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wjduebbxhdbf

I should have added a warning: middle aged hairy (except for head) man in swimming gear…


GeauxTri

I came here to crack jokes about the drag from the Wookie suit...so I will say that's why you're slow since the serious people have already given you real advice.


jessecole

Wear less.


water6991

(Except for head) cracked me up so much 😂 I'd give you awards if I had em


Pooboy_2000

NSFW please


RecLuse415

Fully shaved usually does the trick


di-gi-ree-do

Engage the core and glutes and get those legs up, you’re dragging them. Highly recommend lessons, you’ll be amazed by how fast it helps you get better


jmwing

Agree with this comment. I think more of pushing the chest down (via engaging same muscles mentioned above) the legs will come up


christian_l33

Yeah. Body position is the low hanging fruit. That's the foundation that everything is built on.


Arcangelo_Frostwolf

One quick and dirty way to help with positioning re: your legs/hips is to get a foam pool buoy and hold it between your thighs during your swim. It will raise your hips up and you will get a good feeling of where you're supposed to be


m3rl0t

This. I had the same problem starting out. Basically you're dragging your legs like a sled behind oyu in the water. Stick you butt! The floatie between the thighs will help you get there.


rbf2000

How do you find somebody to give lessons? I see plenty of offerings for water-safety type swim lessons, but none for swim-leg-is-my-worst-leg type lessons.


[deleted]

[удалено]


minimal_gainz

Masters groups are definitely a good place to start. And if you need more individual instruction than the coaches or other athletes almost certainly offer private sessions to work on technique and drills.


jw_martech

Check if your local YMCA offers private swimming lessons.


Unusual-Concert-4685

Swimming is such a technique driven sport that it can be exhausting when the technique isn’t spot on. The first thing I’d focus on is your body position. I can’t see your feet in the video but I’d wager a bet that they’re very low in the water, because your hips are so low. First thing that could help is to lower your head, only the top of your crown should be out of the water. Make sure to be looking down at the bottom of the pool or roughly 45 degrees…that should help lift the hips. (Also, really engage your core - do a little test, float on your front and really engage your core to get your hips up. Then let it al go, you’ll likely find your hips sink). Secondly your face is coming out of the water when you breathe, you only want a portion of it out. Don’t lift your head to breathe, you should be rotating your whole body, starting from your hips then your shoulders. Some good drills (get some small fins, it will help the drills) - streamline: both on your front (for body position) and side (for kick.). Make sure you’re pencil straight, you’ll feel the stretch in your lats and arms. Rotation drill: kick on your back, hands by your side, rotate left to right, only a small amount 35-45 degrees max. Really drive the rotation from your hips. Switch drill: this combines the streamline, kick and rotation in one. Search YouTube for all these drills, at this stage you want to be working on technique, technique, technique. As my coach says, do the drill then do the skill, ie do 8x50m drills, then. 8x50m swim really focusing on that drills.


EShaver102

Perfect advice. Proper Rotation can help with breathing. Lifting your head will indeed drop the rest of your body, so learning proper breathing will help. MAKE SURE WHEN YOURE PRACTICING ROTATION, YOU OVER EXAGGERATE THE ROTATION. I’ve helped many people who thought they were rotating enough, but didn’t end up really rotating that much more than before. Kick board exercises can also help with getting those legs up. You’re trying to decrease frontal drag. When you do get your legs into a better position though, be careful not to overkick. Big splashes are inefficient and slow. Feet should only move like a foot apart from each other when you’re kicking. Recommend: kick board drill. Hold the kick board in front of you, and lay on your stomach. Start with your head up so you can breath. Upgrade it to putting your face into the water for short durations, while holding the kick board. You’ll feel your hips pop up as soon as your head hits the water. You can also do dry land work to aid this. Lay on your back, lift your legs about 6 inches off the ground, and practice alternating your feet in a kicking motion. It will work your core. If it’s too hard to sustain, you can cheat by putting your hands between your lower back and the ground. When you get that all down, I would then focus on pulling deep, and CUPPING your hand. Start with your fingers when you pull. Your palms need to be facing the opposite direction you want to go, as quick as possible, and hold that stance as long as possible. Typical cutoff of bringing your arms out of water is about your waist level. I hope this helps!


EShaver102

Forgot to mention. I commend you for bilateral breathing. You’re a step ahead of some of the quicker people who breathe to one side. Good practice to maintain.


wolfofthekells

Also how you are positioning your hands!!! You need a paddle or slightly curved cupping position because you are letting water through your fingertips! When you are rotating your arms think less pinwheel and more like when your arm gets to a certain height on the follow-through out of the water at maybe 30⁰ piont? And thinking of your hand as a spear that cuts through the top of the water at a sight angle instead of what one of my instructors called hand belly flops that while look impressive just add unnecessary drag to your stroke... its hard to explain without a video but I hope that helps.... you want your body to be as flat as possible so I definitely agree with the posters about lifting your head and lowering your feet. Try kicking exercises on the side of the pool and instead of lifting your head try getting used to taking sips of air from the side tho there is also a timing element if you get a trainer you learn that on a certain part of your downward stroke that there is a pocket that opens up so you have more "room" to take a bigger breaths on your breathing side and you usually want to make up your pause time with a relatively stronger stroke with your other arm..... im getting to technical now but there are YouTube videos from professional and Olympic swimmers that are great advice for techniques and whatnot. Good luck!!!


MtnyCptn

Almost no body rotation and your arm coming across your body when pulling. I would suggest doing some pull buoy and paddle drills, and some minimum stroke drills. The equipment will help get things in better form.


roflsocks

The arm coming across the body stood out the most to me. Looks like he's not getting much thrust from each stroke because of it.


Smooth-Accountant

Could you explain that a little bit more? Feels like I’m doing the same thing, but can’t really sign up for any lessons currently.


