Hands

Adapted, with permission, from an article by Wayne Goldsmith
First published in 'Swimming' July 2003

Would you like to have hugh paddles instead of hands? Think of how fast you could move through the water!
Great swimmers actually do have big paddles. How? Some coaches believe that great swimmers learn to pull the water with their wrists and forearms. This has the effect of making their hands 'bigger' and more like paddles.
You can develop this bigger paddle by doing fist clenched drill swimming. Push off the wall with your fist tightly clenched. This removes most of your ability to feel the water with your hands and teaches your wrist and forearms to feel. Keep your fist cleched for 10 strokes then slowly open your hand, a fraction each stroke over the next 10 strokes, until it is fully opened. What did you notice? If you did the exercise properly, your forearms should be a lot warmer than usual.