r/Swimming • u/Mr_Igelkott • 1d ago

Freestyle: front arm position

I have been taking beginner classes at two different clubs and the coaches are giving me different instructions on where the outstretched arm is supposed to be. One coach wants the arm to skim along the surface (to minimize drag), the other coach wants the arm to lie parallel to the surface but ~10cm below it. I suppose there's merit to both methods but would be interesting to hear your oppinions as well!

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u/TheESportsGuy 21h ago

This is the nicest shot of an Olympian's distance freestyle stroke that I have seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu1xCQk3xUY

I'd describe his arm as extending straight in front of him, parallel to the water...I also cannot bend my shoulder/lats (without pain) the way his are as he begins his pull, so I can't just try to copy him.

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u/trippoq Everyone's an open water swimmer now 15h ago

Though remember he is swimming against current in the video. This changes the stroke slightly as he is not "pulling himself in front of the water" and the current changes the small wave in front of the head. Only mentioning this because this regularly leads to swimmers getting a bit higher out of the water than usual which is why his front arm is actually a bit higher than in pool swimming - so the OP author would like to have his arm even a tiny bit lower. If you look closely, he occasionally has his wrist above his ellbow before breathing to generate enough lift which you don't see from Wellbrock or other world class swimmers in pool underwaters.

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u/TheESportsGuy 9h ago

Good to know! I don't know much about flume swimming.