MONS Athletics

Fingertip Drag

Swim freestyle and let the fingertips of the recovering arm trail the surface of the water from exit to entry. Forces a high elbow recovery and relaxed arm.

The one cue

“High elbow, soft hand”

The lesson

  1. 01

    Elbow leads the recovery

    Your elbow comes up and forward first; your hand follows underneath it.

  2. 02

    Trail the fingertips

    Let them skim the surface all the way from exit to entry, hand relaxed and soft.

  3. 03

    The height comes from the roll

    The high elbow is a result of your body rotating, not of shrugging your shoulder up. Rotate and the elbow lifts itself.

  4. 04

    The test

    Finish the recovery before you take a breath. Cutting it short for air is the usual break.

Watch for

  • Swinging the arm wide instead of leading with the elbow
  • Tense fingers — should be relaxed and dragging
  • Cutting the recovery short to breathe