The S-pull gets its name from the shape your arms make in the "pull" phase. Your hands curve inward to your midline and back to the outside of your thigh in the shape of an S (actually a backward S for your right arm). "It's a more powerful stroke because your hand moves new 'still' water," says Jane Katz, Ed.D., World Masters swimming champion and author of The All-American Aquatic Handbook: Your Passport to Lifetime Fitness (Allyn & Bacon, 1996). You'll get a better "grip" on the water, more resistance against it and therefore more power per stroke, which means you can cover the same distance more efficiently with fewer strokes. Since your arms do about 80 percent of the work in freestyle, this can really add up.

When practicing the S-pull, you always want to think about making your body as long as possible. At the same time, you roll your entire body along its axis (your spine), with each stroke to get that extra length and also to breathe. And, remember, throughout the stroke, "the elbow is always higher than your hand, no matter what," Katz says.

The catch is when you extend your arm in front of you. Imagine you're saluting someone, with your hand open but relaxed, thumb down, palm facing slightly outward: That's your starting position. Slice into the water with as little splashing as possible; then extend your arm all the way in and about six inches under. Most of your extension takes place under water.

At this point you should be almost on your side (don't worry about rolling too far-few people do). Next comes the pull. Keep your elbow slightly bent and pull diagonally back and down to shoulder level, then in toward your stomach, as if you were gathering an armload of water. From there, press back toward your thigh as if you were throwing a ball behind you. Your thumb should brush the outside of your thigh.

Last is the recovery, when you bring your arm up and out of the water to begin the next stroke. Lead with your elbow, keeping it above your hand, and let your fingers trail behind until they reach ahead, back into a salute, to start the next catch.

Getting all this down pat is complicated enough without having to kick, so use a pull buoy the first few times you practice this stroke. Try to swim as slowly as possible-let your lead arm remain extended in front of you as long as possible, Katz advises. If you can, don't start pulling with one arm until the other is well on its way to the next catch.

Bookmark:

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed