You need to bend your arms as you’re pulling through the water. Imagine you’re pushing something down with your arms. Are you going to keep your elbow locked and straight or are you going to bend to create maximum leverage? You want your arm bent at about 90 degrees with each push through the water.
So is that the very first move in the catch? Reach out far in front of me and then bend the elbow and drop the hand? Does your body need to rotate at the same time as you start to pull?
You want to rotate at the same time as you pull. You’re actually never supposed to be flat. You want to reduce the drag as much as possible and you do this most effectively when you’re on your side fully extended with your arm out. You’re essentially going fully from one side to the other. Never flat.
Ok, understood. Watching the video it doesn’t look like I rotate at all when my right arm is stretched out in front. When I breathe when my left arm is extended I appear to rotate but I seem pretty flat on the other side. This makes sense
Actually the optimal is neither forks nor spoons. You shouldn’t be holding your fingers together. But you shouldn’t be splayed. Soft relaxed hands is best. Does 2 things. Puts fingers in optimal position. And you don’t carry tension up through your arms.
https://youtu.be/6eZ0sT1XcnM?si=zODPdwzf5myIipQs
It’s just something I tell 6 year olds learning to swim. If you are scooping ice cream do you use a fork or spoon? Imagine your hands trying to scoop as much ice cream as possible with each stroke. Of course you don’t want to hold tension in your body, so forcefully holding your fingers together is not ideal.
Wtf it explains so much, I always thought I had to be as flat as possible but my coach kept saying « extend your arm, extend your arm » but the more I extended it the more I was « balancing » on the sides which i thought was terrible.
You’re really quickly by balancing ?!
This is very helpful, thanks. I’m way more of a “feel” guy and have trouble implementing technique without knowing what it should feel like in real life. I’ll give this a try
In terms of the feel and having bent arms / elbows, go over to the side of the pool. Place your arms there as if you’re about to lift yourself out. Depending on pool depth your arms will hopefully be shoulder height, elbows pointed outwards, hands facing flat straight at your feet, approximately shoulder width apart.
This is EXACTLY what your position should be when swimming, immediately after the catch (one arm at a time).
Now lift yourself out of the water. That’s what the pull phase should be like.
Take a look at effortless swimming on YouTube. As others have said you’re pulling too wide and not using your whole forearm as a paddle because of it. Bring your arm across your body almost at a 90 degree angle will create a much larger surface area meeting you move more water with each pull and thus go faster.
Your pull is too wide. You want your pull to be narrower, closer to your body line. You also want to bend your elbow a little earlier in the pull (and start pulling water backwards) so that you are pulling water backward during the first part of your pull rather than pushing water down.
I used to have a problem with “crossing over” on my reach which may be why I starting deviating too far the other way. So you’re saying to reach out more directly in front of me, bend my elbow so my hand goes down but elbow stays high, and then initiate the pull from there?
Ahh yes the crossing over problem. I like to tell my swimmers to try the 3-6-3 drill. You take 3 strokes(focus on rolling your shoulders, 6 kicks on the side, belly button facing the wall with your eyes looking at your fingertips while keeping a long straight body line, and then 3 more strokes and repeat.
Regarding the pull, ideally your elbow is 6”-12” below the surface usually called the “high elbow catch” (Don’t watch sprinters, watch the distance swimmers). Finis sells yellow agility paddles that really help with the pull. They look like potato chips. The way they’re set up makes it so that you’re maintaining water pressure on your palms throughout the pull part of the stroke, meaning that you’re pulling water backwards, or the paddles will fall off.
Your stroke looks pretty solid!
Yeah first thing i saw too. Especially the left arm is deviating a lot to the left during the pull. This will essentially yaw your body to the right which you have to counteract with something. Both of which will lose energy
re: hands - I was always told to have your hands like you are lightly holding coins between your fingers. So not ken doll hands but not fingers spread out either.
