One of the biggest differences between swimmers in the fast lane and swimmers in the slow lane is the initial catch. Swimmers in the fast lane; in their freestyle they will enter and be going forward, then they will allow their hand to drop down while they keep their elbow high. Getting that initial catch and then they get that initial elbow bend. Generally most swimmers in the slow lane will enter and pull straight through. Therefore it is the difference between using one lever and two levers with your pull.
0:09 – Initial Catch
0:23 – Elbow Bend
0:55 – Long Dog Paddle Drill
1:24 – More Drills in The Mastering Freestyle Program
The fast swimmers are using two levers; they are entering and then their forearm and hand acts as a lever and then the upper arm acts as the other lever. Generally slower swimmers are using one lever; they come in and pull straight through with that one lever. This doesn’t allow them to get as much catch as they could with their pull.
If you look at the Mastering Freestyle Program the long dog paddle drill is very good for separating the levers so that you get a feel for pulling through with a bent elbow. Another drill that we did this morning with my squad is we would kick on the side and sculling out the front and getting used to bending your elbow. What you can do is kick on side, you have one arm by your side one arm out the front and you can just scull with your forearm and your hand and just get a little bit of an elbow bend; so you are getting used to separating those levers.
You can also find a few more drills in the Mastering Freestyle Program that help you develop this elbow bend; the two levers and the initial catch.
That’s it for news this week; I will see you next week.