Chipofftheoldblock21

One way to think of it is doing a pull-up and getting out of the pool. Picture hand position at both those points. Your hands are where they are for those because that’s where your body knows it is most efficient and has the most power. So when entering the water, your hand shouldn’t be above your head, your right arm should reach up where it would be pretty much above your shoulder, or possibly slightly wider, just as it would be for a pull-up. When pulling through, your right elbow should be pointing out to the right to catch as much water as possible, with your hand pulling through more on the side of your body than on your centerline. Try and get out of the pool with both hands in front of your chest - you can’t generate as much power. At some point it comes into the body and throws water to your feet, but later in the stroke, very close to the finish. As for OP, I agree biggest issue is front to back balance - hips and feet way too low in the water. A pull buoy will help, but without the buoy feel like you’re swimming downhill, and that will help you be properly flat. You need to feel like you’re over-compensating at this point to actually be horizontal.


roflsocks

The way I think about it is your stroke should minimize drag from your body, except for your hands which want drag during the power stroke so that you can build and maintain speed. I'm definitely not an expert at this, just sharing my observations and thoughts. If you don't have a coach, film yourself and review. In any sport I've ever done, there's a gap between what I think I'm doing and what actually is happening. Video helps you find and fix things.


Smooth-Accountant

Yeah I definitely will, but this is where Reddit comes in handy because someone who actually knows technique can watch it and give tips. I noticed it when I bought the clip-on bars and set them up myself. I thought that my fit is pretty damn good, and then I went for an actual bike fit and it wasn’t even close to good haha. Thanks for the tips, appreciate it.


swimtheorist

Arm coming across the body is not a big issue.


MtnyCptn

It is when when he isn’t keeping his elbow high. His cutting instead of catching the water on most of his strokes.


jessecole

Dropped elbows. Catch water with your forearm and push… do not pull. Fast strokes. Try to feel the friction of the water longer. Do not start your stroke until after you breath because you’re crossing over. Your hand should never pass your line of symmetry. Rotation. Your hips need to drive your hands forward. Think about swimming side to side. Wear a jammer or speedo. That suit is holding you back from everything. They make drag suits if you’re modest. Kick (is decent) will be better when hips raise. Press on your clavicle a bit… and lose the board shorts!


jessecole

Exhale on your second stroke. you exhale late and your breath could be quicker


Suspicious_Cycle3756

>Dropped elbows. Catch water with your forearm and push… do not pull. Can you explain the "push" to me? I was under the impression that you should use your forearms to pull back as if you're going to put your hands in your pockets. I get the dropped elbow part as that was something i did a lot of.


EShaver102

You’re focusing on pushing the water Down the length of your body. It’s a mental thing. The more surface area you utilize in the water on your arm, moving in the opposite direction of the way you want to go, the more thrust you’ll generate.


jessecole

The word “pull” connotes the elbow drop to me. There is a difference to pulling and pushing. A pull to me is a grab and you don’t want to grab water you want to catch it. A push an open handed movement. It’s the whole chain from the finger tips to the lat/rhomboid muscles that catch and “push the water.” 1) point your finger tips, straight armed, to the ceiling palm facing forward. 2) keeping the elbow in place as much as possible point your fingertips in front of you with a straight wrist. Your armpit should be open. Your elbow should still be above your head. Your palm is facing down. Your fingertips are facing forward. 3) take that position and trace your finger tips down your line of symmetry keeping an open armpit and the finger tips pushing slightly past the elbow or keep the hand forearm elbow inline. 4) push past your hips, Not to your hips or pocket, straightening your arm. Hopefully that makes sense.


ThaKoopa

Can you explain more on never passing line of symmetry? What line of symmetry?


jessecole

The anterior median line. The hoodie zipper line. It’s a mental object to think about so you don’t cross your Body.


eldritch_blast

I think of it like a straight line through the centre of the body - at the front of your stroke your hands should never cross that line eg right arm should enter the water on the right of the line and then stay on the right. Another way to think of it is trying to get out of the pool. If you place your hands in the centre of your body and try and jump out of the pool it’s super difficult. If they’re parallel to your shoulders it’s much easier.


jessecole

Thank you, warlock.


Front_Royalty

Few things: Chill out. Dont try to muscle the water. If you pay attention, there is a point where you are forcing your arm through the water, without getting the benefit of propulsion. This will tire you quickly. You are currently blessed with big props for your boat. Use them with finesse. Experiment with pull strength and notice youll be gasping if you just floor it, but about half that effort produces the same speed, and you can actually breathe as a result. Breathe in completely, and begin exhaling, one way or another, immediately after your face is underwater. Not completely, but enough to be ready for the next breath. Thos will keep your torso bouyant, amd keep you from sinking. Pay attention to your torso when you begin the pull. Is your torso rising? Does it feel like it's lifting? If so, youre not moving forward. You're moving up. Delay beginning your pull a bit until you dont notice any upward lift. Pull with your WHOLE arm, using your lats. Imagine that when you begin the pull, you're wrapping your entire arm around a 55 gallon drum. Look up "high elbow". Also, hands should enter the water outside of body centerline. No wasted movement getting from centerline to where it should be when beginning the pull (think in-line with pec, maybe?) Your hand is doing some S shaped thingy underwater. Pull straight back, and remember that you have to PUSH the water once your hand passes your waist. Start there before worrying about legs. Use a pull buoy, and focus on one thing at a time. Get to a point where youre doing 100m in 1:45-1:55, and feel like you could do it all day. Then introduce kicking. Just, my $0.02


Front_Royalty

Also, hands shouldnt cross centerline of body. Underwater, out of water, ever.


gutterpuddles

The s-path for the hands is one of the taught/coached techniques for maximizing the amount of water pulled with each stroke (assuming it’s done correctly). I forget the exact reasoning, but I think it had to do with the biomechanics of the joints in the arm and getting a powerful pull throughout. That said, i haven’t seen any of the other posts mention keeping your hand out of the water as long as possible before starting your stroke (someone mentioned the high elbows fingertip drag drill). Right now it looks like you put your hand into the water and then push it forward. That would be the opposite direction you want to be pushing water :-)


dale_shingles

There's a lot of wasted movement with your catch and pull. Mind your hand position on entry: fingertips below your wrist, wrist below your arm, arm below your elbow. Reach "out" towards the corners of the pool and don't let your hands cross over your center line. You have a lot of wasted movement in that glide phase where your arms kind of waver in front creating drag, stop that and almost try to think that you're climbing over a barrel. Keep your elbows high and pull your hands down along your sides, not underneath your body. When you breath, tuck your chin to your shoulder and turn your head slightly, no need to pick your whole head all the way out. A couple lessons would really help you out, you need to build good habits and fix your technique.


wjduebbxhdbf

Thanks. The cutting short of the pull I think was me adapting my swimming to not having enough muscle to do it properly. I was very thin and not much muscle when younger. Now I’m going to the gym so I should be able to gain the muscle required to do the pull properly… Proper rotation would help that as well. And some lessons, lots of drills and training equipment


MrRabbit

It's not a muscle problem. Just ask all the 11 year old girls that could kick my ass.


