lonnyanddeanne - 2009-03-31 3:51 AM wow, thankyou all for the great advice! fingertip/balance/kicking drills, fins, got it, thanks! im headed to the pool now, we'll see how it goes...
Ok, you've gotten some good tips, and some drills. A few things I noticed (You're gonna start wondering how you stay afloat! :D )
1. Look at your left arm from :23 - :35 (Slow motion). Your left arm basically stays straight the entire time, you're missing some valuable catch there.
2. Timing is a little off. You look like you're doing a catchup drill without a kickboard. This is very apparent right around 1:10-1:20, (especially at 1:14), your right hand really pauses while you think about getting good form on your left hand recovery.
3. Your stroke just looks a little too "careful", which can be a side effect of concentrating too much on perfect form.
4. As others have said, your hand goes in almost vertical, it should be nearly flat, and your kick gets wide on occasion.
Don't worry too much about the fingertip drill. I use that only when people I'm coaching are recovering "through" the water rather than over it. As long as your arm recovers above water and enters in front of the shoulders rather than the head, it's all good.
I know you're a new swimmer, and you have good basic elements. You just need more water time to be able to relax and put them together in a relaxed, coordinated fashion.
It's a pain, but if you could get an underwater view as well, that would be very helpful.