Many swimmers use a Catch-Up style when performing freestyle. One of their arms is often fully extended at the entry point as the other arm recovers (in the air) past the shoulder. In this scenario, no arm is pulling, and all they have to move down the pool is their kick, not the way to swim fast freestyle! Ideally, swimmers should have one arm pulling at all times, similar to the backstroke. Some Olympians use a Catch-Up or Gallop style, which has proven to be less efficient than Seamless Pulling.
Your challenge this week is to ensure that one of your arms is pulling water at all times. Any gap in your stroke means a loss of speed. Think of swimming backstroke, when swimming freestyle. It may take you a while to rewire your brain, but you’ll gain more momentum and achieve faster times.
