Fastest Freestyle Swimming Technique - High Octane

[@1stoplink]

I am a firm believer in the 3 styles of freestyle, and the 3 octanes of freestyle arm recovery. It's backed up by real world examples. Almost all elite 50 freestylers swim with a high octane shoulder driven freestyle. There might be a slight difference in the arm entry, meaning you could be "smashing" (downward, like Dressel), or "chopping" (sideway, straight arm, like Sullivan and Fratus). Just an pinion from a nobody haha. Thank you the Race Club for popularizing these concepts.

[@theraceclub]

Thank you 1 Stop Coder!! With the upcoming videos, we demonstrate why a more vertical recovery is better than a horizontal recovery, both using a high octane or straight arm. Has to do with the increase in shoulder rotation achieved with the vertical arm recovery. You can check out all of these new videos in Lane 3 with world class Masters freestyler, Mike Boosin. theraceclub.com/product/race-club-memberships/?attribute_lane=3&attribute_subscription=Monthly

[@paulhetherington3854]

St = situated - modes - yes, much activity(iv = of).

[@24sirosaydeacker57]

I hadnt realized this existed. Ive been frustrated with my times and hopefully this style will help me sprint faster

[@theraceclub]

I hope it helps!!

[@waszkewicz]

Great video and swimming tips! Thank you 👍

[@vashkevich]

100%!

[@letzebuerg]

Awesome!

[@theraceclub]

Thanks! Hope you will join our membership with over 300 great videos to watch. theraceclub.com/membership/

[@MaxSwims]

Very interesting, I’ve been using this technique since I saw the first video from my Lane 3 subscription!

[@theraceclub]

Max, Thanks for subscribing!!! We are proud and honored that we have helped your freestyle technique. Please spread the word about the over 300 videos in Lane 3.

[@avocatious6402]

I was just thinking about high octane freestyle. You read my mind. Nice video

[@theraceclub]

glad you liked it. We have several more on the octane series on our subscriptions. Check them out! theraceclub.com/product/race-club-memberships/?attribute_lane=3&attribute_subscription=Monthly

[@leesanghwa8175]

