Key Points:

• High Elbow Recovery: Ensure the elbow stays high as you bring your hand towards your shoulder, promoting proper arm mechanics during the recovery phase.
• Shoulder Tap: Lightly tap your shoulder with your fingertips during the recovery, emphasising control and a smooth, deliberate movement.
• Controlled Hand Entry: After the shoulder tap, extend your arm forward and enter the water with your fingertips first, ensuring a clean and streamlined hand entry.
• Body Rotation: Maintain proper body rotation with each stroke to ensure balance and efficiency in the water.
• Relaxation: Focus on keeping your arm relaxed during recovery to reduce tension and avoid muscle fatigue.

Drill Execution:

1. Begin swimming freestyle, focusing on maintaining a streamlined body position and strong, smooth strokes.
2. As you finish the pull phase and your hand exits the water, lift your elbow high and bring your hand towards your shoulder.
3. Lightly tap your shoulder with your fingertips, maintaining a controlled, fluid movement.
4. After the tap, extend your arm forward and complete the stroke with a clean hand entry, fingertips entering first.
5. Continue swimming, repeating the shoulder tap with each stroke, alternating between your left and right arms.
6. Breathe as needed, ensuring that your breathing doesn’t disrupt the fluidity of your stroke.

Progressions:

1. Single Arm Shoulder Tap: Focus on one arm at a time while keeping the other arm extended forward. This allows you to isolate the shoulder tap movement and perfect the recovery phase.
2. Increase Distance: Start with shorter distances (e.g., 25 metres) and gradually increase to 50 or 100 metres as you gain confidence in the drill.
3. Bilateral Shoulder Tap: Add a shoulder tap on both sides of the stroke, ensuring you maintain symmetry and proper rotation throughout.
4. Tap & Extend: After the tap, focus on a powerful extension forward before hand entry, emphasising a strong, elongated stroke.