So the next thing we're going to talk about is the finish of the poll very, very important for sprinters. So let's pull up the video. And we will just let that get started. I guess I should add it, there we go, that helps. So David, when thinking of a complete stroke from front to back, how important is the push to the finish?

For me, the push to the finish is kind of it's the conclusion to the stroke. So, and I think of it like almost like a little boost, like a little, little propeller at the back back end of the stroke, and kind of helps me launch myself and get my arm into the recovery phase, faster, stronger. Having that back, having that back pressure to have myself throw back around, my just makes it more efficient and faster. As I go into the next stroke, it's important for me, because at the end of the day, I'm just trying to be as fast as possible. And if I can push myself forward just that little bit more by pushing my arm through that stroke at the finish. It really it's just contribute, it's only contributing positively towards the overall part of the overall stroke that I have. It's definitely not the most important part. But it definitely is just a small, easy thing to do and easy factor that just contributes to a faster and more efficient stroke.

Now the finish is going to contribute to the recovery, the finish is going to contribute to the speed of the recovery, and what do you what is the most important part of getting to the recovery?

For me, it's it, I've been doing it for so long at this point, that is just kind of muscle memory. So I'm trying to break it down in my brain right now. But for me, really, the most important part of getting the recovery is just getting to it, I can find myself going really slow and really sloppy when my hands aren't pushing all the way through the stroke. And I'm just, I'm not, I'm kind of being I'm almost choppy, I'm not one, one unit that's kind of together. And that that tends to have to do with me getting into my recovery, because I'm lagging in that recovery phase, it's just not happening as quickly as it should. And the rest of my stroke kick body is just, it's kind of falling behind, because I'm not in that cadence and rhythm. Getting to that as important because I like to be kind of I think of myself like a well oiled machine. And if I don't have oil, if I'm not moving all in one cohesive unit, and kind of running all together and to being choppy parts, I'm going to be more efficient, stronger, faster, if I'm together, as opposed to kind of holding off and lagging a little bit on that recovery. I mean, the important, obviously, is just trying to be as quick as possible, especially with freestyle sprint, getting to that recovering to the next stroke. So I can get that pool and be as fast as possible. So, I mean, I don't want to get myself caught on that recovery, like at all, because at the end of the day, it's just going to negatively impact the rest of my stroke, and I'm just going to be disconnected. uncoordinated, it's, you know, at the end, it's just something that I think about

now, so along those lines, would you say you try to accelerate the hand through the finish of the stroke so that it flies into the recovery a little bit better?

Oh, for sure. I've been working with Michael Berek at NC State, kind of on the whole, like power distribution through my stroke, we've been working. Obviously, you want 100% to be in your stroke all the time. But we've kind of been working on like a, almost like a varied power output throughout the stroke. Like if you at the top my stroke, it's a little bit less than the bill, but Bubba build 200% At the back of that stroke, almost starting at like, say 40%. And building all the way to 100 as I go throughout that entire stroke to get myself that launch forward. Yeah, and it's just it's important to launch myself through that stroke and get myself going forward as much as possible and that kind of flick of the wrist into the hand and that recovery is kind of how I end that push and that that stroke.

Yeah, I like this part right here because you can really see the it's almost like the wrist leading the way forward right there. So you're finishing and then but the hand comes out a little bit sliced, so it's a little bit it's going to come out really fast. Do you do any special drills that help you focus on the finish?

One big thing is power ketchup, it's literally catch up but just focusing on the power underneath the water is strong in as much of a pull as you can donate the water and launching yourself as far forward in that catch up stroke. That's something that I'm doing here at NC State. I did it literally eaten was it is today, Wednesday, I did it yesterday. It's a big part of the stroke, because not not not only my building strengthened burns through that stroke, but I'm kind of coordinating myself to focus on that, that push you can see right there, at the end of the stroke power catch up. Again, just like normal ketchup was a great way to do that.

And, again, you know, I see the hand slicing a little bit, do you think about that? Or is that just something that just happens as a byproduct of getting back out front,

I'll be honest, it's just kind of what happens. There's one thing that I do think about, and when I'm done with that stroke, if I've got a super tight wrist, like I'm locked out here, and I'm not necessarily on my cameras over here, I'm not necessarily as loose, I can get really, really tight in my wrist. I don't know what's wrong with my wrist, I stretch them constantly, but my wrist can get really tight. And really, it can become really painful. So if you look at the stroke there, as I'm coming out, my hand almost in wrist almost completely relaxes as I'm coming back around. That may be what you are seeing with a slice out. But for me, that's almost like a recovery method. As I'm coming in for that entry, that next stroke, my hand tightens up, my wrist tightens up. So I've got that nice clean entry. But it's that like, from the end of the stroke around that that is kind of where I'm relaxing my wrists a little bit to preserve that little bit of energy that will contribute to the back end of my race.

Great. All right. Thank you very much.


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15 - DC Talks - The Finish of the Stroke