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"Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers.
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| General Discussion | Triathlon Talk » "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. | Rss Feed  |
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 2014-03-03 6:37 PM |
 287  |  Subject: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers."Anchor your catch" means what? Extend your reach underwater, start bending your elbow/arm and then STOP/PAUSE so your body can move over it? What exactly does this mean and how is it done? I don't get it as the word anchor literally means STOP. Edited by Billyk 2014-03-03 6:38 PM |
| 2014-03-03 7:41 PM in reply to: Billyk |
Member 166 Delco, PA | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. You'll basically want to extend your arm completely out in front. Then, bend your elbow at a 90 degree angle so your forearm and hand are right under your elbow. Once you hit that 90 degrees, that's when you start to pull back and finish your stroke. A really good example of this is Ian Thorpe's stroke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8egC7PbOME Watch just his right arm, as the breathing stroke makes him nonparallel and his technique is off a bit. You can see, specifically on the non-breathing stroke, the bending of his elbow is the first action he takes to start his stroke again. You want to extend your stroke to the point where you feel completely stretched out, then start that elbow bend and eventually finish your stroke. |
| 2014-03-03 8:05 PM in reply to: Billyk |
Master 2406 Bellevue, WA | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Too many swimmers and triathletes neglect the pull, distracted by stroke count or perfecting details like body position or streamlining. Taormina uses simple science and crystal clear underwater photos of Olympic athletes to show how the high-elbow underwater pull is the most crucial technique for faster swimming. This book as a great explanation of catch and pull. I've been reading and following this book, as I recover from my broken collarbone and start swimming again. I've been a 1:50-2:00 / 100y swimmer for ten years, completing most of my IM swims in the 85-90 minute range. I'd like to get to 70 minutes.
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| 2014-03-03 8:13 PM in reply to: Billyk |
Expert 2355 Madison, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by Billyk "Anchor your catch" means what? Extend your reach underwater, start bending your elbow/arm and then STOP/PAUSE so your body can move over it? What exactly does this mean and how is it done? I don't get it as the word anchor literally means STOP. Think of it this way. Your hand is an anchor. It should enter and leave the water in the exact same spot, hence you pull your body through the water. Think of pulling something on a rope. As you reach out to pull the rope you grab a specific part of the rope. Your hand stays put and you pull the rope towards you. You let the rope slide and you lose part of the rope and don't pull as much rope (water). |
| 2014-03-03 8:16 PM in reply to: bcagle25 |
Pro 15655  | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. It is described this way to me: "you know those monkey bars at the park? Pretend you are laying on top of them.....you reach forward with your hand, grab a bar, and pull yourself forward....your hand doesn't move". |
| 2014-03-03 11:50 PM in reply to: #4958911 |
Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: --- It's as much a feeling as it is a mechanical description. We create forward propulsion by putting a drag creating surface on the water to leverage our way forward. But water is fluid and not still. In theory if the water could solidify as we pressed it back but remained fluid when we moved forward the analogy would be complete. The stroking hand would literally stop relative to our "ground speed" and stay anchored while the streamlined body slides past it. you can actually feel this with pressure on the hand & forearm. But... you can also be pushing in the wrong direction and feel pressure as well, so it helps to have some visual cues or feedback like a photo or a friend. |
| 2014-03-04 2:38 AM in reply to: AdventureBear |
Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: --- |
| 2014-03-04 7:03 AM in reply to: #4958911 |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. To feel it go to the deep end of the pool. Put both hands outside the pool on the edge. Go completely under water (arms over your head) and then pull yourself all the way out. (You'll stop with your body halfway out at you hips) That movement is similar to the swim pull. Your hand stays put and your body moves past your hand. Obviously here you use both arms and when swimming freestyle it's one at a time. |
| 2014-03-04 7:33 AM in reply to: miamiamy |
Member 1748 Exton, PA | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by miamiamy You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. To feel it go to the deep end of the pool. Put both hands outside the pool on the edge. Go completely under water (arms over your head) and then pull yourself all the way out. (You'll stop with your body halfway out at you hips) That movement is similar to the swim pull. Your hand stays put and your body moves past your hand. Obviously here you use both arms and when swimming freestyle it's one at a time. Freestyle is not a stroke it is an event. In a freestyle event you are allowed to use any stroke you want, most people use front crawl because it is the fastest of the 4 main swim strokes. To the OP: keep your elbows high, your finger tips should enter the water first. Your hand extends slightly more once in the water, then you pull back. Remember physics- every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Keep your fingers together and your palm perpendicular to the direction you are going. By pulling the water back you are propelling yourself forward. |
