Bruno Fratus is one of the fastest freestylers in the world. One of the reasons: his ability to reach full extension. Check out today's video of Bruno...and pick up a subscription to GoSwim.tv to see more technique footage of this amazing swimmer.
Focus just on Bruno’s hands and forearms in this clip. Notice that Bruno’s fingertips are always driving forward, giving the impression that he’s FLYING into and through the extension forward. From under the surface, notice that Bruno holds his fingers fairly close together, but there’s no tension in Bruno’s hands. He maintains a rigid alignment from the palm through the wrist and along the forearm. Notice that the bubbles fall off his hands – especially his left hand – and that he finds clean, solid water on each catch. Bruno seems to have a “feel” for when his palms and forearms are perfectly horizontal. By rotating his body, that horizontal line extends through the armpit and along the torso. Again, he seems to be sailing through the water. Keeping the head low and stable only adds to his forward momentum. The integrity of Bruno’s front-end extension is the key reason he’s reached the pinnacle of the sport. Try to channel Bruno’s hands and forearms when you head into your next freestyle set.
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