Front Scull
Lie face down, arms out front, and sweep your hands a hand's width in and out, fingertips down and elbows high. It teaches the catch: the moment your hand first holds the water, before you pull.
catch · No equipment · In Find the Catch
Why it works: Chapter 34, What does a long swim stroke need from your body?
The one cue
Fingertips down, elbows high
How to do it
- 1
Float long, arms forward
Face down, hands just inside shoulder width, body flat. A pull buoy between the thighs keeps the legs up, or kick lightly.
- 2
Fingertips down, elbows high
Bend the elbows a little so they sit above the wrists, and the wrists above the fingertips.
- 3
Sweep out, sweep in
A hand's width out and back, never wider than your shoulders. Tilt the palms a little outward as you sweep out and a little inward as you sweep in, like spreading butter both ways. Move from the forearm and hand, not the shoulder. Go slowly.
- 4
The test
You feel water on your palm and the inside of your forearm, and you creep forward, slower than walking. Drifting backwards means your palms face forward: tip the fingertips down.
- 5
Breathe without lifting
Use a snorkel if you have one. Without one, breathe out slowly through your nose while you scull for 5 to 8 seconds, then press both hands down, lift your chin to breathe and settle flat again. Holding the head up the whole time sinks your hips.
Watch for
- Flat palms sweeping side to side. You go nowhere.
- Elbows dropping below the hands. The pressure slips off the forearm.
- Hands drifting wider than the shoulders. The sweep turns into a pull and you lose the feel.
- Kicking hard. The legs move you and the hands learn nothing.