| 2014-03-04 7:33 AM in reply to: miamiamy |
Member 1748 Exton, PA | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by miamiamy You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. To feel it go to the deep end of the pool. Put both hands outside the pool on the edge. Go completely under water (arms over your head) and then pull yourself all the way out. (You'll stop with your body halfway out at you hips) That movement is similar to the swim pull. Your hand stays put and your body moves past your hand. Obviously here you use both arms and when swimming freestyle it's one at a time. Freestyle is not a stroke it is an event. In a freestyle event you are allowed to use any stroke you want, most people use front crawl because it is the fastest of the 4 main swim strokes. To the OP: keep your elbows high, your finger tips should enter the water first. Your hand extends slightly more once in the water, then you pull back. Remember physics- every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Keep your fingers together and your palm perpendicular to the direction you are going. By pulling the water back you are propelling yourself forward. |
| 2014-03-04 9:16 AM in reply to: AdventureBear |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: --- |
| 2014-03-04 9:57 AM in reply to: mike761 |
Veteran 2842 Austin, Texas | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by miamiamy You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. To feel it go to the deep end of the pool. Put both hands outside the pool on the edge. Go completely under water (arms over your head) and then pull yourself all the way out. (You'll stop with your body halfway out at you hips) That movement is similar to the swim pull. Your hand stays put and your body moves past your hand. Obviously here you use both arms and when swimming freestyle it's one at a time. Freestyle is not a stroke it is an event. In a freestyle event you are allowed to use any stroke you want, most people use front crawl because it is the fastest of the 4 main swim strokes. To the OP: keep your elbows high, your finger tips should enter the water first. Your hand extends slightly more once in the water, then you pull back. Remember physics- every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Keep your fingers together and your palm perpendicular to the direction you are going. By pulling the water back you are propelling yourself forward. I always thought that you wanted to very slightly splay your fingers, as that created a larger effective surface and so a better "anchor," in the context of the OP. No? Also, to all as a follow up on the OP, how far forward of your head do you have your hand enter the water? Another way to ask is how much do you extend once in (is the arm mostly straight when the hand enters and the little further stretch referenced above is more from the shoulder, or do you have a bent arm on the way in and then straighten)? It seems that you'd want it going into the water almost as far forward as you can, as moving through air has less resistance than water, but not so much that you would mess up your form. As ever from this learning swimmer - thanks for any replies! Matt |
| 2014-03-04 11:19 AM in reply to: mcmanusclan5 |
Member 1748 Exton, PA | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by mcmanusclan5 Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by miamiamy You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. To feel it go to the deep end of the pool. Put both hands outside the pool on the edge. Go completely under water (arms over your head) and then pull yourself all the way out. (You'll stop with your body halfway out at you hips) That movement is similar to the swim pull. Your hand stays put and your body moves past your hand. Obviously here you use both arms and when swimming freestyle it's one at a time. Freestyle is not a stroke it is an event. In a freestyle event you are allowed to use any stroke you want, most people use front crawl because it is the fastest of the 4 main swim strokes. To the OP: keep your elbows high, your finger tips should enter the water first. Your hand extends slightly more once in the water, then you pull back. Remember physics- every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Keep your fingers together and your palm perpendicular to the direction you are going. By pulling the water back you are propelling yourself forward. I always thought that you wanted to very slightly splay your fingers, as that created a larger effective surface and so a better "anchor," in the context of the OP. No? Also, to all as a follow up on the OP, how far forward of your head do you have your hand enter the water? Another way to ask is how much do you extend once in (is the arm mostly straight when the hand enters and the little further stretch referenced above is more from the shoulder, or do you have a bent arm on the way in and then straighten)? It seems that you'd want it going into the water almost as far forward as you can, as moving through air has less resistance than water, but not so much that you would mess up your form. As ever from this learning swimmer - thanks for any replies! Matt Keep your fingers together, but you should not be squeezing them together( no real thought to keep them there). Does that make sense. As for your hand entry it variable depending on body geometry. This is why a coach on deck can help. Your hand should extend as fall forward as possible in the air the point where your finger tips can still enter the water first. If your hand is hitting the water flat you are overextending. I say slightly extend you hand because the natural motion of your arm following your hand in will extend it. Over extending out of the water you lose efficiency and you slow your stroke down, I see this a lot. |
| 2014-03-04 12:33 PM in reply to: 0 |
| 1660 | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. I think while this term 'anchor your catch' is a good image, it oversimplifies the reality of the catch.
