SwimTherapy - Frontcrawl Catch

[mistersmith6000]

I can feel the catch with my right (strong) hand - it feels intuitively right and balanced, and I can vary the speed and keep control, but on my weak side, I just don't feel the catch and the control. Any suggestions? I do try to isolate the left and do just the left and just the right. Should I be doubling up on the isolation of the left laps?

[FruitarianSwimster]

@mistersmith6000 I recommend the single arm freestyle drill and focus on the catch with the left hand. Do 25s at an easy pace at low intensity.

[PlanetT1000]

professional explanation, thank you!

[Meowws]

why u call this silver bronze swimmer? lol, he must be competing with kids.

[elodole]

I have watched this countless times, and its really making a difference, thanks!

[JacobsJaffa]

penis

[jpseger]

You have been thanked a million times over for this but i need to say it again. Thank you so much. The sad thing is that if we were taught this as kids - 20 years ago, imagine the quality of swimmers we would be. Its taken alot of getting use to with the proper technique but i already feel quicker through the water.

[mgentile01]

Thanks for the awesome video, it makes the technique really easy to examine. In the catch, once the forearm is down perpendicular to the upper arm, do you pull while keeping your upper arm roughly parallel with the surface of the water? Or is the upper arm supposed to go down into the water some? This is the part of my stroke I struggle the most with, how exactly I'm supposed to be pulling my arms. Thanks again for the awesome video.

[Jerry1SKI]

Love your video and commentary. Very, very helpful. I do some of it but I will have to pay more attention to my elbow staying close to the surface of the water. Thank you

[cloesavannah]

omg i thought my mouse was moving ad i moved my mouse!! haha

[Dee3917]

Great video....best one I have seen so far to break down arms of front crawl. Thanks!

[burtrumbean]

why are his feet so low?

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Matt should have focussed more on his core/leg lift, though this type of drill does make it hard to keep the legs high - much easier in the full stroke. Well spotted...first time the query has been raised!

[elinfiernoentusojos]

@burtrumbean i now this is from a long time ago but he has his hand almost on the surface of the water making his legs go down, this also makes the muscles of the legs to work more for trying to mantain the balance of the body therefore, you are wasting energy, a good stroke should look for your hand entering the water and pointing inches down the surface, this way the legs go up naturally, and is less effort, this video shows the elbow technique buta good stroke is more than that

[100MKAH]

Great video, thank you very much.

[4444ty4444hole]

Thanks for such an amazing video, ive been looking for a good catch drill since i noticed my hand moving outside of the elbow during the catch....one of the common errors you identify. You made an interesting point about the brain choosing such weaker positions when its not used to the correct one. However i have difficulty getting into this position due to lack of shoulder flexibility. Are there any stretching movements you can recommend to help the supplement this drill?

[vagrantgipsylife]

HI Nigel, love the videos, it seems they are more for pros, but no harm a beginner like me to try and get it right from the start... Look forward for more tips on the front crawl & breast stroke :)

[catfish1161]

Very great instructional video. Unlike a few of the others that only show clips of Michael Phelps or Ian Thorpe swimming, this provides a clear walkthrough of the stroke.

-Thankyou

[trampster64]

Thank you so much, your explanation is both clear and understandable and i look forward to putting your advice into practice and having less pain in my shoulders!

[MrAvrilLee]

the best best video i have ever seen for non-beginner !!

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks....... High praise indeed! Regards Nigel

[stmcgarret]

Your explanation are superb. Super to have it coupled with a live demo to see the errors along with the correct technique. I see I am doing the second error in the catch where my elbow is not high. Now I have a better idea on what to work on.

Look forward to move videos and I'm sorry I'm not in the UK to visit ya'll.

[phoca99]

Excellent video on the catch. Thank you so much for posting these. I'm sure many coaches will be showing these to their swimmers.

[imyourlords]

Awesome!!!!!

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Many thanks for taking the time to write such a glowing review. Sounds like we are on the right track.....other vids to follow, worth subscribing (no cost) if you haven't already done so. Regards Nigel

[Papiprah]

Wonderful video, thank you! Can you show us how to do a nice sidekicking swim? My teacher wants me to do it all the time, he says I'm learning it correctly, but sometimes I don't swim in a straight line. Can't figure out what I do wrong..

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Sounds like you need to suck that navel in and apply good core control. Also, the head position is cricial, your head should be in a central position. If the head leans either way, you will not swim straight. I will put your request on the video list. Regards Nigel

[swimpal1]

There are several resources videos out there that teach freestyle, but this One crowns them all by putting things in perspective with accurate narration making it intelligible to beginners with a state-of-the art swimming. This is exactly the kind of ammunition the swimmers need. Kudos to Nigel and Matt ! Beginners will always be indebted to your gurs for taking care of that "void". Looking forward to contacting Swimtherapy for DVDs.

[PurlingSprite]

Great video. I can see the technique quite well and your explanation is quite clear too. Thanks

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks, we try our best!

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Other stroke videos will be released over time. Suggest you subscribe to us FOC on YouTube.

[MrEternalOptimist]

Thanks a lot, your explaination is better than others. How about Butterfly Stroke? Can you explain about it more detailed, please?

