Arms: The arms undergo a triphasic motion.
1. Outsweep: This phase moves the hands laterally from the midline of the body. The hands should face outward with the shoulders to internally rotate to maximize grab of the water. The width the hands travel directly correlates with the swimmer’s overhead strength. The stronger the athlete, the greater control they will have with a wide outsweep. The goal of this phase is to move the hands as wide as possible from the shoulder blade muscles while maintaining straight elbows.
2. Insweep: This propulsive phase starts when the hands move medially from the outsweep. This transition is called “rounding the corners.” A change in velocity must occur during this transition, to increase forward propulsion, to propel the body forward without an associated sticking point. During this phase, the forearms and hands move from the horizontal to the vertical plane while the head, shoulders, and back lift in a straight line, driving the body forward (drive forward, don’t bob up and down, there aren’t any apples).
3. Arm Recovery: The arm recovery begins as the arms move towards the head, another common sticking point. The main goal of the arm recovery is to achieve a streamline. No matter if the hands are above or below the water, make sure the elbows are close to each other to decrease water resistance. Make sure to maximally move the arms forward during this phase to allow maximal leg propulsion.