6 Top tips to improve your Front Crawl Catch phase
How do you define the “Catch phase of Front Crawl”? Is it one or all of the following:
Feel for the water?
When it all feels right?
Holding the water
A purchase on the water
Place your hands just under the surface of the water in a slightly cupped position with your forearms horizontal, then move them up and down over 2 small imaginary mounds of sand fairly quickly. You should be feeling the pressure of the water in your hands and you hold it together. This is the feel for the water you're aiming at re-enacting in your front crawl stroke.
When you perform the catch phase correctly then you'll be effectively pulling more water past you, and have a higher distance per stroke, using your large back muscles called the latissimus dorsi, and holding a higher purchase on the water.
The catch phase of front crawl is often something that can be a bit elusive in terms of feeling it and performing it correctly. It's the point from where your arm is straight in the glide to where its in line with your shoulder once you have started moving your arm backwards.
However, even slight variations in hand pitch or speed or extra drag can affect how this is completed. Video analysis and the experienced eye can be the only way to determine what is happening and how to correct with the right series of swim drills and stroke corrections. Some of the errors (known or unknown) that can affect how solid your catch is, are as follows:
Slipping through the water
Snatching in the catch with too much power
Pointing your hands up on entry
Hands veering in towards the midline or too wide
Arms staying too straight in the catch
Elbows not bending enough
Forearms not at the correct 90 degree angle
Elbows winging in towards the body
So how do you perform the catch correctly for maximum purchase on the water? Your goals for an excellent and effective catch phase are:
A high and early vertical forearm (EVF) position
Keep your lead arm up high in the water on entry
Reach over a barrel and push it behind you
Pivot at the elbow keeping upper arm up high
Perform the catch slower than the rest of the underwater stroke
Bend your elbow to 90 degrees
1. An Early vertical forearm is related to having your forearm in a vertical position in the water by the time it's in line with your shoulder. This includes your hand, wrist and forearm acting as your "paddle" all being in a line. No bending intially at the wrist. This will ensure you're pulling the maximum amount of water back to drive you forwards.
2. If your lead arm drops then you'll start the catch from a lower position, missing a vital section of the stroke, or even do this with a straight arm, bending later in the pull phase. This can also be related to your head position being too low.
3. Simply visualise then imagine you are scooping your hand and forearm over the top of a barrel and then push it behind you. It will help to keep your elbow higher.
4. Push your elbow forwards slightly prior to doing this, try and scoop as much water as you can into the gap. Your arm should just be under the surface of the water. Bending your elbow keep your upper arm high in the water ensures a bigger volume of water is pulled in a backwards direction, resulting in a higher distance per stroke.
5. If you slip through the catch by using too much arm speed or power then you'll continue slipping through the rest of the stroke underwater. Slower is better in the catch, then speeding up later in the stroke underwater.
6. This you will probably have to over - exaggerrate if your arms are normally straight. Imagine you are swimming in shallow water and your arms can't be straight, with your elbows out wide. Try getting out of the swimming pool just using your arms in a straight position, then bent to 90 degrees, 90 degrees it much stronger!
3 Front Crawl drills to help you improve your catch:
1. Early Vertical Forearm to catch point single arm with fins
Using fins moving one arm at a time. Start with your arms out-stretched kicking on your front. One at a time slowly and whilst keeping your upper arm high in the water, bend your elbow to 90 degrees, then retrace this to the start position. Switch to the other arm.
This helps to improve your early vertical forearm positioning and muscle memory. Perform this for 20 strokes each side.
(see video above for a demo of this drill)
2. Reach over a barrel
Aim:
Improves distance per stroke and helps ingrain / maintain an effective catch position and purchase on the water.
How to do it:
Pull yourself over an imaginary barrel, pushing it behind you. Scoop your arm over the top maintaining a high elbow position. This keeps your elbow high during the catch part of the stroke, thereby maintaining an effective catch. Aim to perform a slower catch, bringing your elbow to 90 degrees with a vertical forearm and your fingers pointing down. You should have a vertical forearm position by the time your arm is in line with your shoulder.
3. Catch 3 side kick rotating into catch
Aim:
This is an excellent front crawl drill as it enables you to focus on and improve your long axis rotation, entry and catch phase, and feel for the water, and learn when to apply power in the 2nd power phase of the stroke underwater.
How to do it:
1. Starting on your back, with your lead arm out stretched over your head, kicking with fins on and maintaining a high body position in the water.
2. With your left arm overhead, rotate anti clockwise under your body on a long axis, using your core and hip muscles to drive it
3. Then slowly placing your hand into the water with a high elbow just by your head as you roll over and your face enters the water.
4. Perform a slower than normal catch with a high and early vertical forearm position and the elbow at 90 degrees, i.e. so that your forearm is vertical by the time it's in line with your
shoulder. Keep your hand and wrist firm with about a 15 degree angle.
5. As your hand passes your shoulder accelerate your hand and forearm towards your hip and thigh
6. Continue rotating on a long axis to finish in a streamlined position on your side at 45 degrees, with your palm finishing at 90 degrees to your hip
7. Roll onto your back again reversing the motion
8. Wait for 6-10 kicks after each breath in your side kick position before rotating into the next catch & pull
Try these 3 swim drills, perform them slowly and with poise and grace, not rushing them, and allow your mind and body via your muscles the chance to learn and ingrain them into perfect muscle memory. The more you can do the better your catch will be!
If you have a swim technique problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the Speedy Swimming Coaching Team!
Learn how to correct your stroke and swim faster than ever with less energy!
We can help you improve your technique using video camera analysis, stroke correction and swim drills in the endless pool. Based in Chertsey Surrey. When clients achieve the correct catch in the endless pool, they can literally feel themselves moving up the pool, as their speed increases and subsequent improvement in distance per stroke! This is one of those light-bulb moments we love teaching!
Sign up to an endless pool 121 video analysis session and find out what’s been holding you back with your swim stroke.
If you have a swim technique problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the Speedy Swimming Team!
Get in touch by giving us a call on 07958635142 or email us at speedyswimming@gmail.com
We offer:
1. Front crawl coaching to all levels of swimmers, held at Guildford Lido in Surrey until the end of September 2019:
2. Front crawl video analysis in an endless pool at Tribal in Chertsey:
3. Fitness and Technique squads for intermediates, held at Aldershot 50m indoor pool:
4. Online training plans for swimming and triathlons:
Copyright © Speedy Swimming
Nick is a level 3 British Triathlon Coach, STA Level 2 swim teacher, Open water coach, Level 1 Training Peaks coach, and Training Bible coaching Master endurance coach with 25 years’ experience in triathlon, founder and Head Coach for Speedy Swimming.