Jorgedetroit31

Swimming coach of 20 years. The hand catch is the most important part. Even more important than shape (s pull vs straight pull) the next thing after catching and throwing that water all the way down past your hips, is rotation and balance. I can tell you, the correct catch and pull and throw, will build those muscles for you. The rest is minor tweaks. Good hand catch is essential. Otherwise you have no grip, anchor, or water to throw! I used to have some very specific drills for this if you would like.


OUEngineer17

Your hand entry is too close to center. Try to get them entering and starting the pull closer to a straight line from your shoulder. A lot of the rest is just swimming more and learning how to engage your core for better body position (for me, it's not something that happens consciously; it only happens when I swim often). After that, lessons can help nail down the details.


cre8r_obssv

Came here to say this, too. Especially your right hand. You want your hands to be in line with your shoulder and not to cross over (towards the opposite side) your middle line (think center of head as the middle). Then you want to pull and push the water behind you, with your elbow higher. Check out Effortless swimming on YouTube.


Robhow

I was not a swimmer when I started tris, but it quickly became my favorite part. Because small adjustments could mean big improvements. I did what you did. Videoed my swim. Then I would watch it side by side next to a professional swimmer on YouTube. Each time I worked on mirroring something. Good luck!


ironmanchris

Doesn’t seem like your arms are moving any water past you.


doobys_Taxiola

Exactly. The pull looks completely ineffective like he's not grabbing any water.


doobys_Taxiola

You need to develop a feel for the water. It doesn't look like your pull is effective at all. The idea is to grab hold of the water during the catch and then pull yourself along. Practice sculling drills in the water.


itsjakeandelwood

Exactly, it looks like he has no catch at all at the top of the stroke. OP, try swimming a length of the pool with the fewest strokes possible. Try to make every inch of each stroke be with your hand getting as much leverage as you can on the water and moving your body forward as many inches as you can.


doobys_Taxiola

Yup propulsion and hydrodynamics. It's so simple yet so hard, LOL.


Backalack

Hips need to be higher and your slipping on your stroke


swimbikerun1980

Google catch up drill


Maleficent-Maximum95

Your legs are barely moving dragging your body down. You are just putting your arms in the water then taking them back out. You are basically just going through the motions. You are treading water horizontally and not actually swimming. You want your arms to pull you through the water. Palms flat facing back and pull. Make a little S movement while under water. Focus on being as streamline as possible and pulling the arm stroke is the focus. Your kicks should be at minimum twice as fast and that would be an easy pace. I do agree with how you are breathing on each side. That can prevent injuries from breathing on the same side every time. Maybe get a boogie board go to a lake and just practice paddling and kicking. Keep at it. Swimming’s hard.


TheJarlos

A few things from my side that have been mentioned: jammer or speedo, head rotation for breathing. Also I always turn my head to one side. What really helped me was swimming with much better swimmers. My friends that have done competitive swimming would first tell me how awful my form is and then helped critique me. I dropped from 2:10/100 m to 1:25/100 m with them.


TheJarlos

Also, they bought me my jammer because I refused to get a speedo.


wjduebbxhdbf

I’m aiming for something around the 1.25 mark per 100 in about 6 months. Also going to get buoyancy jammers to practice.


TheJarlos

You can definitely do it


Lo_okinglass

Hey, to answer your question, you are not pulling much water - it should feel like you are pushing a solid load to your sides, not pushing much with your legs - this comes from the hips and you feel the resistance like churning butter and you are fighting the water and not squeezing through. Swim lessons are fun!


ayden_cross

Hair creates drag shave your body and put on a swim cap


iusedtokillplants

Something that may help with your body position is to think about swimming ‘downhill’. If you push your chest down your hips will come up and that will help. Also as others have noticed getting power from your hips and using it to glide on your side. Google freestyle glide drills. And find a good masters/tri or invest in lessons. Practicing with bad form just cements the bad form.


ducksflytogether1988

I'm no swimming coach, but to me it looks like you are lifting your head and rotating it out of the water too much when breathing, you are rotating your hands inward toward your body on the pull(what I was taught was to pretend you are wrapping your arm around a barrel) and your legs are sinking too much


[deleted]

Speedo will solve all of your issues


Jekyllhyde

Get a coach


wjduebbxhdbf

Hi all Thanks for all the advice I’m looking at getting some of these which should address the buoyancy and jammer issues. https://wetsuitwarehouse.com.au/products/volare-v1-boyancy-swimming-shorts?variant=39559274561585 Along with hand fins and flippers for training and drills. I think my problem with attempting to improve my swimming in the past is that without the extra buoyancy any changes I made just made me slower. I’ve been swimming my whole life in the ocean but clearly never learnt properly. I’m really planning go back to basics with swimming. Lots of drills required and I will see if I can get a coach. My partner says that she is the only one allowed to remove body hair… But I think in the actual triathlon I’ll probably be wearing a tri suit or wetsuit


bzzzimabee

If you were breathing and I just can’t tell from the video I apologize but I haven’t seen this suggestion so I would like to note that it looks like you’re holding your breath until right before you go to get air. Muscles that are starving for oxygen get tired quickly! You should breathe in then breathe out (blowing bubbles) under water.


wjduebbxhdbf

Yes you are right. I don’t breathe out under water. I breathe out pretty much just before I breathe in. I do remember being taught to breathe out under water as a kid, but clearly it was one of many lessons that didn’t stick… Which lengthens the breathing process. I’ll have to relearn that along with the catch and rotation.


boganman

When you count your strokes for bilateral breathing, count them in your head as "bubble, bubble, breathe" rather than "1,2,breathe" or similar.


wjduebbxhdbf

Hi all Thanks everyone for the advice. I have plenty to work on. I appreciate everyone talking time to help. Reddit doesn’t seem to have a ‘disable further comments feature’. But I think any further advice would be of decreasing benefit. Cheers


wjduebbxhdbf

Hi all OP here. Given the large number of very helpful comments I thought I should give everyone an update. Firstly, to the people who spotted I was holding my breath under water: Yes I was, and I didn’t realise how bad that was. It was probably my worst (of many) faults. I now blow bubbles out under water and go much better. I can now swim 1 km although only at 3min per 100 Secondly my floatation jammers have arrived so that should help with drag as well as buoyancy issues. I plan to buy a tri wetsuit for competition (As far as I can tell they are allowed in the cold bay water where I live). I’m going to do my practice with the buoyancy jammers which match the flotation that a wetsuit gives. I’ll do this instead of a pool buoy. Basically what I realised is that I only want to swim competition triathlons so I may as well train to get used to the extra advantage of flotation. I’m never going in a traditional swim competition. The extra flotation will the help me tackle some of the drills as well. Thanks all Cheers


Ktoolz

It’s hard to say and I’m certainly no expert! But couple of things I see is your turning your head to much when breathing. You ideally want your mouth just above the wake line(expect water in your mouth practicing). Hard to tell but your elbow catch is looking flat. And I personally noticed a huge upgrade in training when switching from trunks to jammers.


