In a recent blogpost I wrote about holding onto water while swimming. Today, I want to talk about a pivotal moment in ones ability to effectively hold onto the water and pull themselves past that point. We swim coach’s call it, “the catch.” The catch is the exact moment when a swimmer grabs onto that invisible anchor point in the water. Novice swimmers really struggle to catch water at all. The catch seems to elude them as a slippery fairy tale myth. On the other hand, great swimmers literally seem to have an uncanny ability to grab the water as if it is a solid object and move their bodies beyond said anchor point.
So what gives? How do you go from the water feeling like you’re trying to hold a bowling ball covered in baby oil to grabbing water as if it’s a boulder and you’re mountain climbing? I once again want to quickly point out, that as with any skill one is trying to master it takes tons of practice (10,000 hours to become an expert). But it also requires practicing the right things.
The most effective catch is an early catch, meaning that the sooner your hand/arm catches water upon entering it, the better. And the key to an early catch, is arm position. As you can see in the reference photo, the best arm/hand position for an early and effective catch is with the palm of the hand pointed backwards (towards the wall you are traveling away from) and the elbow up with the forearm angling down at about an 45 degree angle. Note the upper arm from the elbow to the shoulder is almost parallel with the surface of the water. At this point, the swimmer is catching water and ready to pull their entire body past that anchor point in the water.
One drill that we sometimes do when trying to figure this out is what I call the catch and release drill. You simply kick on your side with an arm fully extended (if you’re kicking on your left side then your left arm is extended out in front of your head). Take a quick breathe and upon putting your face back down, initiate the catch by pressing your hand down/back while keeping the elbow up near the surface. Stop and release by re-extending the arm back out in front of your head. Repeat the whole length of the pool.
Life’s Catch
Throughout my many years on this earth, I’ve found myself multiple times struggling to “catch” good water in my life……like I can’t gain traction. I’m sure you’ve had several moments like that as well. Times when life felt like it was a bowling ball covered in baby oil or when you’ve wondered if life is a slippery, elusive fairytale myth. So I again ask the question, “Do you have an anchor point?” How’s your “catch” in life? Are you grabbing good solid water or is your hand just slipping through the waters of life?
I can tell you this; I want/yearn for a solid grip on life. I need a good clean catch….an anchor point for my life. Otherwise, I begin to feel lost. I lose my sense of purpose. Fortunately, there is a way to a good, rock-solid catch in life.
I love the way the Gods Word Translation reads Hebrews 6:17-20, emphasis added by me…..
“God wouldn’t change his plan. He wanted to make this perfectly clear to those who would receive his promise, so he took an oath. God did this so that we would be encouraged. God cannot lie when he takes an oath or makes a promise. These two things can never be changed. Those of us who have taken refuge in him hold on to the confidence we have been given. We have this confidence as a sure and strong anchor for our lives. This confidence goes into the ⌊holy⌋ place behind the curtain where Jesus went before us on our behalf.”