Swim I - Class 7 & 8 - Catch

WEEK 7 & 8 – CATCH

This week we worked on the arm stroke. It’s part of the stroke that is widely misunderstood and usually not broken down into pieces in a way that makes it understandable. There are three points:

1)      There is a specific amount of rotation for each individual that best sets up their arm to make the catch, usually between 45-60deg. This is based on shoulder flexibility. If over-rotation occurs, the catch is typically lost.

2)      The vast majority of swimmers should use a high-elbow catch type of stroke. It places the least strain on the shoulder and gives the widest range of motion with the forearm in a vertical position

3)      There is no pressure at the front end of the stroke as the hand and forearm move to the vertical position. It seems counter-intuitive that part of the stroke should be “passive”, but in reality, even most Olympic swimmers do it this way.

Note: Take a look at the catch broken down into pieces in the “Freestyle Stroke: Frame-By-Frame” blog on the same page as the class blogs.

In this clip, Natalie Coughlin has made a “high elbow catch” with her right arm. Her forearm and hand are vertical in the water and positioned in front of her head. This is the position we want to strengthen with drills. Side Kick and Sculling drills put the shoulder in this forward position and show how to apply force from there.

We begin with setting up the body via the Side Kick drill.

Side Kick (face down to breathe out) –

Natalie rotates more than some, about 60deg here. Notice her palm is flat out front, armpit is facing the bottom. She has very good shoulder mobility as do all professional swimmers. You may rotate less in order to keep your armpit toward the bottom. For the drill, you’ll put your head down and press your cheek to your armpit, looking straight at the bottom. Your kick will be angled with your body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ8iw8q2F9U

Natalie works so well from side to side, landing in perfect side kick position each stroke.

Phelps from below (check out the double-jointed elbow). Perfect lines on the right and left side. As he pulls with the left, there is little resistance side-to-side. As he extends the right, even though that side is much lower, his right leg is up out of view, producing little resistance as it gets ready to kick down.

Swim with Focus On Landing In Side Kick Position –

Practice Set:

Warm-up (400yd) – easy swimming, focused on lower abs in, eyes on the bottom, even rotation, especially to the non-breathing side. Alternately you may do posture work on deck and then focus on each posture point for equal distances.

Drill Set:

Do this set twice through in order to practice everything more than once. Another good practice is to drill down the pool and swim back with a skill focus. Either way, 500-1000yd of varied practice will make a tremendous difference.

Side Kick (100yd) – one arm is out for 25yd and then switch to the other for the return trip. Palm flat, armpit facing down, head down, body rotated up as much as possible without changing the first three points.

Side Kick Switch (100yd) –

Note: Make sure your head stays still through the switch from one side to the other, as if it’s on a skewer.

Do 10 kicks in the Side Kick position (head down), then begin to recover the arm from your side. As it passes your head, begin to pull through with the extended arm, take a breath and get your head down, ending in the Side Kick position on the other side. 10 more kicks and then switch again.

Swim “The Rails” (100yd) – focus on landing in perfect side kick position every stroke. Imagine there are a set of rails beneath you, about a foot apart, and that the length of your arm, the side of your body, and your leg must land on one rail before every stroke. Breathe every 3-5 strokes so you can feel it on both sides.

Sculling (100yd) – You’ll be face down, kicking lightly to keep your body at the surface. As we did in class, shrug your shoulders forward to move your elbows out beside your head. Your forearms will be hanging straight down beneath them. Now perform the small sculling motions with your hands, sometimes described as “figure eights”. You should feel pressure on both the in- and out-scull.

Swim (100yd) – Extend fully into the Side Kick position you just practiced. From there, slowly drop the hand and forearm down into the water, allowing your body’s momentum to carry you over that hand. Wait until your forearm is vertical before pulling back. For many of you this will feel “late”. There will be a surge forward as you pull and slowing as you glide over your catch.

Note: This slowing down happens with all swimmers. Even Olympians sometimes slow 50% in this zone, as they make their catch. It’s hard to see with the naked eye unless you’ve been watching swimming for years. Center of Mass studies, time and again, have shown this to happen. As you increase arm turnover, this delay lasts a shorter amount of time.