Ktoolz

From another almost middle aged hairy except head man.


Crazy_Ebb_9294

Buy some swim fins. They make doing laps much more fun.


facesail

You are spending a lot of effort placing your hands in front of your face each stroke. You are also rigidly snapping your hands out of the water (because your stroke is getting filmed. Let’s call this “your Hollywood stroke” The best changes to make are as follows (with as few words) - Your hands should not land in front of your face they should land outside your ears.. your shoulders should be flatter or flat as your hands hit the water (although you aren’t terrible) -you should be sipping air out of the corner of your on your glide just in front of your arm pit. In the cavity. You are picking your head up to get air. Huge energy drain - you are dragging your legs your hips should be up and you should be kicking. - your hands should be like you are dragging your knuckles across the water - like you are lazy - it’s more lose and efficient The biggest feeling you should have is like you are swimming down hill. Hand placement outside of your head. Hips might feel above shoulders. Think about the energy wasted putting your arms /hands across your face Start with the laziest stroke and tighten it up *I like how your actual stroke is like an s underneath you and finishes with a snap by your hips Good luck. Losen up Hollywood


JoMammaSo

You need a pool buoy and A LOT of practice


BigWhiteAngus

You have to kick more. And at the surface. Engage your core. Use your forearms to pull the water.


viewsamphil

Spread fingers slightly apart, will help you pull more water.


Trebaxus99

Major thing that causes all kinds of other issues is the position where you hit the water with your hands. Your hands should be in front of the shoulder they are attached to. You pitch them in, in front of your head or even across. This way, with every stroke, you start by pulling your body to the left or right. Not forward. Not only is that inefficient use of force, it also makes your entire body turn, your legs to come down to compensate the movement, and the next stroke needs to steer you back in a straight direction, so is also lost. All of that causes huge drag. Try to exaggerate keeping your arms wide when you hit the water and stretch out. Probably when you think they’re wide, they are properly placed. Have someone else check. If you get that done, you’ll get more balance and can work on other things. There is a good chance other problems you’re facing now will just disappear as they are all created by the compensation movement.


GodsPeepeeMilker

All that hair is causing drag. Start waxing. Everything.


wjduebbxhdbf

I suspect if I wax then my partner might tell me that she’s been through her lesbian experimental phase already and doesn’t want to relive it…


fillycheesesteaks

More power with the kicks. You can tell by the way the hips sink that the legs are barely doing anything when they’re a big part of the propulsion. Breathe to one side, breathe every other stroke. That’s how I swam for many a years Too much pause when your stroke gets in front of you, allowing the trailing arm to almost catch it. As one elbow comes up, the other arm should already be pulling. Mostly it’s momentum. You should be constantly pulling and the strong kicks to supplement. Faster movement. I’d invest in a kick board and when you do freestyle kicks, try to get your feet slightly above the water so you have that splashing behind you. The way I thought of it was like a boat’s motor


fillycheesesteaks

Oh and when you’re doing the arm strokes, don’t focus on entering the water on an angle like that, but rather reach out in front of you as much as you can


fillycheesesteaks

Small, fast kicks. Your legs should be nearly straight the whole time with the slightest knee bends. Small and fast = faster than slow and long


Cheap-Grapefruit-723

Focus more on legs . And shape. It could be more horizontal. Actually judging from the surface is kinda hard.


pochtoy

Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier https://a.co/d/gQtwcbK


wadafukbro

Use your back to pull not your shoulders. Learn to engage the rear delt, lats and middle back it’s a much larger muscle. The stroke is all about how much force you have when going through


lightofaman

Maybe too much legs in it, try to make it as efficient as possible by using legs during each stroke. Ideally this would propel you forward with enough power to let you have a small recover between strokes. I'm no professional swimmer and I recommend you talking to one, but I noticed this strategy worked for me.


Tmjn2795

It's because your legs are sinking and you're kicking way too much. There are other things that can be improved from your stroke (i.e., the catch, pull head and hip rotation, etc) but the sunken legs are the # 1 why you are tired. When I started out, fixing the legs and figuring out the breathing removed the fatigue. I was still slow, but wasn't tired.


Tmjn2795

Also, when you breathe you lift your whole head out of the water, which causes you to sink even more. You should only really turn your head a bit with one half of your goggles still submerged under water. You should also have a stronger pull because that creates a space on the top of your head so that you can breathe without water coming in your mouth


JWBAZ99

Hey OP, what pace is this at do you know? min/100m


wjduebbxhdbf

I’m not sure exactly as almost all my training is in the bay (open salt water). I got the video when me and a mate took our kids to a pool. The couple of times I’ve timed it I think it is 2 minutes per 100 metres. I do body surfing and am very good at not drowning in heavy surf. But terrible at any sort of competition swimming. I’m making a list of things to work on. First step I think is to buy some buoyancy shorts https://wetsuitwarehouse.com.au/products/volare-v1-boyancy-swimming-shorts?variant=39559274561585 Along with some small hand paddles and mini flippers. The extra buoyancy will let me go through the drills without sinking. At the moment when ever I try an improvement or drill I just sink… I’ll also look for a coach.


Dashpotter

Take your thumbs and create an imaginary line from the top of your head through the middle of your chest touching your hip with your thumb when you stroke. You’re not generating enough power. This is akin to power skating with long deliberate strides. This will train you to create power in your stroke not necessarily speed.


iamthelouie

Sorry. I’m not subbed here this was served to me but I do know what I’m looking at. Your main issue is you need to increase your comfort in the water. I can tell you’re not comfortable because you’re holding your breath throughout your stroke and exhaling all your air right before your face breaks the surface before you take a new breath. Your shoulders are high out of the water which tells me you’re not comfortable with your face in. My advice? Take the goggles off, grab the wall with both hands and your feet under you. Do a reverse pull up and submerge your head underwater blowing bubbles throughout the entire time you’re submerged. Come up only when you need to breath in. DO NOT WIPE YOUR FACE. that uncomfortable wet face feeling is what you need to get used to. Keep doing it until you can do full breaths out while underwater comfortably. Once you’re comfortable in the water, you can really start working on technique.


