MIT Tri Club Home

need headshot...

Endurance Swimming Assessment

Alon Goren

Arm Entry. You are bringing your arm down on top of the water with too much force, with your arm extended in the air too far out front. Instead of slapping the top of the water with your forearm, pierce the water with your fingertips and extend your arm forward.

Timing/Rotation. You are beginning your catch and pull too early, rotating your body by pulling it from one side to the other with your arms. You need to learn to drive your body rotation (and stroke) with your hips. You need to develop front quadrant timing, which keeps both arms out ahead of your body mass for a longer period of time.

Catch and Pull. Mostly because of your timing, you are pressing down on the water with a straight arm to begin the catch and pull. This asks too much of the shoulder and does nothing to move your body forward. Coordinate your catch and pull with your body rotation, so that you can leave your elbow and upper arm closer to the surface, get your hand and forearm vertical under your elbow (by bending your elbow first), and then press back toward your feet using your hand and forearm like the blade of a paddle. This should engage your lats and pecs much earlier so that you are depending much less on your shoulders for the catch and pull.