The Race Club
- How to Pull Underwater Drills Comments: Drills for learning the early
vertical forearm catch and pull, by Gary Hall Sr. The most important thing to
practice initially is sculling with the hands and forearms vertical, and the elbows
as far out front as possible.
Go Swim - EVF Comments: Early Vertical
Forearm drill using a front-mount FINIS snorkel. You can do the drill without
the snorkel.
Go Swim - Practice the Catch Comments: Slowing
down and focusing on the catch.
Go Swim - 3L/3R Single-Arm Comments: This drill
is more about the arm you are not stroking with.
Go Swim - Fingertip Drag Comments: One of the
most valuable drills for endurance swimmers.
Go Swim - Mega Catch-Up Drill Comments: Great
drill to focus on the early vertical forearm catch and pull.
Go Swim - Water Polo Wide Catch Comments: Avoid
crossing the centerline, and keep those arms tracking straight.
Go Swim - Head-Up Swimming Comments: Helps
you to feel the catch, and keep the arms wide (see above).
Go Swim - Finis Forearm Fulcrum Comments: A
great tool to help learn the early vertical forearm catch.
Go Swim: DRYLAND - EVF Isometric Exercise
Comments:
If any of this hurts, stop or back off a bit. Otherwise, I strongly recommend
that you master this dryland exercise in three stages. Watch the video first,
and then perform the exercise a couple of times a day. Do not rush it. It will
take some time to "learn" to rotate your arms externally to the point
where your elbows face the ceiling at the 11-and-1 o'clock position.
First
just learn to rotate your arms in your shoulder sockets, without applying any
pressure on your hands.
Increase your range of motion. The goal is to
rotate your elbows straight up toward the ceiling. Start by moving your arms back
towards a 9-and-3 o'clock position (assuming 12 is straight ahead) until you can
get your elbows rotated straight up, comfortably. Then move your arms slightly
forward toward the 11 o'clock - 1 o'clock position and start the exercise. Start
slowly, rotating your arm externally in your shoulder socket, and rotating your
entire "shoulder assembly" toward your head. Then speed up the action
as the movement becomes more comfortable. When you can perform this at the 11-and-1
o'clock position - or as close to that position as you are going to get - you
are ready for the next stage.
After rotating the elbows, practice applying
pressure on the heel of your hand (not your fingers). But be sure not to apply
pressure until after you get to your maximum rotation point.
High Elbow Catch Training with the Halo
Trainer Comments: A useful tool for training yourself not to drop the
elbow.
Coach Al Lyman - EVF Technique on
the Vasa Ergometer Comments: Coach Al Lyman and Lizbeth Kenyon demonstrate
how to practice the Early Vertical Forearm cach on the Vasa Ergometer.
The "Power of the Y" with
swimmer Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen Comments: How to engage the correct (big)
muscles during the pull.
I've replaced this clip with a pointer to the Vasa
ERG YouTube channel. I like all of the tips from Karlyn and the other two coaches
- Tim Crowley and Al Lyman. (I own a Vasa ERG and love it!)
