Freestyle - The Deep Catch

Why Do It: When scientists studied Olympic swimmers, they determined that a straight-arm pull...and we're talking straight-arm pull UNDER WATER... makes you faster than a bent-arm pull. You can read about their experiment here. The most important word in that study is "Olympic." If you're not a swimmer at that level, maybe a straight-arm pull is not the best solution. But that shouldn't keep you from experimenting. So here's a couple ideas. How to Do It: 1. Swim slow freestyle like you normally would, but initiate the stroke with a straighter arm...with very little bend in the elbow. Press the arm down into the catch. 2. Reach to the deepest point in the water that you're able to, without dipping your head or pressing down with your body. 3. Rotate a bit farther to your side to grab a bit more water. 4. You may want to open up, or make the recovery larger as well, to help drive the pulling arm down.