My Favourite Drill For A High Elbow Catch

After 12 years of coaching and seeing 100’s of drills, this is my favourite drill for improving your catch.
Becoming a better swimmer takes persistence and hard work, but it also requires a smart approach.
To me this means focusing on the aspects of your technique that actually make a difference. For most people that means your catch.
In today’s video taken from our new virtual freestyle clinic, I’ll show you how to do this drill correctly and avoid the mistakes I see 80% of swimmers make the first time they do it.
Our new Virtual Clinic can be found here:
goo.gl/GvB5Qk

[@EffortlessSwimming]

Thanks for watching the videos and all of your support over the last few years. If you're not in Australia and can't get to a clinic, the Virtual Clinic follows the exact process I teach in clinics to help self-proclaimed 'non-swimmers' become swimmers. I hope you enjoy it! effortlessswimming.com/virtualfreestyleclinic

[@jaimie072]

I don't understand when you mentioned the arm when in high elbow/catch position should feel a lot of resistance and be acting as a brake? Do you mean that this demonstrates how much surface area the arm is covering which would then translate into propulsion. So a dropped elbow in this drill would feel less resistance and therefore have less propulsion?

[@EffortlessSwimming]

Exactly

[@jaimie072]

Cool! Thanks, lightbulb moment!

[@antidote345]

thanks for the drill and finepoints. I loved how she is listening with full concentration.

[@jm6734]

Looks like a smart drill for body awareness. Will def try it nxt time in the pool. Damn it would’ve been so sweet to travel to Australia for swim coaching and OWS. It’s on my list :-)

[@jasonjackson5696]

My Masters coach had me do this drill this morning but your detailed explanation made more sense to me, thank you!

[@newlifestartsnow4444]

Good stuff. Thanks for creating and posting this video.

[@johnbishop8460]

Great video. I coach young age group athletes and this is perfect for them. Not too difficult or complicated.

[@tarigzatia]

Adding good value!! Thank you..

[@billyvosnakis6313]

Big Congrats from Greece :)

[@davidrichards2234]

Very informative video . Thanks for sharing

[@KeithHiew]

Her freestyle is beautiful.

[@bigtupa5613]

this actually helps alot thank you

[@vlad_tabacaru]

Very good and efficient drill. I use it for few minutes and was 3 seconds faster. Thank you for sharing it .

[@SuperOCHomes]

Brilliant!

[@louiseatkinsonclark1706]

Wonderful , see you in september in gold Coast, for the clinic..

[@heleninqueensland5989]

Louise Atkinson Clark - what clinic is this? Where do we register?

[@elmutasimidris8742]

THANK U NOW I HAVE COUGH WHAT AM REALLY LOOKING FOR.

[@jasontran2475]

this is s great drill! Thanks :D!! Could you share some stretches and strength exercises that would in assisting and improving the high catch position? I tend to struggle to hold my elbow forward in front of my head as the hand and forearm begins to go down.

[@EffortlessSwimming]

We use a red theraband or a stretch cord to practice the catch out of the pool

[@alvonturme9207]

Thank you!!!

[@RustyRacer]

damn, those calves man!

[@robertbecker587]

I HAVE NOW AT 64 BECOME SO FAST AT 10 /12.5/15/18 METER SPRINTS.I FELT THAT THESE DISTANCES FROM MIDDLE OF POOL OUT WAS QUALITY OBTAINABLE.I TRY TO IMPROVE TECHNIQUE BUT I NO LONGER HAVE THE TIME WHILE I SPRINT.ON MY OFF DAYS I FOCUS ON STRENGTH TECHNIQUES THAT ENHANCE SPEED.SWIM SPRINTS ARE THE CURE TO DEATH.

[@nikitaw1982]

Forearm vertical, is the shoulder by the ear? Guessing it is.

[@nikitaw1982]

So whats happening 4 or 5 body points hand enters water vertical to it being horizontal? I guess catch??

[@markzoller7090]

@Effortless Swimming...realy nice videos thumb up. You talk in a other video from a new siwm pedal that will be relase in August from I mean Speedo. Do you have new information abour this ? Thanks

[@EffortlessSwimming]

Thanks Mark, we are now hoping to release it at the end of the year. We are just testing out which materials will work best for the design.