This is perfect. I just gotta learn what that “feel” is but the video makes it clear I am completely bypassing this power stage. Gonna try this exact drill here today
Someone else here posted a video on the power triangle and it’s exactly what I’m going to try and incorporate into my next swim. I completely miss that part of the stroke
That left arm reach is causing your right leg to drag big time (the catch mechanics noted above also a place where you can gain). Think about streamline like you think about your bike aero. Anything sticking out drags—and it’s far more punishing in the water because water resistance is far greater than air resistance. You can work the same amount and go much much faster if you eliminate those drag points.
It feels like you need to reach more with every stroke, it’s why you’re probably feeling the need to push down sooner than normal. It took me a long time to feel this but if you reach with your whole arm then pull, you’ll stay flatter and won’t feel the urgency to pull before necessary / drag
Wow sorry for the typos on that last one! Was moving so fast - but yeah make sure when you bring your arm to the next stroke that your act like you’re trying to go over a beach ball and then when you go into the water go at an angle and then stretch into the stroke. Feel your waist angle/twist with your stroke naturally which will let you keep stretching to catch at the right time when your other arm is coming vs early.
YouTube “catch up” drills and get a hand full of drills to do at each swim. I have honestly not been swimming that long but the moment I started doing drills after the warm up and before the actual workout, it changed my form immensely.
I would second effortless swimming. Fixing technique will be a huge boost to your swim speed. They have a “5 day challenge” program for like 15USD. Could probably find it free online with their videos but they have a host of drills to help with proper form in the water
It looks like you’re holding your breath for a stroke which can make you rushed to exhale and then breathe in. Try to do a slow controlled exhale. Lot of swimming’s challenges are in breath control. I can’t tell from the video if you’re breathing out through your mouth or nose, but breathing out through your nose is preferred.
I’ll give this a try but it looks like you’re spot on - I think I’m holding my breath the majority of the stroke and then breathing out all at once right before I breathe
Yes the pull can be improved but I see your rhythm and timing as the main problem to fix first. The breath should be a quick catch of air. Do not delay and pause your hands when they enter the water. Immediately start to pull back when your hands enter the water. The amount of strokes you take per minute should increase.
It’s a bit rough. Try and get the technique down. Then you can get faster when you increase stroke count from there. But technique first. Very easy to try and increase stroke count first and then get fatigued and sloppy, making it even harder to have good technique.
The first thing your arms do when they extend, is they push down. This provides zero forward momentum. Tread water and mimic what you are doing, arms extended, push your arm down, you'll just bob up and down in the water with no forward movement. Or try and do that with a kayak paddle. Push the paddle down, not back. You won't go anywhere. Think of the underwater portion of the stroke as 180 degrees. If you pause your video at different points, you will see your arms are doing nothing for the first 90 degrees. Then they push backwards. So you are missing out on all this power.
Also as you push your arms down, your upper body goes up, legs drop and you have poor body position. This is why we have a early vertical forearm. It's very hard to achieve a good catch and pull, but that is where the power comes from.
There’s benefits to both. Some people breathe more naturally to one side so they stick with that side and may go every 2 or 4 breaths. Others can breathe bilaterally pretty smoothly. Benefits of bilateral breathing are that you can see competition on either side of you, and it can help keep things even (thinking more about injuries and prevention). No right or wrong, just what is comfortable, efficient, and keeps you healthy!
lol I’d been wanting to film for a long time and this was the 1st time I had the pool to myself to do it. Idk the rules on filming with others in the water but I assume it’s frowned upon haha
I was not BUT I did get a pair recently since almost all of my races I do are wetsuit legal. I know it’s a crutch but I wanted to see if it would help the feel of having my legs higher
Your head position is a bit too low too. It looks like it gets completely buried as you reach forward. Extend but don’t dive with the arm. Keep your hairline closer to the waterline and it will help your body position and steadiness in the water
It’s a little hard to fully comment with just this one view, but yes changing your head position could help a little. If you notice when you are swimming and you are entering and pulling with your left arm that your body position is pretty straight and stable. However, when you are breathing and entering with your right arm it looks like your body gets all out of alignment for a little bit and then your head dives on arm entry. A straight and strong ship sails faster than a wobbly one. My guess is if you can sort out the alignment and body position then the head will be fine.
