Swimmer's Dryland Exercises for Developing a Swimmer's Catch Technique

小臭贝

Apr 23 2010
At a Senior Nationals at Irvine California, eleven swim coaches were asked the question "what would you teach a swimmer first when teaching the freestyle?" Nine of the eleven said the "catch or EVF."
It's undoubtedly the most important propulsive element in swimming and, unfortunately for most swimmers, it also the most elusive. The bad news is that all the streamlining and effective conditioning won't make-up for a dropped-elbow stroke, the antecedent of a good swimmer's catch or EVF (early vertical forearm). The good news is that coaches have new equipment and know more about how to train swimmers so they can acquire and improve this critical skill.

By analyzing videos of Olympic and World Record Holders, coaches and swimmers will see what a great catch looks like. All world class swimmers, in every competitive stroke, start with an extension of the arm(s) followed by a catch that moves the hand and forearm into the all important early vertical catch position. A great EVF doesn't just happen, it takes specific shoulder strength to put the hand/forearm into that crucial position. Knowing what to look for and understanding the mechanics of the swimmer's catch and the EVF position is just the start to improving it.

If swimmers can't demonstrate the EVF position out of the water, a vast majority won't accomplish the skill in the water. Every swimmer should be able to demonstrate what an EVF looks like to their swim coach. Coaches should give themselves plenty of opportunities to see that their swimmers can perform the skill correctly. These pictures show swimmers performing simple EVF isometrics (Swimmers can mimic the catch for all strokes using isometrics).

Swimmers should be able to show the EVF position while:

Standing up
Bending over as they mimic swimming
While lying on their front and on their back (on a bleacher)
From these dry-land positions, the coach or instructor can tell their swimmers what they're looking for, and then coaches can manipulate swimmers' arms until they can hold that effective EVF position without help. When these EVF motions are trained and reinforced everyday, swimmers will learn the concept, connect with the feeling, and transfer the EVF position more successfully in the water. Coaches will love it when swimmers begin to tell them that they are "getting it" (the catch), or telling them that they're losing it (and need to drill some more). Once swimmers can show the EVF position at the drop of a hat, they're ready for exercises that will help them maintain that position in the water.