Many sprint swimmers fail to achieve the so-called ‘early vertical...
Andrew Sheaff@AndrewKSheaff
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May 06, 2026
~1 min read
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1
Many sprint swimmers fail to achieve the so-called ‘early vertical forearm’.
They tend to drop in deep and straight and get there quickly.
That’s not a mistake, it’s a deliberate choice to create more speed.
They tend to drop in deep and straight and get there quickly.
That’s not a mistake, it’s a deliberate choice to create more speed.
2
While distance swimmers tend to emphasize propulsion in the front half of the stroke, sprinters tend to emphasize the back half of the stroke.
Watch the back half here.
Pay attention to how much surface area is facing backward and moving backward over a long distance.
Watch the back half here.
Pay attention to how much surface area is facing backward and moving backward over a long distance.
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This is where all the speed comes from.
Sprinters can take advantage of deeper pulling actions and more torque, all while doing so at fast stroke rates.
Sprinters can take advantage of deeper pulling actions and more torque, all while doing so at fast stroke rates.
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The same principles for creating propulsion still apply, but because the demands of the event have changed, sprinters will use different strategies to make it happen.
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By using the right tools and building them into sprint sets, over and over, swimmers will be given the best opportunity to create propulsion at speed.
Follow @andrewksheaff for more on the key skills in swimming, and how to improve them.
Follow @andrewksheaff for more on the key skills in swimming, and how to improve them.
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A systemic approach to development isn’t static.
It’s adaptive.
It has to be.
Swimmers are going to improve, and the better the system, the more they’re going to improve.
The system changes the swimmers, and the swimmers change the system.
It’s adaptive.
It has to be.
Swimmers are going to improve, and the better the system, the more they’re going to improve.
The system changes the swimmers, and the swimmers change the system.