High Octane Freestyle 高出力 自由型 고출력 자유형 Wow, Great Lesson! Thank you! Below is the transcription of this video. ==== Attaining High Octane Arm Recovery High Octane Arm Recovery Coach Devin Murphy: All righ, guys. Now, we're going up from low, medium, we're going all the way up to high We're getting up all the way up, Okay. There can be a little bit of bend. But I don't want too much bend in that arm. Coach Gary Hall Sr.: High Octane Freestyle Recovery The recovering arm remains straight throughout and follows a more vertical pathway rather than a lower, more horizontal pathway. Coach Devin Murphy: Okay, High Octane 50 freestyle sprints type of racing here. Okay? We're going to go 6 kicks and 1 stroke. Okay? So, I want (kick) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Then you're going to strike hard. Boom! Rotate over to the other side. 6 kicks. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Boom! All right? Really rotate hard. Get that hand up there. The more we rotate, the better off we're going to be. Hyper streamline off your walls. Ready. Go! Even higher up there. Even higher up there, Owen. Get him up there. Get that elbow a little straighter. Come down hard! Good rotation. Nice! That's better, Owen. Get him up there. Straighten that elbow, Alex. That's it, guys. Strike that water. Rotate. Shoulders stacked, one on top of the other. Give me that loose wrist. Give me those 3 shakes. Show me that loose wrist. Coach Gary Hall Sr.: The vertical recovery motion of the High Octane Freestyle is made easier by keeping the head down and by increasing body rotation. We begin teaching High Octane Freestyle with a body rotation drill using fins and a snorkel as demonstrator by Olympic Sprinter Brad Tandy. With this drill, we emphasize both the speed and the amount of body rotation by snapping the body quickly from one vertical position to the other. Brad not only uses a straight arm with a vertical path on its recovery but he also accelerates his arm all the way down to the water. At times his hand strikes the water with such force, he creates a splash that reaches 3 feet above the surface. Both the additional length and speed of his recovering arm will add significant power to his pulling arm and kick. Through a series of drills, we progress each swimmer to a 6-kick 3-stroke drill with fins to establish the correct High Octane Freestyle Recovery. Coach Devin Murphy: Another drill we like to do to work on our hand speed is Dolphin Kick with Freestyle Stroke. So, I want that same High Octane stroke. But we're going to do a down kick, every time our hand enters the water. The faster we kick, the faster we get those arms going. Okay? So, we're going to go 2 x 25s. We're going to go High Octane with dolphin kick. Go! 2nd group, wait for my go. Owen, way too slow buddy. We want 1 kick for every 1 pull. 1 kick for every 1 pull, Owen. kick, kick, kick, kick and get that stroke rate up. 2nd group, ready. Go! Coach Gary Hall Sr.: Many swimmers struggle to get their stroke rates high enough with High Octane Freestyle. So, we use the Dolphin Kick Freestyle drill to help them. Coach Devin Murphy: We want one kick for every pull, Alex. So, really get that hand going. Down kick for pull. Down. With that down, pull. Coach Gary Hall Sr.: As Owen and Alex discover, it's tempting with this drill to use 2 dolphin kicks with each arm stroke. But to do it correctly, they must use 1 dolphin kick with each arm stroke. It is also helpful to add a tempo trainer to this drill, setting it on mode 3 and at 120 stroke rate. Owen keeps improving on this drill. And eventually he synchronizes his arms and legs together. And he gets it right. Coach Devin Murphy: That's it, Owen. You got the rhythm now, man. That looks good. Much better tempo. Very nice. Much better. Much better you found that. Give me that High Octane Freestyle, Alex. That's it. That's better. That's better. Close. Good. Nice job, guys. That's a super useful tool that we can use to get that stroke rate up. Okay? Some of you guys might need to work on a little bit more. But, that was really nice job. All right. Guys, we're ready to go fast now with our High Octane Freestyle. Yeah? All right. We're going to go 2 x 25s. 2 x 25s. Go ahead and grab your tempo trainer. Put'em at 120. And put'em in your caps. This is an entrance level into an elite level 50 freestyle. 120 is moving. All right? You guys have to rotate very quickly. You've got to get those hands up, rotate from side to side. Think about rotating that shoulder underneath your chin every time your tempo trainer beeps. 2 x 25s. 1st group, ready. Go! Guy, get that tempo up there, Daniella. Get it up there. Come on! Quicker. That's better. That's better. 2nd groug, ready. Go! Nice job, 2nd group. Stawn. Rotate, Marissa. Get those arms up there. Good. All right. Nice job. Make sure we're rotating all the way. Get that chin. All the way under your chin. And that arm nice and high. 1st group in 5 seconds. Go! Get those arms up, Alex. That's it. That's it, Daniella. Stick with that tempo. 2nd group, ready. Go! Good, Owen. Very nice. Nice job, Alex. Good. Much better, Daniella. Much better. That's it, Stawn. Yeah, Marissa. Keep those arms up high. Good. All right. So, we gotta get those arms even higher. Okay? We're still a little flat. Nice job, guys. Very good job. Coach Gary Hall Sr.: For a faster more powerful sprint freestyle, we recommend using High Octane vertical recovery with a fast stroke rate. Practice using the body rotation drill, the 6 kick 3 stroke drill, and the dolphin kick freestyle drill to help you perfect this technique like Olympian Brad Tandy has.

[@theraceclub]

I hope that all of you in Korea will consider becoming a member of our Race Club subscription! Lane 3 now features over 300 amazing swimming technique videos, including dryland. theraceclub.com/product/race-club-memberships/?attribute_lane=3&attribute_subscription=Monthly

[@theraceclub]

Sang we'd love for you to upload a translation in South Korean and I will publish. Thanks for your support!

[@leesanghwa8175]

@@theraceclub All right, Sir. It will consume my hours... But, I can enjoy listening to my great teacher Gary Hall Sr. And if some Korean swimmers can get help with my translations, it will be much better. Thank you.

[@leesanghwa8175]

@@theraceclub I sent subtitle files for this video through FaceBook messenger. Thank you.

[@jeffreywiddop762]

Super electrifying acceleration windmill action. Makes me wonder if athletes like that also do some land based weight training too. Wow strength needed.

[@theraceclub]

They definitely do... weaker athletes have more trouble getting an effictive deep catch! But, certain athletes could likely get to this level of strength without weight training!