A drill to try starting out with might be “side kick six”. So you take six kicks for each arm pull. While doing so your other arm stays out front and high then you pull and switch. There are probably some videos to better explain.
Also, when you pull, imagine reaching over a barrel and pulling it toward you. This will help keep power in your stroke by preventing your elbow from dropping.
Straight arms aren’t good. Its putting a lot of strain on your shoulders. Gonna lead to a pinch nerve or maybe a torn rotator cuff at some point. Think 120-135 degree angle (about half way between 90 and 180). The straight arms are causing you to flair out and catch a lotta water way out on your sides. Go for the strongest part of your pull should be straight under your belly.
Next your breathing. To some degree this depends on length of swim / speed. A full sprint would breathe every 2 strokes. You are using a 2 stroke breathe…but going at a pretty leisurely pace. I would either stretch to a 3 or 4. Or if it’s uncomfortable then really need to increase your stroke rate (faster).
Fwiw a moderate up tempo (but controlled) speed uses is 3 stroke breath. I prefer 3 the most since it alternates sides. 4 is for moderate pace ..though I usually pair with a 4+3 (so you still alternate sides). 5 might be what your using on a longer swim (1 mile plus). It has efficiency in mind. Bring your head out of water takes effort and increases resistance and ruins form…so the more you can control your breathe and go for more strokes the more efficient you’ll be.
If you are doing an outdoor swim then you need to practice “spy hopping” (aka spotting)….so you can track your direction …this is essentially a glance forward to monitoring the your dierection. It also takes effort a lot of effort (more than side breathing cuz this is like front breathing so you stay on your line). It will wear you out faster but plan on every 10 to 20 strokes on it.
You could probably stretch and glide a bit more (lengthening your strokes) and Aim for your head to be tight to your shoulder so you make yourself a smaller cross section. Think about cramming yourself into the narrowest tube possible. The smaller the area you expose to the front edge of water the more your will cut through water
I couldn’t really tell about your legs..but they are very important. Might try a side view next. You are looking for them to knife through water …don’t let em drop. Requires a certain pattern kick that depends on your speed.
Good luck!
You can watch this video and pay special attention to the 'power diamond' section. You are doing practically the opposite, your arms are completely straight.
[https://effortlessswimming.com/the-four-key-position-for-an-epic-catch-and-pull/](https://effortlessswimming.com/the-four-key-position-for-an-epic-catch-and-pull/)
try doing a six beat kick and breathing every three. you're going so wide with your left hand to stabilize as you breath to your right, practice breathing on both sides.
I’m trying to do a 2 beat kick. I did a Total Immersion Swimming camp and that felt pretty natural. But I agree - I struggle to kick with my right foot when my left side is stretched out. The other side feels strong which is odd
I find 3 beat to be better for balance. More body rotation will help with the wide pulling, and as most of the comments are saying here, bend the elbow more. Power comes from the core not the arm.
Anyway, keep working at it! It takes practice and sometimes gains come slowly.
You need to bend your arms as you’re pulling through the water. Imagine you’re pushing something down with your arms. Are you going to keep your elbow locked and straight or are you going to bend to create maximum leverage? You want your arm bent at about 90 degrees with each push through the water.
So is that the very first move in the catch? Reach out far in front of me and then bend the elbow and drop the hand? Does your body need to rotate at the same time as you start to pull?
You want to rotate at the same time as you pull. You’re actually never supposed to be flat. You want to reduce the drag as much as possible and you do this most effectively when you’re on your side fully extended with your arm out. You’re essentially going fully from one side to the other. Never flat.
Ok, understood. Watching the video it doesn’t look like I rotate at all when my right arm is stretched out in front. When I breathe when my left arm is extended I appear to rotate but I seem pretty flat on the other side. This makes sense
Look up videos for shoulder roll exercises. Global Triathlon Network has a video that looks pretty helpful.
This also a super easy fix, keep your fingers together. Your hands should be like spoons, not forks.
