Swimming freestyle with straight arms like Vladimir Morozov

QUESTION:

Hello Gary

I would like to ask if the way Vladimir Morozov swimming is efficient? I mean his freestyle swimming. If he is doing high elbow position too and swimming like you showed it on your video? I’m asking because I can’t see it.

I’m asking because I’ve got the same height as Vlad so it could work to me swimming like him.

Can you tell me how/what is he doing differently? (for example I see only just straight arms moving really fast with very powerful legs). He looks so fast. If I could understand the way how to swim like him I could get out of 59 secs of 100m freestyle which is my PB since 2 years.

Thank you, Michael

ANSWER:

Hi Michael,

Yes Vladimir swims with much straighter arms than the bent elbow technique that I describe.  He is one of very few male swimmers who seem to be able to do this efficiently.  You can watch is 100m freestyle at the NCAA in 2013 below and his swimming is outstanding.  Michal Klim from Australia who held the world record for the 100m freestyle was another swimmer who could hold this technique for 100m in the late 1990s.

To swim like this you must have extremely powerful arms (and leg kick) and be able to hold that power for around 50 seconds.  Most male swimmers struggle to hold it for 20 seconds if they try it.  One thing to note is  that if it was easy, then everyone would be doing it.  Very few swimmers have managed to use this technique in the last 15 years.

Talk it over with your coach and it may be worth experimenting together to see if swimming with straighter arms helps you to swim faster.

Regards

Gary