Understand Why We Do The Drill, :
- Helps you establish a connection with the water on your hands and forearm
- Teaches you to keep your fingers below your elbow
- Reinforces a good catch position
- Teaches you to extend without dropping the elbow
- Teaches you to reach from the lats and hips
- Teaches you to keep an open armpit and a high elbow through the pull
- Helps you repeatedly feel the catch phase of the stroke
How To Do It:
Body Position:
- Laying face down in the water
- Arms should be extended out in front of you in the “Number 11 Position”
- Legs should be extended out behind you
- Head and neck into a neutral position
- Make your body as long as you can
The Movement:
- Once you have reached as far as you can, drop both your hands and forearms (your paddle) down below your elbow so they are pointed backwards toward your feet.
- Your elbows should be slightly outside the line of your shoulders and your finger tips lined up with your hips.
- Push back powerfully to your hip with both arms at the same time
- Glide with your hands by your hips for a few seconds to feel how effective you were at moving yourself forward.
- When you need to breathe raise your head (so only your mouth comes out the water) breath in through your mouth and place your head back down in the water.
Things To Focus On:
- Don’t rush through the movement – focus on feeling the water
- Focus on the sensation and pressure on your paddle
- Shoulders stay fairly stationary at the start of the movement, focus on your elbows down to your fingers
- Use your hand, wrist AND forearm to push water backwards directly toward your feet
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