You will only be able to truly anchor your catch well (and thus get a high swim speed) if you have both the endurance and power to maintain the high-elbow form required during the pull phase.
If you lack the fitness to do this, you will not be able to anchor well. Don't get the idea that with a pure technique and no fitness fix, you'll be able to achieve a high elbow with powerful pull and fast swim speeds.
This is the reason that elite swimmers with beautiful form and excellent catches swim so darn much and so darn hard. Sun Yang's beautiful stroke takes both technique AND fitness to maintain the power through that anchoring pull.
If you don't have the swim fitness to do it right/optimally (everyone can improve it, though) your elbow will drop at some point during the pull, and your arm will take the path of lesser resistance as it moves through the water, which effectively ruins the anchoring effect (but allows you to finish your less effective stroke.) This is why as you fatigue, the elbows tend to drop like crazy as well.
The descriptions above by other posters otherwise describe the feeling pretty well. In my experience (and I'm not remotely a fish, but improved a lot), the moe I improve in the pool, the more I feel that I'm anchoring each stroke. When I was 2:00+/100, I simply couldn't anchor at all, no matter how hard I tried with the technique, and my high inefficient stroke rate showed it. Edited by yazmaster 2014-03-04 12:35 PM |
| 2014-03-04 12:55 PM in reply to: miamiamy |
Pro 6191 | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by miamiamy You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. Or - Climbing an underwater ladder. Picture a ladder placed horizontally under you. Place a hand on each rung and push your way across/up it. |
| 2014-03-04 1:10 PM in reply to: mrbbrad |
Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: --- Originally posted by mrbbrad Originally posted by AdventureBear Weird. Yeah you are. And proud! |
| 2014-03-04 1:27 PM in reply to: mcmanusclan5 |
Expert 2547 The Woodlands, TX | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by mcmanusclan5 Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by miamiamy You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. To feel it go to the deep end of the pool. Put both hands outside the pool on the edge. Go completely under water (arms over your head) and then pull yourself all the way out. (You'll stop with your body halfway out at you hips) That movement is similar to the swim pull. Your hand stays put and your body moves past your hand. Obviously here you use both arms and when swimming freestyle it's one at a time. Freestyle is not a stroke it is an event. In a freestyle event you are allowed to use any stroke you want, most people use front crawl because it is the fastest of the 4 main swim strokes. To the OP: keep your elbows high, your finger tips should enter the water first. Your hand extends slightly more once in the water, then you pull back. Remember physics- every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Keep your fingers together and your palm perpendicular to the direction you are going. By pulling the water back you are propelling yourself forward. I always thought that you wanted to very slightly splay your fingers, as that created a larger effective surface and so a better "anchor," in the context of the OP. No? Also, to all as a follow up on the OP, how far forward of your head do you have your hand enter the water? Another way to ask is how much do you extend once in (is the arm mostly straight when the hand enters and the little further stretch referenced above is more from the shoulder, or do you have a bent arm on the way in and then straighten)? It seems that you'd want it going into the water almost as far forward as you can, as moving through air has less resistance than water, but not so much that you would mess up your form. As ever from this learning swimmer - thanks for any replies! Matt You're correct. Slightly spread fingers do offer more surface area and a better pulling surface. Hand should enter the water like a shallow dive, then the arm straightens and extends once underwater. The steeper the angle of entry (i.e. the further out you insert your hand) the more bubbles will come along for the ride. If you enter and extend you are able to shake the air pocket off your hand, and therefore pull water and not air.
