Today at the pool, a young woman arrived with all sorts of pool toys. She
did a few laps prior to put on the various training aids, and I noticed that
their use seemed to dictate her stroke.
For example, she was swimming the front crawl with her arms coming over her
head straight and her hands slapping the water upon entry. When she put on
the hand paddles, this is exactly how she slapped the water. With her arm
straight out, there was no extension under the water after her hand entered.
Her feet, as she kicked, showed her heels above the water. When she put on
her long swim fins, that was duplicated exactly.
She carried her head completely out of the water--neither ear was in the
water when she breathed.
So, did the long fins cause her to swim with her heels coming out of the
water? Is this correct form? Did the hand paddles lead to the
arm-completely-stretched-out entry of her hand into the water? Her thumb was
entering first, but her hand wasn't tilted down--just flat.
It is so rare that I see somebody at the pool with all of these pool toys
that I thought she must be a competitive college swimmer just using this
pool because it is less crowded. Now, I am beginning to wonder.
Is she doing it right?
Pat in TX