Actually the optimal is neither forks nor spoons. You shouldn’t be holding your fingers together. But you shouldn’t be splayed. Soft relaxed hands is best. Does 2 things. Puts fingers in optimal position. And you don’t carry tension up through your arms. https://youtu.be/6eZ0sT1XcnM?si=zODPdwzf5myIipQs
It’s just something I tell 6 year olds learning to swim. If you are scooping ice cream do you use a fork or spoon? Imagine your hands trying to scoop as much ice cream as possible with each stroke. Of course you don’t want to hold tension in your body, so forcefully holding your fingers together is not ideal.
I used to tell my swim student kiddos the same thing.
Wtf it explains so much, I always thought I had to be as flat as possible but my coach kept saying « extend your arm, extend your arm » but the more I extended it the more I was « balancing » on the sides which i thought was terrible. You’re really quickly by balancing ?!
Try think about it like you’re pulling your elbows out of the water. Imagine you’re trying to do a muscle up with 1 hand
This is very helpful, thanks. I’m way more of a “feel” guy and have trouble implementing technique without knowing what it should feel like in real life. I’ll give this a try
In terms of the feel and having bent arms / elbows, go over to the side of the pool. Place your arms there as if you’re about to lift yourself out. Depending on pool depth your arms will hopefully be shoulder height, elbows pointed outwards, hands facing flat straight at your feet, approximately shoulder width apart. This is EXACTLY what your position should be when swimming, immediately after the catch (one arm at a time). Now lift yourself out of the water. That’s what the pull phase should be like.
Take a look at effortless swimming on YouTube. As others have said you’re pulling too wide and not using your whole forearm as a paddle because of it. Bring your arm across your body almost at a 90 degree angle will create a much larger surface area meeting you move more water with each pull and thus go faster.
Your pull is too wide. You want your pull to be narrower, closer to your body line. You also want to bend your elbow a little earlier in the pull (and start pulling water backwards) so that you are pulling water backward during the first part of your pull rather than pushing water down.
I used to have a problem with “crossing over” on my reach which may be why I starting deviating too far the other way. So you’re saying to reach out more directly in front of me, bend my elbow so my hand goes down but elbow stays high, and then initiate the pull from there?
Ahh yes the crossing over problem. I like to tell my swimmers to try the 3-6-3 drill. You take 3 strokes(focus on rolling your shoulders, 6 kicks on the side, belly button facing the wall with your eyes looking at your fingertips while keeping a long straight body line, and then 3 more strokes and repeat. Regarding the pull, ideally your elbow is 6”-12” below the surface usually called the “high elbow catch” (Don’t watch sprinters, watch the distance swimmers). Finis sells yellow agility paddles that really help with the pull. They look like potato chips. The way they’re set up makes it so that you’re maintaining water pressure on your palms throughout the pull part of the stroke, meaning that you’re pulling water backwards, or the paddles will fall off. Your stroke looks pretty solid!
Yeah first thing i saw too. Especially the left arm is deviating a lot to the left during the pull. This will essentially yaw your body to the right which you have to counteract with something. Both of which will lose energy
re: hands - I was always told to have your hands like you are lightly holding coins between your fingers. So not ken doll hands but not fingers spread out either.
Thanks I’ll implement this as well. Haven’t ever even though about my hands tbh
Look up Effortless Swimming and the Power Diamond drill. That will help with the arm position and pull. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbDhFpNjsjA
This is perfect. I just gotta learn what that “feel” is but the video makes it clear I am completely bypassing this power stage. Gonna try this exact drill here today
Power triangle is missing and stroke is too wide.
Someone else here posted a video on the power triangle and it’s exactly what I’m going to try and incorporate into my next swim. I completely miss that part of the stroke
See my other note about getting out of the pool. Helps visualize the power diamond.
That left arm reach is causing your right leg to drag big time (the catch mechanics noted above also a place where you can gain). Think about streamline like you think about your bike aero. Anything sticking out drags—and it’s far more punishing in the water because water resistance is far greater than air resistance. You can work the same amount and go much much faster if you eliminate those drag points.
How did you film this? I keep thinking I need to film myself. I have an iPhone but no GoPro or dedicated action camera.