TJ |
| 2014-03-04 1:48 PM in reply to: tjfry |
Member 1748 Exton, PA | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by tjfry Originally posted by mcmanusclan5 Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by miamiamy You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. To feel it go to the deep end of the pool. Put both hands outside the pool on the edge. Go completely under water (arms over your head) and then pull yourself all the way out. (You'll stop with your body halfway out at you hips) That movement is similar to the swim pull. Your hand stays put and your body moves past your hand. Obviously here you use both arms and when swimming freestyle it's one at a time. Freestyle is not a stroke it is an event. In a freestyle event you are allowed to use any stroke you want, most people use front crawl because it is the fastest of the 4 main swim strokes. To the OP: keep your elbows high, your finger tips should enter the water first. Your hand extends slightly more once in the water, then you pull back. Remember physics- every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Keep your fingers together and your palm perpendicular to the direction you are going. By pulling the water back you are propelling yourself forward. I always thought that you wanted to very slightly splay your fingers, as that created a larger effective surface and so a better "anchor," in the context of the OP. No? Also, to all as a follow up on the OP, how far forward of your head do you have your hand enter the water? Another way to ask is how much do you extend once in (is the arm mostly straight when the hand enters and the little further stretch referenced above is more from the shoulder, or do you have a bent arm on the way in and then straighten)? It seems that you'd want it going into the water almost as far forward as you can, as moving through air has less resistance than water, but not so much that you would mess up your form. As ever from this learning swimmer - thanks for any replies! Matt You're correct. Slightly spread fingers do offer more surface area and a better pulling surface. Hand should enter the water like a shallow dive, then the arm straightens and extends once underwater. The steeper the angle of entry (i.e. the further out you insert your hand) the more bubbles will come along for the ride. If you enter and extend you are able to shake the air pocket off your hand, and therefore pull water and not air.
TJ Define slightly?? I say together without squeezing them together, which when swimming would give a gap in the fingers enough to see through. When telling people to spread their fingers they tend to spread them way to much. I'd rather have someone with their fingers together than spread open. I think most people when they swim enough laps stop thinking about it and it becomes a slight spread. |
| 2014-03-04 1:49 PM in reply to: AdventureBear |
Champion 7036 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: --- I thought maybe you were playing Jeapardy, where you gave an answer and we had to figure out what the questions was... Mark |
| 2014-03-04 2:10 PM in reply to: Billyk |
Official BT Coach 18500 Indianapolis, Indiana Gold member | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by Billyk "Anchor your catch" means what? Extend your reach underwater, start bending your elbow/arm and then STOP/PAUSE so your body can move over it? What exactly does this mean and how is it done? I don't get it as the word anchor literally means STOP. Based on past experience, I will probably live to regret this, That said, I wrote an article and published it in the 'swim technique' section of my website a couple months ago in which I talk about the catch and pull. It is detailed, and has photographs to help visualize some of the concepts. The technique I describe in this article carried me to a world record as a member of an 800 meter freestyle relay (all four of us were utilizing this technique). For anyone interested - http://goscottgo.info/index.php/swimming-technique/38-the-catch-and-pull Hope it helps. |
| 2014-03-04 3:21 PM in reply to: RedCorvette |
Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: --- Originally posted by RedCorvette I thought maybe you were playing Jeapardy, where you gave an answer and we had to figure out what the questions was... Mark Rats...I gave away the answer already, lol. |
| 2014-03-04 3:25 PM in reply to: k9car363 |
Regular 5477 LHOTP | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by k9car363 Originally posted by Billyk "Anchor your catch" means what? Extend your reach underwater, start bending your elbow/arm and then STOP/PAUSE so your body can move over it? What exactly does this mean and how is it done? I don't get it as the word anchor literally means STOP. Based on past experience, I will probably live to regret this, That said, I wrote an article and published it in the 'swim technique' section of my website a couple months ago in which I talk about the catch and pull. It is detailed, and has photographs to help visualize some of the concepts. The technique I describe in this article carried me to a world record as a member of an 800 meter freestyle relay (all four of us were utilizing this technique). For anyone interested - http://goscottgo.info/index.php/swimming-technique/38-the-catch-and-pull Hope it helps. Wow! That is awesome! Thank you so much for posting that :) |
| 2014-03-04 4:26 PM in reply to: mike761 |
