The Mistake You Don’t Know You’re Making

One of the most common technique errors? Entering the water and drifting upward to the surface. Think of it like tapping the brakes every few seconds while trying to drive on the freeway. It kills your momentum, raises your heart rate, and makes the stroke harder than it needs to be. And yes, this mistake doesn’t just plague beginners—even strong swimmers unknowingly fall into this trap.

Step 1: Enter with Precision—Fingers First

If you're leading with your elbow, you're setting yourself up for failure from the moment your hand enters the water. This is called overreaching, and it usually causes your hand to break the surface immediately after entry, forcing a mechanical adjustment mid-stroke. Instead, lead with your fingertips like a spear cutting upward through the water’s surface. This will help you maintain forward momentum and set up a clean extension and catch.

Try this drill: Use a one-arm freestyle drill while holding the back of a kickboard with your opposite hand. It helps isolate and correct your entry motion when done with focus.

Step 2: Swim Between “Train Tracks”

This next step is all about alignment. Imagine a pair of train tracks extending straight ahead from each shoulder. Your arms should follow these tracks when entering and extending. Cross over the center line, and your hand may start tracking up instead of forward, acting like a brake on your propulsion.

Combine this with a body rotation of approximately 30 to 40° through your shoulders and hips. Be mindful: over-rotating can cause your hand to swing wide or drift upward. Keep the motion connected and deliberate.

Step 3: Hit the Right Extension Depth

Here's where form meets feel. As you extend forward, your fingertips should finish at the same depth as your underarm. In that moment, you should feel the water glide naturally over the top of your hand—not the palm, and definitely not the forearm.

If you feel the water hitting your palm or catching your elbow? That’s your feedback mechanism saying your hand is too high. Don’t ignore it.

Power tip: Use paddles during drills to amplify your sensitivity to hand position. Follow that up with the 616 drill—a rhythm drill that improves your extension timing and stability in the water.

Small Fixes, Big Gains

Correcting your water entry and extension mechanics isn’t just about looking better in pool videos—it’s performance critical. Get this right, and your swim becomes smoother, more powerful, and less taxing on your cardiovascular system. It's the swimming equivalent of moving from stop-and-go traffic to cruise-control on an open highway.

The beautiful part? These are micro-adjustments. They’re not about brute strength or swimming thousands of meters. They’re about awareness, alignment, and intention. And that’s where progress starts—both in the water and in life.

Key Takeaways

• Proper entry and extension significantly affect swim speed and heart rate.
• Entering and drifting upward is equivalent to applying brakes in motion—avoid this at all costs.
• Always enter the water with your fingers first and align your stroke down “train tracks.”
• Maintain shoulder-hip rotation between 30-40°, but don’t over-rotate.
• At full extension, fingertips should align with underarm depth; feel water on top of hand, not palm or arm.

Final Thought

Most of our limitations in swimming—and in life—don’t come from our bodies; they come from our habits. Challenging one common mistake at a time can transform how you perform. So next time you enter the water, do it like you’re slicing into your next best version—one stroke at a time.