Swim Training is courtesy of FINIS, a SwimSwam partner. Featured image: Olympic Champion Anthony Ervin
The Shark Fin Drill
Swimming freestyle, pause for six kicks on each side during the high elbow recovery.
The break in stroke cycle activates stabilizing shoulder muscles that support a high elbow recovery. This drill also engages major back and core muscles for a proper body rotation. We like the Shark Fin drill because you can easily build it into any workout – use this drill to focus on technique during warm up, or plug it into a main set to refine technique when fatigue sets in.
For increased technical focus, try using the Forearm Fulcrum. The figure-8 design locks the wrist in the same plane as the forearm, stabilizing a proper high elbow position during the catch and recovery.
The Water Polo Drill
Swim freestyle with the head lifted completely out of the water. To ensure proper head position, identify an object at deck-level on the opposite side of the pool and try to maintain focus on that object while swimming.
This is a great drill for all swimmer types – competitive, fitness or triathlon/open water. Lifting the head forces a higher elbow in order to clear the surface of the water. Additionally, the sighting component of the drill is an excellent way to practice proper open water technique during pool training.
This drill also pairs well with the Forearm Fulcrum or another hand paddle that will ensure proper technique during such a demanding drill. For the full effect of head-up freestyle, we like using a water polo ball. Go figure! Driving a ball through the water ensures that the upper body does not collapse when elevated above the natural plane of the water. Don’t have a water polo ball? No problem – grab a Foam Pull Buoy or a small kickboard like the Alignment Kickboard.
~25-30° body rotation + ~120° elbow flexion/extension.
Remember coaches, teach what the elbow is “high” in relation to . . . the hand.
Two reasons to never teach a high elbow recovery!
First of all, when you bend the elbow you disconnect your glenohumeral joint. You’re now causing an impingement that may cause long term damage between the joint and the head of the humerous. Not only are you causing an impingement, but once the arm is extended in an unstable position once you begin to apply pressure you open all of the contained ligaments, tendons and muscles to acute injuries.
Secondly, especially in younger athletes teaching a high elbow recovery tends to shorten the stroke not only at the front end, but when they start thinking about pulling that elbow up they’re shortening the back end of the pull pattern. If you… Read more »
Trace the “RED” of the rainbow with relaxed, high-hand recovery. Don’t trace the “PURPLE”
If high elbow recovery is so dangerous to shoulder health, and this specific movement increases the possibilities for injury, then how come there have been hundreds of thousands of swimmers who have swam this way over decades of swimming with no injuries due this movement?
I teach a high elbow recovery to my 9-11 year old swimmers. It does not shorten their stroke out front, because I also teach them to roll their hip and extend the arm. It does not shorten their pull in the back, because I also teach them to push all the way through. Also, if you enter the hand at the head and push the hand forward while in the water, than yes you will… Read more »
So many swimmers have shoulder surgery after their college years. Too many yards and too much high elbow. The club coaches need to look at what is happening to their swimmers around the ages of 25 to 30.
I consider high elbow recovery a fundamental part of freestyle and spend considerable time on it. This is what sets up an early catch and helps a relaxed recovery which is important for efficient energy use. When analyzing a freestyler, the first 2 things I look at are the kick and the recovery. From that you can diagnose almost all the stroke flaws.
High elbow catch…absolutely. I don’t really care what their recovery looks like just as long as their tempo stays fast, and is setting them up for a good catch.
All that said, I do prefer teaching a lower profile recovery…have never been a fan of high elbow recovery
High elbow also helps promote proper body and hip rotation.
For all the coaches out there i’m curious: what is the benefit of swimming with a high elbow recovery? Is high elbow recovery generally accepted as the ideal technique or is there some disagreement among coaches?
I teach high elbow recovery to my beginner masters swimmers who haven’t grasped the concept of “recovery” as a time to relax. I don’t emphasize it for swimmers with more experience.
The fastest clubs in MN have swimmers with wide, relaxed recoveries. Does not look like they’ve been taught high elbow but I can’t say for sure. It looks much closer to straight arm but wide recovery with a slight bend in the elbow.
I’ve heard high elbow can be good for helping balance and correcting crossover. I don’t have enough experience to say anything for sure though.