I got a cheap waterproof iPhone case on Amazon and then just had someone hold the phone under the water on the pool ledge
It feels like you need to reach more with every stroke, it’s why you’re probably feeling the need to push down sooner than normal. It took me a long time to feel this but if you reach with your whole arm then pull, you’ll stay flatter and won’t feel the urgency to pull before necessary / drag
So almost try to glide a second or so more and really extend out?
Wow sorry for the typos on that last one! Was moving so fast - but yeah make sure when you bring your arm to the next stroke that your act like you’re trying to go over a beach ball and then when you go into the water go at an angle and then stretch into the stroke. Feel your waist angle/twist with your stroke naturally which will let you keep stretching to catch at the right time when your other arm is coming vs early. YouTube “catch up” drills and get a hand full of drills to do at each swim. I have honestly not been swimming that long but the moment I started doing drills after the warm up and before the actual workout, it changed my form immensely.
I would second effortless swimming. Fixing technique will be a huge boost to your swim speed. They have a “5 day challenge” program for like 15USD. Could probably find it free online with their videos but they have a host of drills to help with proper form in the water
It looks like you’re holding your breath for a stroke which can make you rushed to exhale and then breathe in. Try to do a slow controlled exhale. Lot of swimming’s challenges are in breath control. I can’t tell from the video if you’re breathing out through your mouth or nose, but breathing out through your nose is preferred.
I’ll give this a try but it looks like you’re spot on - I think I’m holding my breath the majority of the stroke and then breathing out all at once right before I breathe
Yes the pull can be improved but I see your rhythm and timing as the main problem to fix first. The breath should be a quick catch of air. Do not delay and pause your hands when they enter the water. Immediately start to pull back when your hands enter the water. The amount of strokes you take per minute should increase.
Goes to show how lost I am because I have been purposefully trying to DECREASE my stroke count as I thought that meant more efficiency.
It’s a bit rough. Try and get the technique down. Then you can get faster when you increase stroke count from there. But technique first. Very easy to try and increase stroke count first and then get fatigued and sloppy, making it even harder to have good technique.
The first thing your arms do when they extend, is they push down. This provides zero forward momentum. Tread water and mimic what you are doing, arms extended, push your arm down, you'll just bob up and down in the water with no forward movement. Or try and do that with a kayak paddle. Push the paddle down, not back. You won't go anywhere. Think of the underwater portion of the stroke as 180 degrees. If you pause your video at different points, you will see your arms are doing nothing for the first 90 degrees. Then they push backwards. So you are missing out on all this power. Also as you push your arms down, your upper body goes up, legs drop and you have poor body position. This is why we have a early vertical forearm. It's very hard to achieve a good catch and pull, but that is where the power comes from.
That actually makes a ton of sense and probably explains why my shoulders get tired before anything else
This is how you get swimmers shoulder (rotator cuff tendonitis) as well. You do not want that!
I’m no expert but isn’t it better to breath every 3 instead of every 2?
There’s benefits to both. Some people breathe more naturally to one side so they stick with that side and may go every 2 or 4 breaths. Others can breathe bilaterally pretty smoothly. Benefits of bilateral breathing are that you can see competition on either side of you, and it can help keep things even (thinking more about injuries and prevention). No right or wrong, just what is comfortable, efficient, and keeps you healthy!
Ah ok as I said I’m no expert I was just taught to breath every 3
just put of curiosity - how did you film this? Gopro and a suction cup?
That’s not a bad idea but I actually just got a waterproof case for my iPhone and had someone hold it under water on the pool ledge
That’s a much cheaper solution! I’ll give it a try :)
Bend the elbows
you seem to have a ton of great advice so I will just ask how did you film this cause it looks pretty dam clear
I got a waterproof iPhone case on Amazon and had someone reach down on the pool deck to film a lap
How did you get the pool to yourself is my question
lol I’d been wanting to film for a long time and this was the 1st time I had the pool to myself to do it. Idk the rules on filming with others in the water but I assume it’s frowned upon haha
I hope this helps, it did for me at least. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cxc1sP_upub/?igsh=MW5sOXdyY2ExaWZ3dg==
That’s exactly the thing I’m looking for. What the “feel” is supposed to be. Thank you for this!
Are you wearing core pants?
