We answer another reader’s question on the vexing question of improving your “catch”
I feel I am working hard, but I still get overtaken by swimmers who appear to be swimming effortlessly.
I am constantly working on my catch and though it is effective, I feel that it needs more work.
I have been told by a seasoned swimmer that ‘older’ swimmers tend to execute a poor catch, but to try to slightly rotate my arm as I pull my stroke back as to rotate my elbow in an upward facing position, would maximise my catch and possibly give me twenty seconds faster per 100 metres.
Can you offer any advice on this technique?
There’s a lot to unpick in this question.
Let’s start with what swimmers mean when they talk about the “catch”. This is the first part of the stroke where you set up your hand and forearm to press back on the water and move you forward.
It’s a critical part of the stroke, and an important factor in moving quickly and efficiently through the water.
Multi-factorial
But – and this is important for your question – it’s not the only factor. I’m sorry, but I’m sceptical about the claim that maximising your catch would make you 20s faster per 100m.
To swim faster, you need (among other things) a good head and body position, just the right amount of rotation, a relaxed arm recovery, the optimal hand entry point, great timing, powerful rhythm, and strength and endurance in key swimming muscles.
Improving your catch in isolation is a worthwhile thing to do. But to see the type of improvement you mentioned above, you will need to work on all the factors that contribute to faster swimming.
That said, working on your catch could help improve other aspects of your stroke, such as body position and timing. It will certainly improve your self-awareness in the water, which is an important skill in itself.
Take care
Regarding the specific technique you mentioned – rotating the elbow upwards – I would treat this with caution.
The idea behind it is that it helps you get your arm into a better position for the next part of the stroke. Try it on land first so you can feel how this might work, and then try it in the water. Does it actually help you get your arm into a better position? Or does it add a complication that you don’t need?
The movement is subtle, and you may be doing it anyway. There are a couple of dangers in trying to emphasise the movement. First, you may start the movement too soon and internally rotate the shoulder during hand entry, leading to a thumb-first entry and associated risks of injury. Second, you might add a pause and lose fluency in your stroke.
Don’t pull, press
I noticed in your question that you referred – as many people do – to “pull”. If you were going to ring a church bell, you would pull down on the rope. Imagine doing that now. Your elbows would lead the movement and be pointed down. This works for ringing bells but is sub-optimal for swimming.
Instead, imagine doing a muscle-up to get out of the pool. Better still, try it next time you’re in the water. You would put your hands about shoulder width apart and press down. Your elbows need to move up and outwards to get you into position to press down and lift yourself out. This may be a more useful movement to think about than turning the elbow upwards.
Over a barrel
One visualisation trick that coaches and swimmers use is to imagine that you’re swimming over a barrel in the water. Picture yourself folding your arm over the barrel before pushing yourself past it. Another one is to simply think about pointing your fingers to the seabed or bottom of the pool, and then pressing back with your hand and forearm together.
No silver bullet
Unfortunately, improving your catch in isolation will not magically shave off significant time. And if you obsess about the catch and neglect other technique points, you may end up getting slower. You need to work on all the factors that contribute to faster swimming. Efficient front crawl requires the whole body working together.
The trick is to focus on one or two points at a time and then move on to something else. For example, you might spend half a session focusing on your catch and half on head position. In the next session, focus on something else. Then, in a week or two, check back in on our catch.
Also, bear in mind that you may lack the mobility to achieve the idealised catch position you see in elite athletes. You might have to compromise with a deeper hand entry. You could also benefit from doing shoulder mobility work outside of the pool.
Finally, be patient. You can make improvements to your technique, but it takes time to embed them in your muscle memory and sustain them under pressure and fatigue. My top tip is to let go of any notion of magical overnight improvements. Enjoy the lifelong improvement process. Keep experimenting, stay curious, keep asking questions and be kind to yourself – this is the Renaissance Swimmer approach.
p.s. The full Renaissance Swimmer project includes a comprehensive 5-part guide to refreshing your front crawl.
