**Advanced Freestyle Swim Lesson #3:  Arm Recovery and Hand Entry**

There are two general ways to recover the arms in freestyle.   One is called a straight-arm recovery…

…and the other is called a bent-arm or high-elbow recovery.   Either type of recovery can be used, depending on which feels more comfortable to the swimmer.   

Some swimmers use both styles, using one style when they swim at a slower, more-sustained pace…

…and another style when they swim fast.

When I first teach the freestyle arm recovery, I try to keep it as simple as possible.  I demonstrate a big arm swing, moving from the shoulders. The arms recover to the side of the body.

I don’t tell them to bend their elbows. I want a relaxed rainbow-type arc. 

I may tell them to do big straight arms, but the young swimmer often develops a natural swing from the shoulders with a slight elbow bend. Like this.

The recovery should not be destructive to the hand entry. The hands need to be able to enter flat, with fingers pointing straight ahead, with a slight flex of the wrist, and at shoulder width.

I have the swimmer practice while standing in shallow water, bent over, but with her head out of the water so she can watch her arm recovery and hand entry.

Next, I want her to swim with her face down.  To practice this I have the swimmers do Position-11 Freestyle.

The recovery should allow for a straight-forward extension of the hands into the catch.  Practicing one arm at a time, using Position-11 Freestyle, helps the swimmer focus on this detail.

It’s important that the hand of the recovering arm is not facing outward and away from the body. Like this.  This often causes the hands to enter thumb side down and with the fingers facing inward…causing a crossover of the arms on entry.

I emphasize that the palms should face slightly inward toward the body at the beginning of the recovery.  The thumb side of the hand leads.

I direct the position of the forearm and hand like this. As the elbow, forearm and hand pass the shoulder, the palm gradually faces back so that at entry, the palm is facing directly back.   This allows for a clean and straight-forward extension on the entry.

I have her practice this movement while lying down on the edge of the pool and using one arm and a hand paddle to increase hand awareness.   This is the Stationary Scooter Drill.

The swimmer pulls the water in a straight line along the edge of the pool.  She recovers the arm with a slight inward position of her forearm and hand.  The hand enters directly above the shoulder line, with fingers facing forward.  Her wrist is slightly flexed, with the palm facing back.

Next I use the In-Water Scooter Drill.   By using a board and keeping her head up, she can watch all the same details while moving forward. I have her do this first with hand paddles…

… and then without hand paddles.

Another drill is the Head-Up Water-Polo Drill.   I often have the swimmer use fins to make it easier for the swimmer to actually watch her hand entry.  The head should be kept straight. The drill allows her to self-correct. 

She can make sure her hand is entering flat, at shoulder width, and with the fingers pointing straight ahead.

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Advanced Freestyle #3: Arm Recovery and Hand Entry