What you'll gain

• Isolates the catch and pull so hand path and elbow position can be corrected without leg compensation.

• Loads the main propulsive muscles of freestyle, which contribute the majority of forward force.

• Builds upper-body endurance in a non-impact environment with no external load.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Push off in a streamlined position with the legs quiet and the body long.

2. 2

   Enter one hand about shoulder-width apart, moving forward and slightly down, with the palm flat.

3. 3

   Set the catch by dropping the hand down and in while the elbow bends and points out to the side.

4. 4

   Press the hand and forearm straight backward as one surface, accelerating as the hand passes under you.

5. 5

   Finish the stroke just past the hip, thinking back and up rather than pulling straight through.

6. 6

   Recover the arm forward while the other side repeats the same sequence, keeping the legs still.

Common Mistakes

• Entering the hand too wide or too narrow, which compromises every phase that follows.

• Rushing the catch and overpowering it, so the arm never gets oriented backward for the pull.

• Sculling side to side instead of pressing straight back, which moves water sideways rather than behind you.

• Dropping the elbow below the hand, a position linked to painful shoulders in competitive swimmers.

About This Exercise

A pull drill removes the legs so the underwater arm stroke can be worked on its own. The hand enters about shoulder-width and slightly downward, then the catch drops the hand down and in while the elbow bends and points out to the side. From there the pull presses a large surface straight backward with increasing hand speed, and the hand exits just past the hip. The muscles follow that sequence. Early pull-through is driven by pectoralis major, and late pull-through brings latissimus dorsi in to extend the shoulder. Pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi and teres major are the main force producers across this phase. For a product this clip is the pull half of a swim technique set. It pairs with a kick drill and a full stroke asset, and gives shoulder content a reference for a high elbow catch.

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