Swimming is the sport that intimidates many new triathletes, especially those that are late onset swimmers. The best way to develop the proper freestyle technique is to break it up into each specific part. This series is going to cover the various aspects of the freestyle stroke and how you can focus on one specific area of your stroke on your journey to successful swimming.
What is the Catch?
The catch is the first part of the stroke, and it determines how effective the pull phase of your stroke is. Many swim coaches will use the phase “grab water” when they are referring to the catch of the stroke; it sounds impossible to grab water, but the way that you set up your stroke will help you develop the most efficient stroke possible. You want to have a little bit of space between your fingers so that you can keep your fingers strong and increase surface area, without decreasing propulsion.
Initiating the Catch
As your arm enters the water, you want to “anchor” your arm by implementing a high elbow catch, as shown here. As you set up your catch, you want to bend your wrist, keep a strong hand, and point the fingertips down. This is creating your “anchor” and setting you up for a proper catch.
How to Improve your Catch
As you develop the “feel for the water” (another swim coaching term that you may have heard”, initiating the proper catch will become more comfortable. One way that you can develop your catch is to utilize a swim snorkel (Finis Swim Snorkel) and pull buoy (Finis Pull Buoy) so that you are focusing solely on the upper body and keeping your body in alignment. Another way that you can develop your catch is to use swim paddles (TYR Catalyst Swim Paddles) so that you create a greater surface area and a stronger feel for the water. Isolating the upper body and focusing on setting up your stroke while going slower will help you go faster in the long run; take your time and enjoy the process!
If you are struggling with your swim stroke, we have one-on-one swim sessions available here at Playtri, as well as Remote Swim Stroke Analysis, where we analyze your swim stroke via video and discuss ways you can further develop your swim stroke. Check out all our coaching options (Playtri Coaching) and reach out if you have any questions! Stay tuned for Part 2!
Coach Michael Rourke is a Level 3 Playtri Coach and an American Swim Coaches Association Level 4 swim coach. He coaches junior and adult triathletes of all levels, as well as high school elite swimmers. He is also a 70.3 World’s Qualifier and USAT Age Group Nationals Qualifier. Coach Michael is currently taking on new athletes, so if you are interested in Remote Swim Analysis or Individual Coaching Programs, send him an email to michael.rourke@playtri.com.