This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week comes from Ryan Woodruff, the University of North Carolina assistant coach. Woodruff, who also serves as the head coach for the North Carolina Aquatic Club, offers swimmers some drills to develop a high elbow catch, as well as increasing their tempo.
One of the best pieces of training equipment you can use is something that you might already have sitting around the house - tennis balls! Tennis balls are good for a number of drills to help your swimming.
You can develop a better high-elbow catch for your strokes by holding the tennis balls in your hands while you swim your normal stroke. The idea here is that the ball acts as an "anti-paddle" forcing you to use your forearms instead of your hands to hold onto water. Do this for any stroke while swimming, drilling or even sculling.
Another way to use this cheap training tool is to help you learn to develop a faster stroke tempo. By taking away the resistance of your hands, your arms will slip through the water more quickly, thus allowing your stroke to happen at a faster than normal tempo. Try sprinting with a ball in each hand. Be sure to use proper technique when doing this or try it in conjunction with a tempo trainer to get even more specific!