[@henrytheswimmer9453]

Great video!

[@theraceclub]

Thanks Henry! We have over 300 similar great ones on our subscription Lane 3 theraceclub.com/product/race-club-memberships/?attribute_lane=3&attribute_subscription=Monthly

[@asxemdlean7490]

Wow. I've always let my legs to do most of the work since my upper body is weaker but since my legs don't work like they used to before now since I'm almost 35. I've been struggling shifting the work evenly, my arms bend when they come out of the water and I've been used to the S pull, suddenly changing it within a week for an upcoming race this Sunday has been quite the task.

[@theraceclub]

It will certainly be a challenge trying to re-write years of old habits. That being said, don't try to think about too much during the race... pick one "queue" and focus on that & nothing else in terms of technique. Good luck!

[@mariatarazona7995]

Excelent! Gracias por continuar fortaleciendo las técnicas mas apropiadas para un alto rendimiento. Bendiciones

[@theraceclub]

Todo nuestro placer, Maria. Le agredecemos mucho.

[@mariatarazona7995]

@@theraceclub Son geniales. Me gusta la dedicación de su trabajo y la nitidez de sus videos. Gracias por enseñarnos tanto.

[@sebastianknowles9833]

Those clips of Tandy are just beautiful

[@theraceclub]

Thanks! He is a great athlete. You should check out his starts on our subscription on Lane 3....amazing! theraceclub.com/product/race-club-memberships/?attribute_lane=3&attribute_subscription=Monthly

[@marcclayton1486]

Great video Race Club Team!!

[@theraceclub]

Thanks Marc! Go South Africa!

[@thibod07]

Interesting! Thank you for sharing!

[@theraceclub]

Thanks for watching, glad you liked it!

[@aquaterracr2241]

Excelente video

[@theraceclub]

Thanks for watching!

[@andrewthomas8737]

Michael Klim used this dolphin kick and freestyle in the Sydney Olympics and Athens too

[@theraceclub]

Yes I remember it well, leading off the 4 x 100 free relay.

[@claireennis8769]

It’s been a while since this video was posted but hopefully I get a reply to my question. I have a 6 foot 13 year old who tried this for the first time this week. He’s very highly ranked in Great Britain and he’s very strong. We followed the drills as best we can but when we did full stroke ( without fins ) he said he felt his body was snaking through the water. Any thoughts on maybe what we were doing wrong. Many thanks in advance.

[@theraceclub]

It takes time to get it right. It requires fast shoulder rotation in order to get the arm to recover over the top and not from the side. Continue working on 6-kick switch drills to improve his body rotation.

[@AdemarFragosoJr]

Very interesting video. I have seen somewhere that high octane training should not be done a lot, since it stress the shoulders. How much training would be a good amount for a 50 yo man like me?

[@theraceclub]

The pull underwater stresses the shoulders much more than the recovery does. Some shoulders may impinge, if the swimmer does not rotate his/her shoulders far enough back. This rotation is critical in sprint freestyle. Being 50 y/o, I would not train high octane much in practices, other than for fast 25's.

[@agnesakne4409]

I'll try this out

[@theraceclub]

Great!

[@hussamkesswani9684]

nice video thank you very match. can you tell me what name of the mike you used to talk with swimmers please

[@theraceclub]

Hi Hussam! We actually sell the microphones, transmitters and headsets on our website here: theraceclub.com/product/trc-swim-speaker-full-set/

[@newbynooob232]

Why is Brad’s head position so high, does that benefit his stroke technique in any way?

[@theraceclub]

That is a great question. We feel that his head position should be down more and he is working on that. Head tilted forward is a more powerful position and head down is a less frontal drag position. You can find a lot of science regarding head position on our Lane 3 subscription: theraceclub.com/product/race-club-memberships/?attribute_lane=3&attribute_subscription=Monthly

[@arianamoyav]

Great video!!! 💪🏼

[@theraceclub]

Appreciate it!! You can find many more like it on our subscription channel. www.theraceclub.com.

[@thoppenrath]

As a 63 yo Masters swimmer, is it realistic that 120 can be achieved or is it scaled back? In the 60s and 70s I was taught 'low octane' recovery. Relearning has been a challenge but the drills are helping. Unfortunately there is no coach or anyone observing due to pandemic restirctions.

