Catch Up Stroke and Its Value

Catchup is a Useful Tool

I keep getting told that catchup stroke should not be encouraged these days.

Wait... Get Your Lesson Plans Here

I personally find this instruction very frustrating. After all a tool is a tool. Used incorrectly all tools are bad and over reliance on any tool will dull your skills. However the right tool in the right place is a definite bonus.

The reason given that we should not teach catchup when teaching Freestyle front stroke is that it introduces faults. Can I just tell the world that practically every drill that we give a student will introduce some sort of fault that will have to be taught out later. It's just a fact.

Worse than that a student is going to introduce their own faults despite our best instruction.

If will help a student to get the idea of what I'll want them to do, I am going to teach catchup.

What is catchup stroke? Well the video below gives examples of its use

For mine when someone tells me I can't use a kick board or get a student to touch hands in front at the end of each stroke. I just smile and say "fine" and then I go ahead and teach it anyway if the student needs it.

I always listen politely to what they have to say however. Who knows I might learn something.

Enjoy
   Richard