Lately, I have been playing with my freestyle recovery. For the longest time, I would lift my arm out of the water and then try to place it in the water calmly. This seemed all fine and dandy at sloooow speeds.
When I tried to speed up, things would go in the tank really fast. My body would be rotating quicker,with more power but I would keep trying to place my arms in at a particular spot. This would seem to cause me to slap the water, bounce in the water and not get a good catch.
The last week, I changed my recovery,least it seems. What I do now, I call it a "lift and swing" I lift the arm out of the water and then swing it forward with the body rotation. During slower speeds, it seems to go into the water very smooth and get a good catch. During faster speeds, it feels as though it gets in the water much easier/cleaner and gets a good catch.
My question is this, which do people prefer or think they do? Do you lift and try to place the arms in the water or do you lift it out and swing it foward with the body rotation?
I would love to hear all sorts of feedback. I think I know which one seems to work for me.
-David
Swim for fun. Swim for life
Parents
Former Member
I am trying to think of what I am doing in my own words and comparing it to yours.
I believe that my hands rotate in time with my hips. I enter my hands fingers/palm first at a slight downward angle. (spearing the surface) When I am swimming fast, I catch virtually no air, which is ideal. The idea is to get your hand as far forward, catch the water as quickly as possible, and complete your pull. You need to find that happy medium where you see as little air in your stroke as possible, but you still have a fast catch and pull. If you speed up too much, you may slap the water and grab a ton of air. If you're too slow...well...you know. You're slow.
In order to do this, you must be on the end of your hip rotation when you initiate the initial anchor/catch in front of you. So as my right had is fully extended in front of me, completing my initial catch, I am already beginning to rotate my hips back the other way to the left side. It's your core that is driving your stroke, not your arms and shoulders.
It's the same idea that you finish a race fully extended on your side in freestyle. It's how you're going to reach the farthest in front of you to maximize your stroke.
Does this make sense?
edit: I just now noticed I posted in the OPEN WATER category. I was posting for just general swimming. My fault for being a speed forum scanner.
I am trying to think of what I am doing in my own words and comparing it to yours.
I believe that my hands rotate in time with my hips. I enter my hands fingers/palm first at a slight downward angle. (spearing the surface) When I am swimming fast, I catch virtually no air, which is ideal. The idea is to get your hand as far forward, catch the water as quickly as possible, and complete your pull. You need to find that happy medium where you see as little air in your stroke as possible, but you still have a fast catch and pull. If you speed up too much, you may slap the water and grab a ton of air. If you're too slow...well...you know. You're slow.
In order to do this, you must be on the end of your hip rotation when you initiate the initial anchor/catch in front of you. So as my right had is fully extended in front of me, completing my initial catch, I am already beginning to rotate my hips back the other way to the left side. It's your core that is driving your stroke, not your arms and shoulders.
It's the same idea that you finish a race fully extended on your side in freestyle. It's how you're going to reach the farthest in front of you to maximize your stroke.
Does this make sense?
edit: I just now noticed I posted in the OPEN WATER category. I was posting for just general swimming. My fault for being a speed forum scanner.