Expert 2547 The Woodlands, TX | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by tjfry Define slightly?? I say together without squeezing them together, which when swimming would give a gap in the fingers enough to see through. When telling people to spread their fingers they tend to spread them way to much. I'd rather have someone with their fingers together than spread open. I think most people when they swim enough laps stop thinking about it and it becomes a slight spread. Originally posted by mcmanusclan5 Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by miamiamy You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. To feel it go to the deep end of the pool. Put both hands outside the pool on the edge. Go completely under water (arms over your head) and then pull yourself all the way out. (You'll stop with your body halfway out at you hips) That movement is similar to the swim pull. Your hand stays put and your body moves past your hand. Obviously here you use both arms and when swimming freestyle it's one at a time. Freestyle is not a stroke it is an event. In a freestyle event you are allowed to use any stroke you want, most people use front crawl because it is the fastest of the 4 main swim strokes. To the OP: keep your elbows high, your finger tips should enter the water first. Your hand extends slightly more once in the water, then you pull back. Remember physics- every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Keep your fingers together and your palm perpendicular to the direction you are going. By pulling the water back you are propelling yourself forward. I always thought that you wanted to very slightly splay your fingers, as that created a larger effective surface and so a better "anchor," in the context of the OP. No? Also, to all as a follow up on the OP, how far forward of your head do you have your hand enter the water? Another way to ask is how much do you extend once in (is the arm mostly straight when the hand enters and the little further stretch referenced above is more from the shoulder, or do you have a bent arm on the way in and then straighten)? It seems that you'd want it going into the water almost as far forward as you can, as moving through air has less resistance than water, but not so much that you would mess up your form. As ever from this learning swimmer - thanks for any replies! Matt You're correct. Slightly spread fingers do offer more surface area and a better pulling surface. Hand should enter the water like a shallow dive, then the arm straightens and extends once underwater. The steeper the angle of entry (i.e. the further out you insert your hand) the more bubbles will come along for the ride. If you enter and extend you are able to shake the air pocket off your hand, and therefore pull water and not air.
TJ
We're probably saying the same thing |
| 2014-03-04 5:01 PM in reply to: mike761 |
Elite 7783 PEI, Canada | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by tjfry Define slightly?? I say together without squeezing them together, which when swimming would give a gap in the fingers enough to see through. When telling people to spread their fingers they tend to spread them way to much. I'd rather have someone with their fingers together than spread open. I think most people when they swim enough laps stop thinking about it and it becomes a slight spread. Originally posted by mcmanusclan5 Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by miamiamy You have some good descriptions here. The two that help me were "pulling yourself over a barrel" but you still have to imagine that. To feel it go to the deep end of the pool. Put both hands outside the pool on the edge. Go completely under water (arms over your head) and then pull yourself all the way out. (You'll stop with your body halfway out at you hips) That movement is similar to the swim pull. Your hand stays put and your body moves past your hand. Obviously here you use both arms and when swimming freestyle it's one at a time. Freestyle is not a stroke it is an event. In a freestyle event you are allowed to use any stroke you want, most people use front crawl because it is the fastest of the 4 main swim strokes. To the OP: keep your elbows high, your finger tips should enter the water first. Your hand extends slightly more once in the water, then you pull back. Remember physics- every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Keep your fingers together and your palm perpendicular to the direction you are going. By pulling the water back you are propelling yourself forward. I always thought that you wanted to very slightly splay your fingers, as that created a larger effective surface and so a better "anchor," in the context of the OP. No? Also, to all as a follow up on the OP, how far forward of your head do you have your hand enter the water? Another way to ask is how much do you extend once in (is the arm mostly straight when the hand enters and the little further stretch referenced above is more from the shoulder, or do you have a bent arm on the way in and then straighten)? It seems that you'd want it going into the water almost as far forward as you can, as moving through air has less resistance than water, but not so much that you would mess up your form. As ever from this learning swimmer - thanks for any replies! Matt You're correct. Slightly spread fingers do offer more surface area and a better pulling surface. Hand should enter the water like a shallow dive, then the arm straightens and extends once underwater. The steeper the angle of entry (i.e. the further out you insert your hand) the more bubbles will come along for the ride. If you enter and extend you are able to shake the air pocket off your hand, and therefore pull water and not air.
TJ According to this CFD analysis, 12 degrees. http://www.posetech.com/FORUM/finger_spacing.pdf
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| 2014-03-04 11:26 PM in reply to: mike761 |
Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: "Anchor your catch"-explain to those slow and struggling swimmers. Originally posted by mike761 Define slightly?? I say together without squeezing them together, which when swimming would give a gap in the fingers enough to see through. When telling people to spread their fingers they tend to spread them way to much. I'd rather have someone with their fingers together than spread open. I think most people when they swim enough laps stop thinking about it and it becomes a slight spread. The position of a "relaxed hand" is just right. When swimming you need to add just enough muscle tone to keep that position. Not spread and not tight, just relax it and you've got it right. Now hold it steady |
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