The hand movement must be changed from straight to curve movement in order to grab the calm water. If the hand pulls in a straight line, only a little propulsion is produced.
Pulling in curves will produce a strong propulsion force (hydrodynamic lift) to move the swimmer forward.
The elbow must be raised high when the hand pulls in water.
For all strokes, the hand must pull in curve form.
The palm must follow the curve path of 30 to 45 degrees in water. The degree is subjective to the swimmer himself to capture the water.
The hand must enter and exit the water correctly.
The hand must enter the water in a correct degree without resistance and creating splashes. All the resistance will reduce hydrodynamic lift.
The hand must exit the water smoothly to avoid resistance of the body.
The elbow must be lifted high when it is out of water.
The body orientation must be straight (streamline). The body friction is depended on the body shape of swimmer. To reduce friction, the swimmer must be in horizontal. Sometimes there are exceptions. For breaststroke the legs are bent to perform kicking. The body is allowed to rotate in longitudinal axis to perform stronger pulling in front crawl and backstroke.
Some Whispers