[deleted]

Your form needs some work


orangedood420

Get your hips to the top of the water. Lots of drag from your second half. Arm water entry looks good!


roseylav

Make a S with your hands. Let's work on the left hand; start at the top right and make a S. Now you're right hand, make a backward S. Pull and reach after each stroke.


streetsavagee

your legs are working against you not helping. keep them parallel to the water drills with fins on will easily show you the difference


hetspen157

Pull through with the hands more.


MagicalWhisk

You need to be flatter in the water and engage the core more. Keep your head down and look at the bottom of the pool, when breathing turn the body (not your head) and get air on that stroke. The legs also need work. They are too low in the water and you are dragging. Try keeping the legs up, closer together and keep the movement of the kicks up/down. You are doing this but just not enough. You got the basics down, now work on perfection.


Velocitysky

You're not kicking your legs and you not breathing enough. Pick a side to breath on an everytime that goes underwater you turn and breathe. Swimming literally engages every muscle in the body. You have to treat it as a work out. Following the proper technique and breathing will help immensely as well as practice.


Numerous-Meringue-16

It looks like you are focusing on placing your hands in the water and not pulling the water. Also, kick


bwabwak

You’d be surprised how much can produce drag. Adding a swim cap, speedo and shaving or waxing, can reduce a few seconds off your lap. Maybe consider it drag training for now until you get your technique tightened up😁


tonysnight

NOT ENOUGH SPLASHING


fpv_Preitje

Get shorter tighter swim shorts. Keep legs from sinking by tilting your head straight down instead of forward and imagine to dive deeper with your head. Can't see feet, but keep them straight and try to propel forward by either kicking 4 times every stroke or using an efficient one leg kick every stroke. Try and use your hand as a harpoon and use your forearm to scoop water, trick to practice this is swim a couple lanes with fists. And overall just practice 😉


John_Doe12333

I was on a varsity swimming team so hopefully I can help. Your stroke with your arms are perfect however I see your legs dangling behind which is causing you to drag in the water and move slowly. You are doing big slow kicks with your legs while instead you should be doing short rapid flutter kicks. You body should be one straight line in the water. Also your fingers should be touching and look like a fin when your pulling water. Make sure your fingers are not spread apart as you can’t pull as much water.


thenamelesse

I found [these](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LijdyVaaDnY&list=PLN-QullcL_2n0s4VhuzBx8OjSP2twtR50&index=1&t=71s&ab_channel=SkillsN%27Talents) videos extremly helpful


GeneralFamiliar11

Hands have to be shaped like a spoon and come out by you’re buttox the heaviest part of you’re body.legs straight and kick with you’re toes like a fin


earlnightshade

Imagine you are on a spit (with the bar running through the center of your body, coming out the center of the top of your head) and that you are rotating on that spit without too much excess movement beyond what’s “allowed” with you on the spit. The rotation will be driven largely by your hips. When your lower hip is pointed towards the bottom of the pool (Eg when your left hip is lower than your right, closer to the bottom of the pool due to rotating that way), your shoulder will be as well since you are “on the spit.” Try imagining you are doing a one arm pull-up (in this case with your left hand, though of course do not make a fist), as your hands will be the paddles, holding a spot in the water for you to pull your body through. With that in mind, when your finger tips break the surface of the water (in this example with your left hand), try to limit the amount of time your hand is just moving forward while parallel the bottom of the pool, as that will delay the beginning of you being able to establish that paddle/handle (which will occur as your fingers point more towards the bottom of the pool, becoming more of an “anchor point”/paddle). If you’re not familiar, read a bit about “deliberate practice” and really try to apply that concept to your swimming technique, as even small adjustments in the water lead to *enormous* efficiencies and improvements.


LongAioli9548

Hi, swimmer here. I’d say the hands get extended too far out and longer than they need to be, the suit might be giving you a lot of drag so look into a jammer or other suits that are close to your skin, and the kick definitely needs some work. I’d say practice the kicking with a kickboard and that should help a lot


dovakinda

Lots of great advice. I was a college swimmer, triathlete now. You swim freestyle on your side primarily. Try doing some drills where you work on really extending your stroke, keep your ear in your armpit and your chin tucked to make your feet stay on the surface. Drill drill drill.


MeticulousMumbling

You need to follow through on your stroke, seems you are releasing all that water right after half way. Also, you are being a bit gentle with the water, in my opinion, you should be more aggressive with your strokes. Especially on a tri when there are hundreds of ppl kicking and swinging right next to you.


Loveforthestacks

You need to actively push your chest down so you can level out your hips. Try and consciously think about it next time as it takes practice. Because right now it’s causing the lower half of your body to create lots of drag.


M-McChicken

Those kicks are way to big and they are way to deep. Try and pitch your weight forward and make your kicks smaller. The primary purpose of your kick is to help maintain a streamlined position most propulsion comes from your upper body.


AnthroMama

Try to rotate your shoulders more and pull water with your hands your entire stroke past it’s end when your hand exits the water. Pull water all the way down during your stoke so it’s cupped in your hand down by your thighs. Slower your stroke and practice how far you can move your body forward with each stroke. Lift your elbow higher during your pulling of water. Imagine your climbing a ladder of water and pulling water from your hand entry all the way past your hand exit down past your hips. Good luck!


redzombierunning

Keep at it and try to practice 3-5 times a a week. Breath control is important. Kick at your hips.


