What can go wrong during the downsweep in freestyle

Today we're going to discuss the mistakes that swimmers usually do during the downsweep in freestyle. The most common of them are to drop the elbow, to maintain the arm in an extended position, to slide the hand out to the side too much, and to slide the arm out to the side too little.

• The dropped elbow results from the attempt to begin pushing against the water before the arm is oriented backward. When swimmers try to apply force with the arm facing down, they succeed only in pushing water down and decreasing their speed. They must wait until the arm is facing back before they attempt to apply force.
• There are several swimmers that believe that the arm should remain extended during the downsweep and then be flexed during the insweep that follows. Sweeping the arm down in an extended position causes two major problems. First, the arm must travel down deeper to achieve a backward orientation when it is extended. This increases the decrease in speed during the downsweep and causes the upper arm to push down against the water. Second, the tendency to scull inward with the forearm and hand is increased during the insweep when the catch is made with an extended arm. 
• Although the arm will slide out a small amount during the downsweep, swimmers will delay the catch if they slide it too far out. They may also push water to the side if they attempt to forcefully direct the arm down and out, disturbing their lateral alignment. Swimmers should flex the elbow during the downsweep and they should keep the upper arm as high in the water as they can without shoulder pain. When they do this, the hand will naturally slide out to the side the proper amount without creating problems.
• Some swimmers go to the other side and try to keep the arms under the midline of the body during the downsweep.This causes them to push the upper arm excessively downward through the water, and generally to sweep the arm too far under the body during the insweep and too far upward during the upsweep. All three of these actions unnecessarily increase the vertical movements of the arms. The backward movement of the arm should be as horizontal as possible during the insweep and upsweep. It should only travel deep enough to achieve a backward orientation at the catch, and then far enough upward to be near the surface when the propulsive phase of the upsweep ends.

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