Has anyone ever had a problem with their wrists in fly? It's hard to describe, but during the pull in fly, the bones in my wrist seem to lose contact with the bones in my arm, causing me to lose control of my hand somewhat. It's like the force of the pull stretches my wrist to the point where the bones are no longer making proper contact. I can't even do a broken 75 of fly before this starts happening. I don't favor one arm over the other in fly, so it's not that. I do write left-handed, but I hardly ever write with my hands anymore...I type virtually everything. So I don't think it's that. I've started to do some exercises to strengthen my wrists, but they don't seem to have had much impact yet. Anybody else ever experienced this? Were you able to resolve it? If so, how?
I swim quite a bit of fly and I've never had a problem like that. My wrists and hands take a beating on the recovery due to hitting lanelines, people, low-flying aircraft, etc., but I don't have any problems with the pull.
I get pain in my left wrist when swimming backstroke, but I think that is because I pull on the laneline with every left stroke ;)
it could be something none swimming related.
Do you get the same feeling if you swim any other strike with paddles on?
on the days I swim a lot of back before swimming with paddles I feel as if I have weak wrist and can't swim very fast with the paddles on.
Thanks for the feedback. Nah, my wrists have never been injured, and I don't use paddles. Neither wrist has ever shown signs of carpal tunnel, and I never had this problem as an age group/college swimmer.
Fortunately, this problem has never surfaced in a race. But since it does limit my ability to train fly, it does impact my ability to race fly when the time comes.
Oh well, I'll continue trying to strengthen my wrists with targeted exercise. I'll google it and see what comes up.
Curious. Do you have very flexible joints and a tall lanky build? Can you easily encircle your left wrist with your right hand's thumb and middle finger?
Curious. Do you have very flexible joints and a tall lanky build? Can you easily encircle your left wrist with your right hand's thumb and middle finger?
Good news, the problem has been getting better. I think the wrist exercises are helping. The problem hasn't completely gone away, but it's managable now.
But to answer your questions, nah, I don't think I'm any more flexible than any other swimmer. I'm not really that tall or lanky, either. My arms are slightly longer than my height, however. I can encircle your left wrist with my right hand's thumb and middle finger, but barely.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
I know what you're talking about, it occasionally happens to me but only in my left wrist.
I broke it many years ago and the joint has always been a little loose. Sometimes I find myself sitting on my hands (?) and when I pull them out I pull my wrist out of its socket... Or just regularly moving it kinda dislocates and looks a little funny but it snaps back in.
I do find the more I swim the less the problem. Good luck!
