Key Points:

• High Elbow Recovery: Focus on keeping your elbow high during the recovery phase, with your fingertips lightly skimming the water.
• Body Alignment: Maintain a flat and streamlined body position to reduce drag and ensure a smooth stroke.
• Controlled Hand Entry: Emphasise a smooth, clean hand entry into the water, with the fingertips entering first, followed by the forearm.
• Balance and Rotation: Proper body rotation should occur with each stroke to promote balance and efficiency in the water.
• Breathing: Incorporate bilateral breathing to maintain stroke symmetry and rhythm.

Drill Execution:

1. Start swimming freestyle, focusing on keeping your body in a streamlined position.
2. As you complete the pull phase of your stroke, lift your elbow high and let your fingertips skim the surface of the water during the recovery phase.
3. Maintain a smooth, relaxed motion with your arm, avoiding any tension or stiffness.
4. Ensure that your hand enters the water cleanly, fingertips first, extending forward in line with your shoulder before starting the next pull.
5. Breathe as needed, focusing on a fluid rhythm and ensuring that your breathing doesn’t disrupt your body position or stroke mechanics.

Progressions:

1. Single Arm Popov: Perform the drill using only one arm, keeping the other arm extended forward. This isolates the movement and helps focus on high elbow recovery and hand entry.
2. Increase Distance: Start with shorter distances (e.g., 25 metres) and gradually increase the distance as your technique improves.
3. Breathing Focus: Add bilateral breathing (every 3 strokes) to encourage symmetrical body rotation and balance.
4. Fingertip Drag: Incorporate fingertip drag for the entire recovery phase to emphasise a high elbow and smooth hand entry, and work on developing shoulder flexibility.