Keys To Finishing Your Stroke

When many triathletes or non competitive swimmers swim freestyle, you always hear people telling you to "Stretch Out", "Be Long", "Finish Your Stroke", and the whole time you are thinking I am finishing my stroke. Here are the keys I think about when I am not finishing my stroke.

Is my arm going in directly in front of me? Part of finishing your stroke is making sure you are starting it correctly. If my lead arm is going into the water directly in front of me and my arm is fully extended there is a good chance that I am finishing my stroke with the other arm.

Is my thumb rubbing against my thigh? If you thumb is rubbing against my thigh there is a good chance that I am finishing my stroke because that means my arm is fully extended after the pull.
Is there a small splash of water splashing over my rear end? This is a dead giveaway if you are finishing your stroke. If there is a small amount of water splashing over your rear end from your hand exiting the water then you are surely finishing your stroke. If you are pulling your hand out early or by your side there is no way you can splash water over your rear end.
Try to remember these three keys the next time you are swimming. I can guarantee you if you were not finishing your stroke and you try these out you will start finishing your stroke, improve your technique, and take fewer strokes to get across the pool, which conserves energy! Try it out and let me know if this helps you out!

Check out Rebecca Adlington in this video
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0816_HD_SWB_HL_L0672

See you poolside!

Dan