If you come from an older generation of swimmers you may have been taught a technique called the ‘S-Pull’. This is a swim form developed in the 1970s and saw use for a couple decades in the competitive circuit. The goal of the S-Pull was to increase the length of each pull using an S shape: Beginning the stroke with the thumb down, sweeping outwards, and then sweeping back in by the hips. If you’re having a hard time visualizing this, imagine the movement your arm makes when putting on and taking off a towel. The two are basically the same.
However, the technique was created without taking into account the rolling of the body it generates. Also, next to the modern vertical or ‘I-Pull’ techniques, the S Pull has many drawbacks:
· Forcing your palms outwards while entering the water can cause shoulder injuries.
· Your ability to reach further to grab a still anchor point is diminished.
· The path of a swimmer’s hands is arched, pushing water partly sideways rather than straight back, losing efficiency.
So if you’re still using the S-Pull try switching to a straighter form. You want to lengthen your reach so you can anchor in non-moving water, keeping your elbows up, without a small arch. Your hands should only be tilted 45° and kept closed. And when flutter-kicking remember to use your whole leg, with your feet barely breaking the surface, keeping your core contracted to keep your hips from rocking.
I don't do either. I voted for S but during my last two swims I have tried to watch what i do, and I have more of "?" than an S or I.
I go slightly out and then back, never coming back under my body. Maybe if I adjusted the placement of my hands in the water it would be more like an I, but I like my stroke and don't think I could move my hand out enough to make it into an I
i feel it helps my glide and streamline a lot, takes getting used to but it makes you feel really relaxed once, i used to do i-pull but after actually trying out lots of stuff the s-pull was my choice. im trying to do it a little more on my backstroke cause its a little too windmillish. be open to anything and find wat works for u =]
Another interesting question is if stroke technique should differ when swimming 50, 100 and 200. It's obvious that when swimming 200 you make longer strokes and it's perfect for S-shape pull but what about 50? Personally I also noticed that S-shape pulls decrease DPS from 43-45 to 36-38 per 50m. Though S-shaping isn't easy with such intensity. Nevertheless I noticed on videos that even Cesar Cielo makes catch with slight out swiping so he at least makes ? mark.
Is there really an "S" pull? Wouldn't that involve pushing outward away from the body at the end of the stroke?
Not really if the insweep brings the hand under the body. You need to complete the "S" for your hand to clear your hips.
Using underwater video footage I decided to correct this weird outward S pull I was doing. I tried to correct this before, but it wasn't until I forced myself to make a conscious effort to do something my body thought was wrong despite how awkward it felt.
less of a 'S' stroke
YouTube - "s" or "i" freestyle stroke technique?
S pull must not be all that bad, because the fastest guy on our team uses it. He starts with a little scull out, then kind of sweeps in with a bent elbow and finishes back under the hip. Plenty of core rotation. In my own mind, he swims the exact same way that I do, which makes it all the more frustrating when he laps me :p
Sometimes I experiment with adding a little bit of conscious scull to the beginning of my pull and it does seem like it increases the amount of propulsion I get from each stroke. I feel the outer half of my hand (pinky side) and forearm putting pressure on the water when I swim that way. Is it faster than pulling straight back? I'm not sure, but it does seem to increase my distance per stroke.
After reading Rhyno's post below about the "?" pull, I think that's a better description of what I'm talking about. Is there really an "S" pull? Wouldn't that involve pushing outward away from the body at the end of the stroke? Doesn't seem to make much sense. I'm guessing that we really mean the "?" pull.
