YCUTS (You CAN Use That in Swimming) Series…Part 3.

Sorry…I promised I would do more of these and every time I get started on one, I end up saving it in draft and then starting some other project…here is one I was actually able to finish…

I would like to be able to attribute this one to the original idea inventor but can not remember who it was (some Southern D1 coach…if it comes back to me I will post). I saw an old video once of this coach having his sprinters use sleeves (actually cut up socks with rubber bands) while swimming. He was briefly interviewed and cited “hand isolation”. The idea of using sleeves for hand isolation when swimming is probably not his original idea either but it was the first time I had ever heard of or seen a technique for pure hand isolation using them. Of course, there was no explanation of hand isolation so I was left to stew about it.

Naturally, I went to my guinea pig (assistant head coach) and said, “try this and I want to get data on your experience”. The results, immediate as they were, were awesome.

The concept of hand isolation is pretty straightforward I think. When swimming in general, and especially when engaging an early or front quarter catch, it is not just the hand that is pulling water back. The wrist and forearm each have a role in pulling water, albeit a slightly smaller one given the narrowness and convex shape of their surface area versus the water. Further, the fact that water is pushing against all of the surface areas at the same time and, consequently, the same pressure, enables the sensation of having one large paddle (fingertips to elbow) as opposed to having three distinct parts each pulling water in a different direction. There isn’t so much a displacement effect here as there is a pressure effect.

Anecdotally speaking, if you were to create a surface such that half was smooth and half was gritty, and place your arm upon it such that the hand was on the smooth part and the wrist to elbow were on the gritty part, you would immediately feel the surface difference if you slid your arm across the surface. So if we take that example a step further, by creating two distinct pressures, one against the hand and one against the remainder of the surface area, what we can do is allow for the swimmer to actually “feel” their hand or…more literally, isolate the hand.

So what that coach did and then what I did and then what my swimmers have done is to put sleeves on. Now we sort of abandoned the sock idea (although I did try it with zero success) and modernized the idea a bit. We went and got Thermal Sleeves (the kind you use when exercising in cold weather).

Thermal sleeves are superior to socks primarily because they hold very little water and therefore have almost no drag and because they have very tight cuffs at the wrist and armpit keeping them on during hard sets. We were able to find good Thermal Sleeves that ranged from 19 to 25 dollars. I like the Pearl Izumi ones shown above because they fit comfortably and are very very light.

Now, the beauty of swimming with sleeves is that you can actually feel your hand. The feeling is somewhat unique at first because, well, you have never really felt just your hand before when swimming. That hand isolation allows you to divert a significant amount of focus to what the hand is actually doing. You can make corrections on your own and really achieve a strong, anchored early vertical forearm as a result.

In addition, if you do a long, focused “perfection” set with sleeves on, and then take them off for additional perfection swimming, its as though your arm has come alive. Every hair follicle becomes attuned to the water and you can feel the forearm and wrist actually doing the work. Almost a “forearm” isolation effect although it is brief (maybe good for 300 or so yards). The true progress comes from taking the sleeves off and feeling that hand pull the water. When you take the sleeves off its almost a natural feeling to pull anchor early and pull high because it actually feels better! It feels like your hand and, on its own, your forearm are each working to pull water back to the hip. It’s awesome!

Further, if you are a deep catcher (e.g. dropped elbow catcher) and you try sleeves, you will feel just how much work your hand has to do to make up the difference in drag against the dropped shoulder and you will be able to correct it. My advice…if you have a pair of thermal sleeves, try it. If you don’t, check out craigslist, borrow a pair from your road athlete friend or just head over to a store like REI and get a pair. It is an awesome tool to have in your bag of tricks and you will use them a lot once you try them. Not the cheapest tool we have in our swimming bag but certainly an effective one.