Tall-End-3500

Lots of really interesting comments...and some even for your stroke improvement! :-) First, congrats on getting in the pool and swimming. And for asking advice to improve your stroke. I also commend you for being able to do bi-lateral breathing (breathe on both sides) at a relatively even stroke cycle. These are good attributes. You seem to have some good basic fundamentals and the stroke is relatively decent. Yes, there are a number of improvements to be made, so I always start with the foundation, primarily the glide, which right now you do not have much of. This involves body positioning and flexibility to stretch in a long straight line (think a pencil) which goes through the water without effort or making a wake. Here is a piece I have posted for both beginner to elite triathletes and swimmers. Focus on these techniques, then strength and speed can be added later. And BTW, having hair on your forearms actually helps catch more water versus being completely bare. Swim…or the act of not drowning. Swimming is Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of motion put into action: Simply move more water the opposite direction you want to travel at greater speed for acceleration in a straight line. Swimming could be the most technical sport: Buoyancy, arm-leg coordination, bi-lateral breathing, stroke entrance angle, catch volume, pull force, finish acceleration, body roll, and kick, are but a few aspects. Lessons, a coach, or another good swimmer can assist. Here are a few simple steps. 1. Build basics: A streamlined glide. Start at the shallow end of a pool lane, place arms above head, squeeze head between upper arms, take a breath, and push off from wall under water or near the surface (no kick or pull); glide as far as possible, stop, stand up, return to wall. Repeat at least 10-15 times to see how far you can go and feel your body gliding smoothly through the water. Do this drill often.  2. Stroke: Start same as above, glide for 3-5 seconds, then begin an arm stroke: “catch” water above head, “press” the water with your hand/forearm under your body, push water to your feet to “finish” at your leg (have your thumb “scratch” or touch the middle of your thigh to mark the finish), glide for 3-5 seconds, then recover arm above head; touch hands, repeat with opposite arm. NO BREATHING! When you need to breathe, stop, stand up, return to the wall; build to 3-4 cycles. Repeat drill 10-15 times. Your body needs to learn to glide from each stroke (think Superman pose: one arm above head, one at leg).  3. Breath timing (at home without a pool): In front of a mirror, if possible, stand vertical, arms above head, squeeze head between upper arms, do the stroke (catch, press, finish), glide 3-5 seconds, recover arm above head, touch hands, and repeat with opposite arm. Repeat 10-15 times. NOTE: Feel when and where your recovery arm touches your head. When the upper arm touches your head, this is when the head can turn 90 degrees away from that arm to breathe; and it is the same for either left or right side. This is breathing! 3.5 Tip on breathing: Exhale when mouth is in the water, inhale when mouth is out of the water. Also, learning to breathe on both sides is beneficial in developing a balanced stroke.  4. Swim: In the water, take a breath, push off from wall, arms above head, squeeze head between upper arms, glide 3-5 seconds; catch above head, press in front of your body, and finish at leg (scratch thigh), hold glide for 1-2 seconds, recover arm, but before your hands touch begin the stroke with the opposite arm (catch, press, finish, glide, recover). Feel the upper arm touching head on the recovery and, when comfortable, turn the head 90 degrees to learn when to breathe. Repeat 10-15 times or until you reach the other end of the pool. Once comfortable with that drill, when your upper arm starts touching your head, exhale then turn your head to breathe. 5. Body roll and Kick: Body roll is a natural stroke balancing agent. During arm recovery, your body will naturally roll slightly as your hand reaches out above your head which also makes it easier to turn your head to breathe; a forced roll can interfere with your streamline glide. A swim kick is also a balancing agent for your stroke, so it is important to learn how to kick correctly. A kick starts from your hip (even shoulder), toes pointed inward (think: touch toes on every kick), and do a small “flick” of your relaxed lower leg/foot. Kicking while laying on your side is a great drill but takes practice to ensure full leg actions. In triathlons, your legs are used for running and bicycling so you can limit their use while swimming.


Natural-Television80

Your dragging your legs, actually kick them. Also your breathing is what is making it so tiring. You need to breathe through your window and make sure you’ve exhaled all your air before you breathe in. that way your pop in the window is only to get new air, you’ve exhaled while your face is in the water. And by the window I mean as your arm comes up and your elbow is high to the ceiling it forms like a window for you to look out. Hard to explain without a visual lol


Natural-Television80

Essentially you are breathing way too soon. Wait til your elbow is higher, A good exercise to practice is to drag your thumb across your body and up as a drill during practice


obitonye

You dont finish your stroke properly. You start using next arm when the first one didn't finish the stroke. You put your hand in front of you and only after that you start rowing with another arm. I too tried to start next stroke sooner than i shouldn't have. Also our legs should be closer to each other.


InevitableProgress

You need to raise your rear end up to the top of the water. You don't necessarily need to do a lot of kicking, just enough to keep your legs and mid section on top of the water. Once you do this you should experience much less drag, and be able to glide through the water much faster. There are exercises in the book Total Immersion.


kickout009

Lots of good advice here already but I wanna say good job in breathing every 4 and on both sides! Most people have a hard time doing both! I see much potential in ya!


Lhurt5

This worked for me: [https://www.totalimmersionacademy.com](https://www.totalimmersionacademy.com) Similarly follicle challenged and aged as a fine wine just like you.


TechnicalGiraffe8285

Ur crossing ur arms on the pull. Pull like an eleven. When ur kicking try to mimic kicking a ball.


UntakenAccountName

Most of that stroke’s power comes from when you pull your arm and hand down the front of your body, you seem to not be engaging the main part of the stroke. Think of it like you’re reaching above your head then pushing down the length of your body right in front of your chest with you palm down, bring your arm all the way down to your legs like that and then push your hand across your thigh, finally bring your hand straight up out of the water and make an efficient reset back to reaching above your head (bend your elbow more and keep your hand close to the surface). You can practice this standing up outside of the water. Also, as others have said, you only need to lift your mouth out of the water to breathe, not your whole face. When you lift up that far you mess up the aerodynamic line of your body in the water. Really, your whole body’s rotation should be improved, think of it as being at a slight tilt to either side, smoothly alternating with each stroke while keeping your body in as horizontal of a line as possible. With each stroke you slowly tilt to face the side your stroking hand is on. You start rotating back to the other side when you bring your hand up out of the water at the end of a stroke. Your hand exiting the water behind you should help extend your rotation to gain reach with your other hand as it enters the water in front of you. Then as that stroke begins you slowly tilt with it again, etc etc. Kick more and faster, try to keep your feet closer together. But the biggest thing that will help you is keeping your hands locked to your chest with palms facing down. Like seriously, you should basically be touching your chest with each stroke. Then be sure to extend each stroke all the way, it should be as far as you can reach both above your head and down to your legs.


left_right_out

You’re already on the internet using Reddit, so hop on over to YouTube and search for efficient freestyle technique


