One my foundational beliefs is that anyone can improve.
They can improve any skill, no matter who they are.
This applies in life, and it certainly applies in swimming.
As a someone who loves to learn, I’m also keenly aware of the struggle that’s inherent to learning.
Nothing is more frustrating that getting stuck, feeling like you’ve tried everything, and not knowing where to turn.
Because the pull is critical to freestyle success, a lot of individuals have spent a lot of time working on improving their pull.
And at some point, a lot of them get stuck.
Previously, I went through some of my favorite land exercises and swimming exercises to help you get on track.
What do you do when the foundational exercises are no longer helping you improve?
People often make the mistake of looking for new exercises.
However, if you’re using the best exercises, using less effective exercises doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Sometimes, you just need to add a twist to the basic exercises, and you’ll see your progress take off again.
One of the biggest positive impacts on my swimming was when I first used Closed Fist Swimming.
Admittedly, I thought it was pretty stupid at first.
It didn’t make any sense to me, and I was really resistant to trying it.
Fortunately, the respect I had for my coach outweighed my stubbornness, and I decided I use it for 100 yards.
Then, I’d know it was a waste of time and I’d never have to do it again.
As I swam that fateful 100, it felt terrible.
While my stroke felt worse, I certainly felt vindicated:).
I told my coach how terrible it was, and my coach smiled and said, ‘Swim another 50 with your hands open.’
So, I did.
And it felt AMAZING.
By taking away the hand, it allowed be the FEEL the hand once I opened it up again.
Because I could FEEL, I could change how I swam.
That made a HUGE difference.
Here’s how to do it.
If you want to mix it up, you can also implement what I call Horns Freestyle.
It’s the same idea as Closed Fist Freestyle in that it changes your hand position and makes it a lot harder to use your hand.
As a result, when you open your hands back up, they fill HUGE.
If you have a pair of paddles, you can use them to create a similar impact.
For a long time, I really resisted the use of paddles.
I thought they just made swimming easier.
However, if you hold the paddles in a manner that changes HOW you pull, they’re really powerful.
The two variations below force you to position your arms like the wall pull exercise I’ve demonstrated before.
When you pair them together, it makes a BIG impact.
They force you to get your FOREARM in the right position, and then pull back from there.
It allows you to FEEL a new way of swimming, and that’s what you need to make progress.
The big idea is changing how your hands are interacting with the water can really improve your swimming skill.
Mix up the hand positions that you use while performing exercises and when swimming.
The variations I’ve included are the ones I believe work best.
You’ll be surprised by what you feel, and the impact that it makes.
Get To Work!
Whatever set you’re doing, give them a shot.
If you want a specific set to try for improving your pull, check out the ones below!
If you found this information helpful in way, I’d really appreciate it if you could share it with a friend you think could benefit.
Whenever YOU are ready, there are 2 ways I can help you take your swimming to the next level:
1. If you’re looking for pre-made solutions to improve your swimming, check out my resources Freestyle Made Simple and Addressing Adult-Onset Swimming.
2. If you want a more personalized learning experience, we can work together to analyze your stroke or develop a technical training plan.
Exit the water...
Andrew
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