[@rosariozapatamartinez514]

No entiendo nada de lo que dice solo interpretó el video.. si tan solo le pusieran ls subtítulos en español

[@MarijaCZadar]

Thanks for the videos. Still, I am a hopeless case. Watching it, I go "okay, that sounds reachable enough", and when I'm in the pool, everything goes down the drain. I suggested to my trainer that my left hand seems so incontrollable because I have (a double) scoliosis, but he says no, that's not it. I guess I should just quit trying to wrap my head around this. It's becoming too stressful.

[@kemithperera3733]

I'm not quite sure what the effects of scoliosis, but don't think too much and get in your own head. Just keep trying and believe you can do it. I'm sure you'll figure it out.

[@mnm121314]

I can't for the life of me bend my elbow like that at a 90° while swimming. Do I stretch or what are some tricks?

[@EffortlessSwimming]

Massage ball and foam roller are two essentials to improving mobility

[@mickm9878]

Great video im swimming since march 3 times a week its only starting to come together now i use a pull bouy for most i can still only swim 2 lengths without stopping when im not using buoy.Any tips on extending yhat distance ?

[@KeithHiew]

Mick Melinn do you have trouble kicking or that your legs tire quickly? Might help to get your legs higher and nearer the surface of the water (reduce drag by looking straight down). Or maybe the amplitude of your kick is too huge and that tires you quickly. What I personally did was change my kicks to make them much smaller but faster (what I call “flutter the flutter kick”) to keep my feet as close to the water surface as possible. I used to be able to do only at most 300m freestyle non stop, but as a result of this change I went to 800m immediately and at the next session I went from 800 to 1,500 non stop. Perhaps you’d like give this a try?

[@wesley7910]

Work harder and dont quit when you get tired

[@VliegKunstenaar]

Swim slower

[@augustineva1909]

സൂപ്പർ 👍👍

[@garywixson8852]

So, you need a snorkel and fins for this drill? What if a beginner starting out doesn’t have these items?

[@andreagroothuis8843]

Get some cheap ones

[@jacklauren9359]

Beginner shouldn’t be focusing on this drill as it is for advanced swimmer. Focus on the basics first

[@kelvinabbott2197]

You don't NEED them to do the drill it just makes it easier to have full focus on what you are doing. Add kit items as you go along. In the meantime just put your head up to breathe when you need to. And it's never too early to work on drills, however a streamline drill like Swordfish or 6-1-6 may be better just at the moment, depending on how much of a beginner you are.

[@harryshaw97]

I have a question regarding the catch in swimming. Im a beginner at swimming but i have been watching ALOT of your videos to improve my freestyle. Please could you explain the difference between the catch shown in your video and the S pull. I spoke to a swim coach at a pool and he told me that my catch was wrong and i should be trying to S pull instead.

[@ChillerSession]

Harry Shaw The S-shape is tought regularly but studying pro swimmers shows that nobody does it anymore. Going straight is faster.

[@billybob6604]

OkAY

[@n8sbug]

What type of watch are you wearing at 1:08?

[@EffortlessSwimming]

Either the Daytona Rolex or the Garmin 735xt

[@a.joseph4233]

I get lots of air bubbles when my hand enter the water when swimming freestyle

[@kelvinabbott2197]

Try relaxing and putting your fingertips in first, then extending your arm forward to full reach. This should reduce the bubbles. When they clear away, move into the catch position and begin your stroke. Highly recommend the 5 Day Catch Challenge.

[@a.joseph4233]

@@kelvinabbott2197 Okay..thanks for helping

[@mauriuncle]

When you record a video you should always keep in mind that not all those who will watch it will be english mother tongue. Great and useful anyway. Thanks

[@czechraiser]

Zio Mauri so what they should do is watch with subtitles.

[@zsoca31]

wtf , i get a new ad everytime i scroll in the timeline. 6 ads in one video is kind of f*cking annoying

[@nikitaw1982]

Eat ur heart out pilates.

[@chengyugan1961]

good video, but please buy a tripod if you cannot hold camera steady

[@patrickcheng5481]

Be polite with your words.