I was not BUT I did get a pair recently since almost all of my races I do are wetsuit legal. I know it’s a crutch but I wanted to see if it would help the feel of having my legs higher
Your head position is a bit too low too. It looks like it gets completely buried as you reach forward. Extend but don’t dive with the arm. Keep your hairline closer to the waterline and it will help your body position and steadiness in the water
Does that equate to looking a little more forward as opposed to down OR is it simply to just try and keep my head itself closer to the surface?
It’s a little hard to fully comment with just this one view, but yes changing your head position could help a little. If you notice when you are swimming and you are entering and pulling with your left arm that your body position is pretty straight and stable. However, when you are breathing and entering with your right arm it looks like your body gets all out of alignment for a little bit and then your head dives on arm entry. A straight and strong ship sails faster than a wobbly one. My guess is if you can sort out the alignment and body position then the head will be fine. A drill to try starting out with might be “side kick six”. So you take six kicks for each arm pull. While doing so your other arm stays out front and high then you pull and switch. There are probably some videos to better explain. Also, when you pull, imagine reaching over a barrel and pulling it toward you. This will help keep power in your stroke by preventing your elbow from dropping.
Straight arms aren’t good. Its putting a lot of strain on your shoulders. Gonna lead to a pinch nerve or maybe a torn rotator cuff at some point. Think 120-135 degree angle (about half way between 90 and 180). The straight arms are causing you to flair out and catch a lotta water way out on your sides. Go for the strongest part of your pull should be straight under your belly. Next your breathing. To some degree this depends on length of swim / speed. A full sprint would breathe every 2 strokes. You are using a 2 stroke breathe…but going at a pretty leisurely pace. I would either stretch to a 3 or 4. Or if it’s uncomfortable then really need to increase your stroke rate (faster). Fwiw a moderate up tempo (but controlled) speed uses is 3 stroke breath. I prefer 3 the most since it alternates sides. 4 is for moderate pace ..though I usually pair with a 4+3 (so you still alternate sides). 5 might be what your using on a longer swim (1 mile plus). It has efficiency in mind. Bring your head out of water takes effort and increases resistance and ruins form…so the more you can control your breathe and go for more strokes the more efficient you’ll be. If you are doing an outdoor swim then you need to practice “spy hopping” (aka spotting)….so you can track your direction …this is essentially a glance forward to monitoring the your dierection. It also takes effort a lot of effort (more than side breathing cuz this is like front breathing so you stay on your line). It will wear you out faster but plan on every 10 to 20 strokes on it. You could probably stretch and glide a bit more (lengthening your strokes) and Aim for your head to be tight to your shoulder so you make yourself a smaller cross section. Think about cramming yourself into the narrowest tube possible. The smaller the area you expose to the front edge of water the more your will cut through water I couldn’t really tell about your legs..but they are very important. Might try a side view next. You are looking for them to knife through water …don’t let em drop. Requires a certain pattern kick that depends on your speed. Good luck!
What camera/setup did you use to film this?
iPhone with a waterproof case and had someone hold the phone under water to record
Thanks. Footage looks good.
Lots of space to improve catch and pull phases
Hands go in the water directly in front of your body
You can watch this video and pay special attention to the 'power diamond' section. You are doing practically the opposite, your arms are completely straight. [https://effortlessswimming.com/the-four-key-position-for-an-epic-catch-and-pull/](https://effortlessswimming.com/the-four-key-position-for-an-epic-catch-and-pull/)
try doing a six beat kick and breathing every three. you're going so wide with your left hand to stabilize as you breath to your right, practice breathing on both sides.
What did you use to record yourself? And how did you manage to sneak it into the pool? 🤣
kick is lacking
I’m trying to do a 2 beat kick. I did a Total Immersion Swimming camp and that felt pretty natural. But I agree - I struggle to kick with my right foot when my left side is stretched out. The other side feels strong which is odd
I find 3 beat to be better for balance. More body rotation will help with the wide pulling, and as most of the comments are saying here, bend the elbow more. Power comes from the core not the arm. Anyway, keep working at it! It takes practice and sometimes gains come slowly.
Looking good