Improve hand entry and alignment in freestyle

One swimmer I coached made a loud slap on every entry. The noise was useful. We did not need underwater footage to know the hand was arriving flat and carrying tension into the front of the stroke.

I asked him to make the entry quiet. The hand began entering fingers first, the shoulder relaxed and the catch became easier to organise.

Where should the hand enter?

Aim roughly in front of the shoulder, not directly in front of the head. A crossover entry can pull the body off line and make the swimmer correct with the legs.

The hand should enter before the arm is fully extended. Let it travel forwards under the surface as the body rotates.

Avoid forcing the thumb in first. A natural hand with the fingers relaxed and slightly separated is fine.

Do not copy an elite shape blindly

Elite swimmers can use positions supported by exceptional mobility, strength and years of training. This discussion of hand entry mechanics shows why individual anatomy matters.

A wide entry is not automatically safe and a narrow entry is not automatically efficient. The useful line allows your shoulder to stay comfortable while the forearm finds pressure on the water.

Try the quiet entry drill

Swim easy freestyle and listen to each hand. Enter through a small opening and avoid throwing the arm into the water.

After 25 metres, swim normally while keeping the same quiet entry. Do not slow the stroke so much that it becomes a glide contest.

Catch and glide, used carefully

The catch and glide drill can help a swimmer feel alignment:

1. Enter in front of the shoulder.
2. Extend under the surface.
3. Hold the line briefly.
4. Begin the catch without pressing down.
5. Return to normal freestyle after a few repetitions.

This three second glide drill demonstrates a similar idea.

The pause is temporary. Normal freestyle needs continuity. Use the drill to find the line, then remove the delay.

Signs the entry needs attention

• one hand repeatedly crosses the centre
• the opposite leg kicks wide at the same moment
• bubbles follow the palm deep into the catch
• the shoulder pinches during extension
• the stroke becomes noisier as pace rises

A cleaner entry should make the next part of the stroke easier. If you are concentrating hard on the hand but the body line becomes worse, step back and look at the whole movement.