conventional or not) is more difficult than you can imagine. The pressure of simply swimming forward requires strong shoulder-cuff stabilizing muscles ( supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) and the above exercise will show you how weak or strong yours are. I think it’s safe to say, more often than not, swimmers don’t have the necessary shoulder cuff strength that allows them to properly “set-up” their stroke. And, let’s think about it, if you can’t keep your arm in a “set-up” position (conventional or not) for 50 yards, what are the chances of ever developing a better “set-up position until you strengthen and train to improve the muscles responsible for that position. I think isometrics and the use of surgical tubing offers the most effective way to improve shoulder-cuff strength. Email me at tomtomp@netzero.com if you’re interested in more information. Good luck, Coach T.
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So an early catch is better than a late one, right?
Well, not according to this clip you once referred to in a thread you created a few months ago.
And also not based on the mileage I've been doing in tuning my stroke into EVF one.
The later you wait to catch, the more your body ends up flat whilst catching, the less of a burden it is for your shoulders. Theory explained in your clip can be summarized in this simple sentence.
The heart of what I am trying to explain here is found around minute 2:15. But it starts at minue 1:50. In this section of the clip, you can see that the animated swimmer almost wait for upward body rotation to take the catch. When I swim what I'd call conventional free, I definitely catch on downward body rotation.
Remember this attempt to bust a Myth by Gary Hall Sr? Where he proposes that most power during the pulling phase of free style is being generated in Front Quadrant.
That is the distinction here. Most power during the free is undoubtedly generated on upward body rotation. If this occurs when the forearm is still in FQ, then I got very little doubt about the validity of Gary's statement. That said though, not everyone swim this way, and so depending on where you are at (as a swimmer) in your pulling path when upward (powerful) body rotation occurs, this peak power will be shift either more in the front, or more in the back.
My work these days is all about finding the optimal timing. The optimal balance. My methodology is simple: Tons of one arm drill, breathing on each side. I did 1600 1-arm the other day 800m on left arm (continuous) 800m on right. It is this sort of implication that is involved in trying to develop this stroke that you seem to enjoy promoting. From theory to applied theory, there's a gap my dear.
So an early catch is better than a late one, right?
Well, not according to this clip you once referred to in a thread you created a few months ago.
And also not based on the mileage I've been doing in tuning my stroke into EVF one.
The later you wait to catch, the more your body ends up flat whilst catching, the less of a burden it is for your shoulders. Theory explained in your clip can be summarized in this simple sentence.
The heart of what I am trying to explain here is found around minute 2:15. But it starts at minue 1:50. In this section of the clip, you can see that the animated swimmer almost wait for upward body rotation to take the catch. When I swim what I'd call conventional free, I definitely catch on downward body rotation.
Remember this attempt to bust a Myth by Gary Hall Sr? Where he proposes that most power during the pulling phase of free style is being generated in Front Quadrant.
That is the distinction here. Most power during the free is undoubtedly generated on upward body rotation. If this occurs when the forearm is still in FQ, then I got very little doubt about the validity of Gary's statement. That said though, not everyone swim this way, and so depending on where you are at (as a swimmer) in your pulling path when upward (powerful) body rotation occurs, this peak power will be shift either more in the front, or more in the back.
My work these days is all about finding the optimal timing. The optimal balance. My methodology is simple: Tons of one arm drill, breathing on each side. I did 1600 1-arm the other day 800m on left arm (continuous) 800m on right. It is this sort of implication that is involved in trying to develop this stroke that you seem to enjoy promoting. From theory to applied theory, there's a gap my dear.