[@theraceclub]

I am 69 years old and have a tough time getting over 110 SR, so yes, it should be toned down with age. Order a tempo trainer and you can train at the right stroke rates. theraceclub.com/product/tempo-trainer-pro/

[@thoppenrath]

@@theraceclub Using tempo trainer. Started at 90 and now at 105. It’s help a lot. Thank you! See you in September for Masters Camp!

[@YSFmemories]

@@theraceclub Just wondering, what is a realistic goal for 50m freestyle short course for 30/40/50/60 year olds (male), assuming we're not pro athletes but had a decent swimming background as a child?

[@paul2514]

Should the catch under the water also be straight arm? How does it vary to say middle distance/ long distance catches and how is it best done?

[@theraceclub]

Over a 50 meter sprint, the catch should be done with a higher elbow position. With a sprint, it is more acceptable to have a deeper catch for more propulsion.

[@Queenfisher444]

I think we’ll see this form become less and less prevalent moving forwards, popovici breaking 47 with an offset/6beat rythm has already started a shake up at the top end. Would be interested to see a video on these two side by side.

[@theraceclub]

That would be an interesting video, we'd love to have him in SD. What Popvici does better than anyone is elevating the hand as he reaches in his recovery, but he is still likely pulling near as deep as Tandy he just has a more medium to medium-high octane recovery. High octane will still have a place in sprinting but maybe more 100ers will figure out the medium-high how David did!

[@Queenfisher444]

@@theraceclub nah dude I’m talking about the rythm he swims, he’s clearly emulated Thorpe and then Phelps, especially Phelps.

[@Queenfisher444]

@@theraceclub he’s really doing one side high octane then one side almost catch-up if you slow him down, I reckon we’ll see him destroy the 50 as well this season.

[@theraceclub]

@@Queenfisher444 You're absolutely right he has the elbow stroke during his breath and a very nice deep catch with his right. I'd be curious to see how he would translate it to the 50 since he'll take few-to-no breaths.

[@arianamoyav]

Amazing!!!💪🏼

[@theraceclub]

Thanks, Ariana!

[@ismailkamouni2719]

Good jobe

[@theraceclub]

Appreciate the support!

[@alvarotomico872]

Amazing how these children pick up the proper recovery technique so easily. BTW, I´m interested to know if you have seen any negative transference from this drill to normal swim regarding hip roll. It seems like this drill promotes too much hip roll that may have a negative impact on sprint swimming, where the hips should remain almost still. Thanks for sharing your expertise

[@theraceclub]

Not really. The high octane is normally used with shoulder driven freestyle technique, where the hips remain more stable. These high octane drills emphasize shoulder rotation, not hip rotation. Check out all of our videos in Lane 3: theraceclub.com/product/race-club-memberships/?attribute_lane=3&attribute_subscription=

[@alvarotomico872]

@@theraceclub Thanks for your reply! Me and a fellow coach intend to go to USA (we´re from Spain) whenever it would be possible to attend one of your swimming clinics. I´d like to know if "the race club" offers clinics for coaches, in order to train them and to boost their knowledge as a professional. I´m hugely interested in that! Thanks again

[@sportsmanprofessional7480]

May I ask that what does it mean "trainers put them at 120 and put them in your caps"?

[@theraceclub]

Set the Tempo Trainer (Finis) to mode 3 and then 120 stroke rate (strokes/min) to train for 50 sprint. We recommend putting the TT under the cap near the ear, rather than using it on the goggle strap.

[@swimwithcoachraven1532]

Never tried the high octane stuff before

[@theraceclub]

It works...with practice!

[@carlodavidesalvo2077]

How many years of school?

[@theraceclub]

For me (gary sr) 12 years of primary and secondary education, 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 2 years of residency (specialty training) and a lifetime of swimming experience and education.

[@marklukens273]

Would you recommend straight arm over the bent arm for sprinting 50 yard free? I feel like Im not catching water while straight arming. I go a 22.2 and Im trying to get 21.99

[@theraceclub]

In theory, the straighter (longer) the arm, provides more kinetic energy in the recovery motion with greater resulting propulsion. However, there are so many variables, including stroke rate, pulling motion, body rotation, kick etc that you may losing in some other areas with the high octane straight arm technique.

