[schnodo]

Edit: Die englische Fassung wurde am 19. September fertig:
Freestyle Swimming: Arm Movement. Complete.

Die von einigen gewünschte deutsche Übersetzung ist auch da:
Kraulschwimmen. Armbewegung. Komplett
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Vor fast zwei Jahren hatte ich angedroht, einen Ideen-Thread zu meinem spinnerten Monumentalprojekt aufzusetzen. Heute lasse ich der Drohung Taten folgen.

Das Videoprojekt soll den Armzug, so wie ich ihn verstehe, möglichst vollständig und möglichst anschaulich beschreiben. So wie ich es mir vorstelle, habe ich es noch nirgends gesehen. Aktuell schwebt mir «Freestyle Swimming: Arm Movement. Complete.» als Titel vor.



Dieser Thread soll den Zweck haben, Feedback und Anregungen zu sammeln, damit das ultimative Video zum Armzug keine Bauchlandung wird, sondern als tauglicher Versuch durchgeht.

Damit Ihr eine Vorstellung habt, worum es mir geht, habe ich den Teil, der zumindest schon mal strukturell meiner Idee entspricht, "unlisted" auf YouTube gestellt. Man findet das Video also nur, wenn man den Link kennt – weil es eine frühe und ziemlich ungare Vorschau ist, die ich nur Euch zumuten kann.

Ein zentrales Problem ist meine Unfähigkeit, reproduzierbar so zu schwimmen, wie es die Narration eigentlich verlangt. Leider habe ich momentan also nur ziemlich minderwertiges Material, an dem ich selbst die Rechte besitze, zur Demonstration. Das solltet Ihr berücksichtigen.
Zumindest habe ich keine Schwierigkeiten, in meinem Fundus Beispiele für übelste Technikfehler zu finden.

In der Vorschau werden Extension und teilweise Catch abgehandelt. Es fehlen noch komplett Power Phase, Finish, Recovery, Hand Entry und Timing, für die ich momentan nur eine Ideensammlung aber kein Script habe. Ob ich jemals damit fertig werde, weiß ich nicht. Aber einen kleinen Teil habe ich schon und wie heißt es so schön: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

Hier der gesprochene Part, zur besseren Orientierung für angehende Filmkritiker (das Vorschau-Video hört irgendwo bei CATCH PART 2 auf):

INTRODUCTION
After twelve years of learning how to swim freestyle, Sheila Taormina's wonderful book "Swim Speed Secrets" has inspired me to create this video. It contains everything I have learned about the part that is the most important, yet the hardest to teach and implement: Arm movement.


OVERVIEW
Arm movement consists of extension, catch, power phase, finish, overwater recovery, and hand entry.
Sheila Taormina calls the power phase the diagonal phase because the hand is directed from a position just outside the shoulder line towards the hip in a diagonal motion.


EXTENSION PART 1
Extension is achieved by reaching out your hand as far as possible. That goes beyond lengthening the arm. It is pushed out even further by shifting the shoulder blade, the scapula, forward and bringing the shoulder next to your jaw. This is a movement like shrugging your shoulders.

Imagine, you're picking a fruit that is just out of reach. When you've extended enough, you'll feel how the hip is pulled forward and the body naturally rotates. You are doing the same thing in freestyle.

EXTENSION PART 2
Extend straight forward in front of your shoulder, either horizontally or with a slight down-angle. That keeps the shoulder above the elbow and the elbow above the wrist. This makes the transition to the catch easier. The following position is not easy to achieve but also tremendously helps with the catch: Make the tip of the elbow point up.

EXTENSION PART 3
Ideally, the fingers are slightly apart. The thumb points forward. The hand remains in line with the forearm. That position is kept throughout the underwater phase.

It is true that the catch sets up the stroke, but it is important to remember that extension sets up the catch. Incomplete extension limits what the catch can achieve. Aborting the extension also reduces the effective stroke length.

EXTENSION PART 4
Avoid crossing over the midline of the body. Crossing over results in snaking from side to side. In many cases, crossing over occurs when moving the head to breathe on the opposite side.

Do not pause the stroke. Freestyle is most effective when there are no dead spots in the stroke and the body moves at a fairly constant velocity.


CATCH PART 1
The purpose of the catch is creating a solid arm paddle, a platform for the power phase.

To prevent shoulder injury, the catch is performed with very little force; it also is the slowest part of the stroke. But don't mistake this for gliding. The catch starts immediately when full extension is achieved. When you're not extending, you're catching.

CATCH PART 2
Imagine that after extension you wrap your arm around a log. This position is often called early vertical forearm or EVF. You explore the shape of that log during the catch and press yourself beyond it during the power phase. Johnny Weismueller talked about "grabbing an armful of water". That's what the catch is about.

According to Sheila, during the catch you are "finding width and depth". You start the catch by slightly shifting your hand outward. Then rotate the upper arm internally, that is, in the direction that brings your thumb inward and down. During the catch, let your palm be seen from the outside.

CATCH PART 3
Keep the scapula shifted forward, so that the shoulder remains connected to the jaw. At the same time, bring the fingertips down. The elbow remains high during this movement.

At the end of the catch, the elbow is in the same vertical plane as the hand. The elbow points up, while the fingers point down -- either directly or with an inward angle. That largely is a matter of personal preference.

The catch feels like going over a hump. Don't try to force yourself over it. Just maintain the pressure and when you feel you're past it, this is the right time to start accelerating the arm towards the diagonal position.

CATCH PART 4
Do not break the paddle by bending your wrist.
Do not rush the catch; you'll lose the grip on the water.
Do not drop your elbow and do not lead with your elbow.

Imagine a line between the shoulder and the wrist. If the elbow is above the line, this is called a high elbow, exactly what we want. Below the line, it becomes a dropped elbow. Leading with your elbow means that your hand and your elbow are no longer in the same vertical plane.

Among swimmers who pick up the sport as adults, dropping the elbow and leading with the elbow probably are the most common and most severe stroke defects.

Do not lead the stroke with the blade of your hand; this will result in a dropped elbow.