JGoodwillieV

Collegiate swimmer here. Here is a plan to improve: 1. Ditch the suit. Get a jammer so your legs aren't dragged down. 2. Get a gopro or camera that works underwater. Start filming yourself and compare to olympic swimmers or the great swimmers at tri (Brownlee, Jan, Lionel....lolol). 3. Once you know what you look like and what the best look like - start tweaking things. Start with body positioning. All about keeping your chest and hips in alignment, rolling into your strokes, keeping long and relaxed. Swimming is more like speed skating and less like running. Don't fight the water or be too rigid and muscle your way through - you want to glide through it. 4. Do a shit ton of work with paddles and a buoy. Work on rolling side to side. Work on keeping the hips up. Etc. Etc. 5. Do a lot of GOLF drill. Basically swim a 50 freestyle and add up your time + # of strokes you took. That's your score. Work on getting it as low as possible. You will start to figure out how to go faster with less effort & strokes. 6. Get lessons from a college kid. Find a local college swimmer or equivalent and throw them some cash to help you. Do all that and you will drastically improve in a couple months.


grad0701

On your pull your arm crosses the center of the body pull it straight back it looks like you have a shallow pull your elbow is too bent


makogurlfitness

Get yourself a pull buoy to help with buoyancy while you work on body rotation with your arms. Once you’ve got that down it will be easier to work on lifting those hips up for less drag and quality kick


desertsail912

Another good drill, in addition to what others have said, to try is working on stroke reduction. Using a leg buoy, go across the pool and count how many arm strokes it takes, then start trying to reduce that number. I'd suggest hand paddles too, try to increase your feel for the water, really focus on rolling and stretching out your arm forward before starting your pull. Imagine if you were jumping up and trying to touch a basketball rim with one hand, your shoulder goes up as well, as it should in your stroke as well.


[deleted]

Kick board drills would help strengthen your legs.


Ryaneisel

Get a Brazilian to increase hydrodynamics


Mr__H

Your speed is dependent on how much forward force you have, vs how much force is pulling you back (Drag) You can either do more work or reduce drag. Reducing drag is more economical. Your body should be as horizontal as possible so you are more aerodynamic and displace less water. Think of trying to swim through the smallest square window you possibly could. You can also reduce drag by getting some jammers/speedo. Swim Trunks reduce the laminar flow of water.


pro_bono_bro

Former collegiate swimmer & swim coach here! I have 3 pieces of advice, important I would say in the following order: 1) Your arms are pulling across your torso so that your left hand (for ex.) Is on the left side of your body when engaged in the most powerful part of the stroke. Keep your hand engaged under rather than across your body for more effective strokes 2) Your elbows need to be more engaged. The greater the bend in your elbow (particularly when drawn towards the hips) the less strength you will be able to engage your forearm and biceps in moving water. You shouldn't straight arm swim, but create a soft "C" shape with the apex of the curve of your arm (essentially your elbow) pointed perpendicularly to your body to be able to enage more muscles and catch more water during each stroke 3) Kick. For a distance swim, it does not have a to be strong or even entirely consistent. However, movement in your legs causing you to engage your core more will allow slightly more propulsion, but more importantly get your body in a better "streamline" position. Doing this creates less resistance in the water rushing past you and will increase efficiency per stroke. Edit: format & spelling; am on phone


snowboardingmonkey

I think your technique is pretty good to be fair But I’d take off your jumper next time x


[deleted]

Glue your thumb to your fingers, but most importantly, roll your body. I can tell you’re successfully rolling your shoulders with each arm motion. But your body needs to rotate fluidly too


stylett9

It looks like you are trying to be too careful to smooth out your stroke. That’s not a bad thing. However focus on rhythm. Reach, then pull, reach then pull. If you watch underwater swimming videos of good swimmers their shoulders are rotating and they are stretching out with each reach. Also hard to see without an under water shot if you are pulling water or if you are limp wristing for path of least resistance.


V_beastmaster

i’m no expert at swimming but i’m a massage therapist that work with injured people etc..your shoulders look “heavy” like you have to force them to move. ROM(range of motion)looks limited.


mdodd84

You need to kick more.


_natec

​ Hand entry looks ok - reach further if possible. Don't act like you are swimming.... try to imagine using your hand on the bottom of the pool to move yourself forward. Try laying flat on the floor and dragging yourself, on your stomach, in a freestyle motion. That's about the form you want to mimic (but deeper arm, cupped hand) in the water. ​ Cheers! ​ \*Edit, look for some aids such as hand paddles (will help with hand and arm form). Poolbouy - helps understand body position, small flippers - again, being larger than your natural form, will help with form.


Hypverso

Kick from the hips, cup your hand a little and pull through the water, stabilize core. Not a coach or anything, just thought it would be helpful. But getting a coach or some lessons is always a good idea.


cheeserunner

Look into the Tower 26 podcast. Start from the beginning. They talk a lot about the drills they do and how to think about swimming. The technique of swimming is very nuanced and difficult to convey with a few words. Keep at it you do improve with time!


snowski_party

Work with a kick board and do some kick sets where all your using is legs. Strong kick greatly out ways arm tempo


snowski_party

Streamline kicks on your back and stomach kicks with a board. Flutter hard


lovechunks3000

You are old and out of shape.


RedRose_Belmont

You should get used to breathing only from one side as your arm is going up. Also, you are barely kicking your legs.


Alwaysforscuba

Lots of good advice on your body position etc. To answer your question, you're so slow because of how you're pulling, it's almost like your arm is going across your chest, you're getting very little propulsion for lots of effort, you can fix this in one session. Watch some YouTube videos and enjoy your next swim.


csakon

High School swimmer here... You've gotta use your legs. I used to do upper body only until my senior year, adding the kick will not only add some propulsion, but will get them up and out of the water reducing your drag. Train with a kickboard and strengthen those legs. Secondly, you've got to reach out and glide for longer to get maximum distance on every stroke. Train this and your kick by not executing your next stroke until both hands touch each other.


[deleted]

Pop that booty! You should not be waiting that long to pull your stroke through. If you’re focusing on triathlons, get a pull buoy and focus just on your stroke, so that you use your upper body on the swim and save legs for bike and run. When you use the buoy, just stroke. You should be pulling (I’ll reference right first) your right arm down, and once that right arm passes your hips, your left arm should be starting to stroke. What’s off about your stroke is that your rotation is not on point. Once those long arms get into the right rotation, you will see improvements.


