Breakwater Freestyle 2 - MAC Feb 6, 2013
Session 2: Early-Vertical-Forearm Freestyle

In this session we focused on a few aspects of the early vertical forearm freestyle technique.

Scull #1 and Doggie Paddle

These two drills work well together. For both, use a pull-buoy and keep your head above water. Both of these are done flat on your belly (not a freestyle swimming position). Sculling trains your neuromuscular system to feel and respond to pressure on both your hand and forearm. If your hand and forearm are perpendicular to your direction of travel, applying force there will lever your body forward.

Perform the Scull #1 drill with your arms out ahead of you in the "11" position, bend your elbows to get your hands and forearms as vertical as possible. This may be only a slight downward slant at first. Move yourself forward by sculling your hands and forearms back and forth quickly - like windshield wipers. Here is an example YouTube (just look at the first of four sculling drills on this video): Sculling Swim Drill by David Glover and Enduranceworks.

For a detailed description of sculling, see the videos on my Video Clips - Sculling page.

Here is a YouTube video of the Doggie Paddle Drill without a pull buoy: Doggy Paddle. Do not not do this without a pull buoy unless you have a very strong kick. In freestyle you should endeavor to pull to the side of your body, but in this drill, since you are not rotating but rather staying flat on your belly, pull under your body without crossing your centerline. What you want to burn into your muscle memory here is bending your elbow and getting your hand and forearm perpendicular to your direction of travel before beginning to pull.

Other Drills for the Early Vertical Forearm Focus

Kickboard Single Arm Drill: This is a one-arm drill. Hold a kickboard out front with the unused arm. Keep your head above water for this drill. Use fins unless you have a very strong kick. Break the in-water portion of the arm stroke into four stages:

• Setup. This is the starting point, with the unused arm holding the kickboard and the stroking arm extended straight forward in front of the shoulder, to the side of or below the kickboard.
• Rock. Pull back slightly on the kickboard - this will lift your elbow and shoulder on that side, and rock your body slightly onto your extended side.
• Catch & Pull. As you start to rock back toward the kickboard side, bend the elbow of the stroking arm and quickly get your hand and forearm as vertical as possible, and then press straight back toward your feet. Make sure the catch happens before the pull.
• Recover. Return the stroking arm to the setup position. You can recover your arm in the air or under the water, it doesn't matter for this drill (we are focused on the catch and pull here).

6-1-6 Drill: Use fins for this drill unless you have a very strong kick. Kick in side balance for about six kicks, and then take a single stroke. As your setup hand passes your head, get a quick catch and perform a long pull, breathing and resting the stroking arm at your side at the end. Take a second breath and get balanced before repeating on the other side.

9-3-9 Drill: Like the above drill, but take three quick and smooth strokes, focusing on an early catch and pull. Breathe both before and after the stroke sequence (but not in the middle).

Next session we will continue our focus on the arm stroke.

Back to the Freestyle 2 program page.