Fist freestyle will increase your ‘water feeling’ which will make you more efficient. Make a fist with your hands and eliminate the hand as your paddle. By doing this, you lose the pressure of the water on the palm of your hand and makes you search for other ways to create propulsion - like with your forearms.

How to do it 

• Swim freestyle and make a balled fist with your hands


• Emphasize that high elbow position in your catch


• And use your forearm to create propulsion

Focus points 

• Hold a high elbow during the catch phase - bend your elbow slightly and point your fist down before pulling through


• Make sure your elbow ALWAYS stays higher than your hand during the pull-through


• And remember to keep tension on your wrists in order to create propulsion

Coach tip

Start the fist freestyle and open your hands halfway the lap. You will feel an increased pressure on your hands and forearms once you do this. This means you are increasing your water awareness, which will make you more efficient in the water.