Step #2 is to add the pulldown. Start with the same streamlined pushoff, then simply pull your hands down, and travel in this position for as far as you can. As you push off and pull down, try to isolate your arms and hands so they are the only things that move. Everything else – your head, neck, torso, legs, and feet – should remain steady and motionless. Keep everything streamlined and moving forward. COMMON ERRORS
If you aim down even just a little bit – as this swimmer is doing – you’ll end up using the pulldown to get back to the surface – rather than to move yourself forward. Let’s take a closer look at Dave’s pulldown. As you watch from the front, notice that Dave seems to anchor his hands with the elbows HIGH…and then pulls his body past his hands -- as if he were lifting himself out of the water at the side of the pool COMMON ERRORS
Some swimmers try to get through the pull too quickly, so they pull too narrow. They don’t take full advantage of the power of their arms and forearms. Other swimmers love to feel resistance, so they pull too wide. This is not a powerful position. The most effective pulldown looks something like this. Keep the body steady…the elbows high…and press back as if you are lifting out of the pool.
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