[@Repienk]

So 3 kicks for every 6 strokes?

[@theraceclub]

6 kicks then 3 strokes.

[@marklukens273]

Can you use this in 100 free? Or will it tire you out?

[@carmelopearman5721]

I only know a few Olympic level athletes who can swim the 100 free straight arm (take Santo Condorelli, for example), but even for them the energy management is insanely hard on a 100. Usually a hybrid of a portion of the distance straight arm and another portion more of a “galloping” freestyle works best.

[@theraceclub]

Some swimmers do, like Carmelo said, Condorelli, Morozov, Eamonn Sullivan, and many of the women use high octane all the way through the hundred. Takes a lot of training to be able to sustain that higher energy technique.

[@moronicbeing5822]

@@theraceclub

[@mohamad888xyz]

❤❤

[@theraceclub]

Thank you!

[@puglicia]

Puglicia

[@welpjesphinx8881]

I overheard my coaches discussing the ISL of Budapest, and they said that everyone with straight arm recovery should be disqualified for not sticking to the 'true' technique of the freestyle recovery... didn't know new generations were actually trained to practice SA recovery, I thought it was just a hack used by some of the top athletes.

[@theraceclub]

SA recovery, which is what we call High Octane, has been around for a while. For example, Janet Evans used it in the 80's, Michael Klim and Inga DeBruijn in 2000 and many others since. From a physics standpoint, High Octane makes sense to generate more propulsion. That is why you see so many sprinters using it today. You can find many videos and articles regarding Hight Octane Freestyle on our Lane 3 subscription: theraceclub.com/product/race-club-memberships/?attribute_lane=3&attribute_subscription=Monthly

[@welpjesphinx8881]

@@theraceclub Yeah I see, that makes a lot of sense. I just find it weird my coaches did not acknowledge it as a technique for the freestlye but rather painted it as 'just slamming your way through the water', which, judging by this video, is not true as there is definitely some technique to be wary of.

[@theraceclub]

@@welpjesphinx8881 Yes there are a lot of 'traditionalist' or 'old school' mentality out there... if what they were doing in the 70's was the best... we'd still be doing that today. The proof is in the pudding! Show me a bent arm recovery in a world class 50 freestyle or even 100 freestyle (to a degree) today????

[@welpjesphinx8881]

@@theraceclub "Yes there are a lot of 'traditionalist' or 'old school' mentality out there... " True, especially at my club. The coaches all strongly believe in the superiority of the technique they were taught when they were young compared to more modern techniques. At least it's nice to get some counterperspective from you :)

[@engengaifc]

I recommend you find a new coach.. that old school thinking will only hold you back. We have to keep adapting and finding new ways or the standard never improves. Also, to claim someone should be disqualified tells me they don't actually understand what the term 'Freestyle' means.. Be free my friend try out some new ideas.

[@heruhendrajito48]

😎😎😍😍😎😎

[@theraceclub]

Thanks!

[@ManuelAfonso-pe3ti]

Shoulder destruction.

[@theraceclub]

Only if you try to do it without rotating. If you rotate, it's an extremely similar movement to most recoveries just with some extra speed.

[@paulhetherington3854]

You do not, let wrist - get all loose! His wrist, is very limp? Yeah right, you lose - count - stream - that way.

[@theraceclub]

The wrist angle will change throughout the pull but at no point will it be loose or limp - hope this helps!

[@keithminor141]

take the fing fins off and lets really see

[@theraceclub]

Fins help provide more lift and propulsion...but you are right. We must learn to swim fast without them. Fins are great for drills...when there is a lot of down time.

[@keithminor141]

@@theraceclub I can't lie, I have learned a lot from your videos, thanks! Junior Koga and you helped me with backstroke and Roland Schoeman helped me with the 5th stroke and now butterfly. Keep up the great informative videos. You and Dave Scott have tremendous swimming knowledge.

[@theraceclub]

@@keithminor141 Glad you found the videos helpful! Sign up for Lane 2 or 3 on our website for tons more videos like these.....

[@leuphoniemusic]

The high octane arm recovery looks just stupid.

[@theraceclub]

Good thing the only judge in our sport is the clock!