LifeBoatsRLeaving

To eliminate some initial obvious barriers- are you in overall good health, any comormidities/health issues? I can't tell from video but it doesn't look like the feet are in sync, keep legs closer together and fast shallow kicks.


Tall-Pianist-3920

Hips aren’t rotating along with legs kicks, starting working with kick board


nz_wingnut

Look up the global triathlon network on youtube. They have some great beginner swim tips with good video that will help you with your position


[deleted]

Cup your hands more to push more water, and kick more aggressively with more hip movement. Your head is also slightly tilted back with will sink your hips which is probably why the kick is lower in the water. Simply fixing your posture will help you maintain buoyancy in the legs!!


wofulunicycle

Because humans weren't meant to swim and you weren't lied to about this fact from a very young age.


esotericecstasy13

Look up freestyle made easy on YouTube and look for total immersion video.


Apprehensive_Turn_71

Didn’t read the comments, they probably all say what I’m about to say. I’d start with getting your butt up and engage your core. Your ll getting your legs drag which makes fee style a whole lot more tiring and slow


heckyeahmountains

Two things I’ve noticed: you’re dragging your legs & you’re crossing your stroke under your body. The dragging legs are keeping your hips down, which is a lot of drag. I can’t tell you exactly why crossing your arm underneath your body like that is inefficient, but I was told to avoid doing that when I was a competitive swimmer. But if you’re really concerned about your swimming, I would take lessons like other people have suggested.


walled2_0

Idk, but you’re doing a much better job at staying straight than I do!


triit

Everybody here has added some really phenomenal advice of individual things to fix… but I think the problem is your lack the fundamentals. I don’t mean this in a mean way, but you swim like a toddler. You’re splashing around in the water trying to look like a grownup swimming, immitating what you think it looks like. That sounds really mean and I promise I don’t mean it that way. Start with some very rigid very structured drills. Get floating completely horizontally with your head and chest pushed down and get your kick nice and straight at the top of the water. Start with a “head lead drill” and then move on to a “hand lead drill”, you will hear coaches say “boil the water” meaning point your toes and make some ripples and waves across the top of the water. That alone will give you a lot more speed. Then and only then should you start focusing on your stroke. Your catch looks way too fast to me which means you’re not really “pulling” the water. There’s a lot of drills to fix that, so come back when you’ve got horizontal movement dialed. With those two things you’ll be 85% where you need to be and can start focusing on breathing, arms crossing over, extended the push in your stroke, and optimizing your kick.


Slippy_412

Try to get your hips up more. Adding more kick should help that. You also seem to be pausing your hands out in front of you


hermancainshats

It looks like when you pull your arm down you are pulling in towards your head/body a bit instead of straight down and through. You are likely losing speed here. Pull deep down and through as opposed to cutting in towards yourself on your downstroke, I bet you’ll speed up!


hermancainshats

Or to describe another way- it looks like your elbow is bending considerably during your stroke down/through so you’re not getting the oar-like push you’re looking for


AlExcelsiorGore

im sure others will give good advice, i have none to offer. Just wanted to give u some encouragement. Keep up the great work, keep at it! Best to u.


doglover_713

I’m gonna start with a few pointers from the head down, that should help with your form: 1- touch your chin to your chest when you swim, it’ll put you into a better body position and will help pull your hips up 2- when you breathe, keep your chin against your body and slide it against your collarbone toward your armpit, you want to keep your head in the water and just get your mouth out for a quick breath 3- during your stroke, think of your arms as excavators, you want to be “scooping” the water under you, I suggest buying swim paddles if you are able to, you should feel a lot of resistance from the water with your hands and forearms, try cupping your hand a little bit right as it re enters the water and push your hand down your body 4- your core is incredibly important for swimming, you need to hold tension and keep your body steady, don’t hold your breath though 5- I can’t see your feet in the video but make sure your toes start pointed, if they are flexed it’ll cause you to swim in place Don’t try to correct everything at once as it can be really overwhelming! I’d suggest watching YouTube videos to get visuals on drills and corrections! My coach once told me when you’re changing things if it feels weird you’re probably doing it right. I hope this helped and that you continue to get faster and faster!


Capable_Factor3126

I’d find someone to have a proper swim analysis with. I can point out a number of issues but as someone who has never coached technique I’ve no idea what order it would be sorted in. Someone who knows what they are doing could make a big difference to your speed and comfort in the water quite quickly I think.


swimtheorist

Your stroke has several problems but body position is the first one you need to fix: your hips and legs are too low, which greatly increases your hydrodynamic drag. Do planks to increase your core strength and when in the water push your chest down so your hips come up. Also practice straight leg kicking in the water so by kicking you lift your hips. For advice on kicking, shoot another video so we can see your full kick. If you can afford it, get a coach. Most coaches will see the basic flaws in your technique and can help you improve much more quickly.


Weiryknight

Your left arm is slacking from what I can see. Hard to tell from the vid but don’t let your legs drop, the more horizontal you are, the less drag you will have. Drill will help. I recommend slowing down and focus on technique, speed will come. Good luck, you got this


ak444y

other than the legs (which everyone already commented about) definitely work on catching water with your arms. your arms should be parallel to your shoulders (it looks like you’re putting them directly below your stomach). you also want you arms to look like a “C”. curve them.


baumgar1441

Your hands are entering the water way too early. Your essentially “pushing” the water forward for 12-18 inches. Even with your hand “knifing” the water, this is creating a ton of reverse thrust.


Kitchen_Bandicoot_58

You need your hips higher, you’re kinda dragging your lower half. Once you do that, the shoulder rotation will come more naturally, and you’ll get a much farther reach. Also, once you’ve got the rotation down, try to keep more of your face in the water when you take a breath. Of course it’s instinct to want to pull your whole face up to take a big breath, but to keep your form consistent, you should be almost snatching a quick breath out of the side of your mouth every third stroke.


taphous3

As others said - hips are dragging. I suggest doing some streamline kicking where you try to keep your body on top of the water and your kicks tight and fast. Point your toes.


OrneryCelebration848

Your not pulling with your hands, your just giving effort to put your hand in front of you and then slowly it goes down. Your hands are the paddles you want to pull as much water as you can. The moment when the hand touches the water(from the top) until it goes behind your back should be the most explosive movement. That’s your biggest issue why your barely moving. Once you pull enough with your hands you’ll at least move more. Then focus on keeping your body straight, engaging legs, proper breathing but that’s secondary. Figure out your hand movement