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks Craig Regards Nigel

[CraigBekking]

Great! Most the vids about techniques are so superficially. This is great! Moves visible in details!!

[alphalafa]

wow what a fantastic video !!!

more please

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks. We will endeavour to publish more...when time allows! Regards Nigel

[orwellgeorge2]

Swimtherpy - I've watched alot of vids on swimming and the two from swimtherapy are the best. More please

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Serious flattery! Should be producing more in the Autumn. Regards Nigel

[Myleso]

Fantastic stuff - one of the best tutorials I've seen.

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks mate.....we do our best. Regards Nigel

[hank1231]

that looks a lot like the motion used when pitching fast ball...which leads to a lot of injuries. won't this cause shoulder injuries in swmming as well?

[SWIMTHERAPY]

In fast ball the arm is unsupported, so the action is much faster and far more stressfull to the shoulder. This action will not cause injury as the water provides support ....though you should always listen to your body!

[hank1231]

I'll have to give this a try. I know from past experience that having the hand out too far is bad...and (in my case) lead to a nice case of bursitis in the shoulder. Of course it'll be a bit hard to watch my arms and swim at the same time :)

[Kropotkinskaya]

Hi Nigel

Great video. I think it'll help. I've tried to set up an account on your website but it won't let me!

I don't understand how in this video, your swimmer seems to come straight down with the arm and then push back to recovery, yet in other videos I see people doing a sort of s figure. Weird.

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Hi, the 's' shape can often be misinterpreted. At the start of the stroke there is a small sculling action and a narrow insweep after the catch....this is often called the 'S' shape. This is more pronounced in juniors, though we would not wish to exaggerate the action in adult swimmers. The hand should not extend beyond the line of the elbow at any time.

[Kropotkinskaya]

Thanks Nigel.

Now, how can I apply to be a member of your site? It won't let me! Do I need an invite, or a special access code?

Thanks for any advice.

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Hi, can't pretend to be an expert on Youtube....though people are still managing to subscribe. No special invite or info required. Sorry I can't be more helpfull.

Nigel

[abacus1001x]

Excellent commentary with clear explanation

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks, your feedback is appreciated.

[evanscoaching]

Excellent work!

[lasodracu]

I used the term "elaborate" as an adjective, not as a verb. It's all in the details! keep up the excellent work!!! :)

[SWIMTHERAPY]

An educated athlete...whatever next! Thanks for the feedback, really appreciated. Regards Nigel

[lasodracu]

elaborate!

[SWIMTHERAPY]

On what?

[jimbobuk]

Great vid - best I've seen for explaining the catch technique.

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks for that...positive feedback is always appreciated. Regards Nigel

[lrnzcpmn]

Very good vid, it has helped me a lot to get a better understanding of the high elbow tech, If you make a dvd , I'll be buying ! ;-)

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Hi, we have decided to publish all video's on Youtube FOC rather than charging for DVD's. If you subscribe to this page, you will receive notification of all other video's when they are uploaded. Regards Nigel

[brittain4]

very useful and informative

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thank you

[fullpasty]

Brilliant! I've been to swimtherapy twice now and have made massive improvements with the information gained. You guys certainly have a clear way of expressing what you mean such that it can be put into practice. swimmers impressed with this on U-tube - get yourself booked in for a sesssion, you'll get even more 'wow factor'!

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks for the feedback....with those comments, we could do with you on thepayroll!!

[pkerrod]

an excellent teaching tool. have been to swim thearpy twice and would highly recommend them, even if you have to travel a long way. the improvement to my sons breaststroke was amazing. we'll be back in the new year for more. thanks p kerrod

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Watch out for Lewis Kerrod at the 2020 Olympics!

[missefficientswimmin]

Swimtherapy are excellent. We have used them 3 times now and would recommend them to anyone. Keep up the good work and if you can move nearer to Heathrow, we would see you every week!

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks for your comments....if you know of any suitable locations for another ST site, please let me know.

Regards Nigel

[misterclark]

What a fantastic tool this is, very informative.

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks for subscribing, rest assured the others willbe of the same quality. Please pass the link onto your swimming contacts. Thx Nigel

[mikendaplant]

Thanks - this is really helpful. I'll be sharing it with the coaches at Bingham Penguins.

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks. We have had a fantastic response so far, we will definitely be releasing other clips, so ask your coaches to subscribe.....don't forget it's FOC!

Regards

Nigel

[mpfmark]

Thanks Nigel , have emailed around to the Channel Group and Swim Forum, great presentation, I would always recommend Swim Therapy

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Very much appreciated. Regards Nigel

[J3Jev]

Very good. I've used swim therapy and this is excellent.

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks for the positive feedback

[SwimDoubleD]

Brilliant video, my young daughter loves this and can't wait for her next visit to the pool.

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thank you for you kind comments. Regards Nigel

[SJulian134]

Brilliant

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Thanks, hope you are able to let other know. Regards Nigel

[mermerchar]

Excellent

[SWIMTHERAPY]

Glad you liked it. Regards Nigel

[suepea62]

Awesome - really well explained. thanks!

[SWIMTHERAPY]

You were the first to comment. Thanks & well done!