An ENer posted some thoughts about swimming which neatly summarized its essence:
…The only thing I consistently see [when looking at videos of top-flight swimmers] is streamlined body and forearm perpendicular to the floor/fingertips down (which I think is also what is meant by having a “feel” for the water or good “catch”)….
That prompted me to think about the essence of swimming. People obsess about myriads of little things in their stroke; they can’t all be equally important. Moving forward in swimming actually comes down to two simple concepts, hinted at above.
I’ve been swimming competitively for 55 years now, and when I was younger, swam on teams with Olympic and NCAA Division 1 champions. I was/am a very poor swimmer in relation to them, and also have had the “privilege” of watching my swimming suddenly deteriorate with first a spinal cord injury, and then with age. This means I have had to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what makes for effective swimming. I’ve concluded that “feel” for the water is indeed the most critical part of swimming fast. But what does this actually mean? What your hands and forearms are doing under the water is really what makes you go forward.
Very small changes in hand position make big differences. EG, imagine what happens if your hand slid thru the water with the little finger was leading the way instead of palm facing the wall behind you – you don’t “grab” any water, and your hand just slips thru, almost unimpeded. Forward progress is dramatically impeded. Now think of what might happen if the little finger is just a *little* bit ahead of the thumb as the hand moves backwards. Some slippage, less forward movement. There is an ideal position, and finding it is what is meant by “feel” – making sure your hand is in the strongest possible position. Paying attention to how the water “feels” against your hand and forearm is the best way to work on proper positioning.
Proper positioning occurs in three dimensions. The fingers should be point down towards the bottom. The palm should be facing and parallel to the wall you are coming from. The forearm and hand should be a single unit; no bending at the wrist. All of this requires subtle control at each of the three major joints of the arm: wrist, elbow, shoulder.
In addition, “splay” of the fingers matters. Tight together is not as effective as a *very* slight separation between the digits. Also, cupping the hand is better than a perfectly flat palm.
The hand/arm unit then becomes a paddle, to be moved by the larger muscles of the torso: the latissimus dorsii and the pectoralis. Maintaining a stiff core, and using some body rotation adds to the strength of those efforts.
Second most important is the impact of hydro resistance presented by body position. Basically, the flatter the better. Kicking at least for a long distance swimmer, is effective primarily to the extent it keeps the legs in line with the torso, and the entire body horizontal, parallel to the surface of the water. Because water becomes denser the deeper one goes, riding higher towards the surface matters. Flopping the hips side to side, instead of rotating around the long axis, also impedes forward progress. The farther off line the hand/arm is from the shoulder, the more the hips have to move from one side to the other to compensate. That’s what determines the best place for the hand to enter the water.
Coaches go on and on about all the little details of swimming technique. As you listen to that, it should be filtered through the questions, “How does this maximize the effect of my hands/forearms moving through the water at the best possible angle?”, and, “How does this minimize the resistance my body presents to the water?” (being more “hydro”/aero.) Every single point any coach makes about technique ultimately comes back to those two concepts.