Correcting Arm Imbalances in Swim Strokes

As swim instructors, we’ve all encountered students who struggle with a seemingly uneven stroke. One arm just doesn’t seem to be pulling as efficiently as the other arm, leading to frustration and a lack of progress. You might observe them veering off course, struggling to maintain a consistent rhythm, or visibly working harder on one side. This can be especially challenging to pinpoint in swimmers with special needs, where communication and motor skill variations can complicate the assessment.

The information we’ll cover is geared towards anyone experiencing bodily asymmetry, regardless of the cause. Whether you’re working with subtle imbalances related to body awareness or navigating more pronounced motor challenges, we aim to provide practical strategies and insights to help you better understand and work with each swimmer’s unique physical landscape.

In the Swim Whisperers® method, we recognize this as our 14th Roadblock, ‘Stroke Performance’. If you’re looking for practical strategies to address this issue with your swimmers, you’re in the right place!

Common Causes of Weak Arm Movement in Front Crawl

It’s important to understand the underlying causes of a weaker arm and how it affects a swimmer’s stroke performance. Here are some common reasons why your swimmers with special needs might be facing this challenge.

  • Technique Challenges
    This encompasses a range of issues that disrupt the efficiency and power of the stroke. Consider the following:

    • Limited Range of Motion: Swimmer’s may exhibit a restricted ability to move their arm through the full swimming stroke, hindering effective propulsion.
    • Insufficient Power: Their arm may lack the necessary strength to generate adequate force for consistent and efficient swimming strokes.
    • Unbalanced Body Rotation: Unbalanced body rotation forces the arms to compensate, leading to inefficient and uneven propulsion.

  • Muscle Imbalances
    Discrepancies in muscle strength and development, particularly in the shoulder region, can significantly impact stroke symmetry. This is especially relevant for swimmers with special needs, who may experience general muscle weakness or motor coordination challenges.

    • Weak Shoulder Muscles (Especially External Rotators): Weakness in these muscles, crucial for the catch and pull phases, leads to a diminished ability to generate force and maintain proper arm position.
    • Abnormal Muscle Tone: Could be a result of a stroke, Cerebral Palsy or brachial plexus injury.
  • Improper Body Positioning
    How the body is aligned in the water greatly affects stroke efficiency, especially during the catch phase, where most propulsion is generated. Incorrect body position weakens the catch.
  • Impact on the Catch Phase
    The catch phase, where the swimmer initiates the pull and generates the most propulsion, is particularly vulnerable to these issues. A weak catch results in reduced forward momentum and can worsen arm imbalances.

Challenges for Swimmers with Special Needs

When working with swimmers with special needs, it’s crucial to consider the potential impact of general muscle weakness and motor coordination challenges on stroke performance.

  • Low Muscle Tone
    Many conditions can lead to overall lower muscle tone, making it harder to generate the necessary force for a strong pull. This weakness might not be isolated to the shoulder but affect the entire body, making it challenging to maintain a streamlined position and execute proper stroke mechanics.
  • Motor Planning
    Swimmers with motor coordination difficulties may struggle to activate and coordinate the correct muscle groups during the catch and pull phases. Even if the muscles are present, the neurological pathways needed for efficient activation may be compromised. This can manifest as difficulty with range of motion, rotational movements, or coordinating symmetrical reciprocal arm movements. Front crawl takes a lot of motor planning and multitasking of arm movements, kicks and breathing.
  • Sensory Sensitivities
    Some swimmers may have sensory processing differences that impact their body awareness and proprioception (the sense of body position and movement). This can make it harder to feel and understand the correct arm position and muscle engagement needed for an effective stroke, leading to further imbalances and inefficiencies.
  • Developmental Delays
    Children with developmental delays may experience a lag in muscle development and motor skill acquisition. This can result in weaker shoulder muscles and difficulty with the complex motor patterns required for front crawl.

By understanding these potential causes, you can implement effective strategies, with a tailored approach, that addresses both strength and coordination to help swimmers achieve a balanced and efficient front crawl.

Front Crawl Essentials

Before exploring adaptive techniques, let’s review the core mechanics of front crawl, which can be disrupted by a weaker arm.

  • A Streamlined, Flat Body Position
    A flat body position is essential, achieved through consistent kicking and proper alignment. However, a weaker arm can disrupt this balance, causing the swimmer to sink on one side or create drag, making it harder to maintain that essential horizontal position.
  • Side-to-Side Body Roll
    Front crawl involves rolling from side to side for a powerful pull. A weaker arm can hinder this, leading to uneven rolls and reduced propulsion. You may notice that your swimmer finds it hard to rotate to their weaker side.
  • Steady Head for Better Balance
    Maintaining a still head, with the chin slightly tucked, is vital for proper body alignment and reduced drag. A weaker arm can cause the swimmer to compensate by lifting or tilting their head, disrupting their streamline and causing them to veer off course.
  • Long Arm Reaches
    A long, forward reach with each arm stroke maximizes the pull and propulsion. However, a weaker arm often results in a shorter, less powerful reach, creating an imbalance and reducing overall efficiency.

How to Improve Arm Strength and Technique

Understanding the ‘why’ is crucial, but knowing ‘how’ to fix it is where the real progress happens. Here are 4 tips from our adaptive Swim Whisperers® method to help your swimmers overcome the challenge of a weak arm.

  • Aquatic Therapy for Arm Strength
    Consider aquatic therapy to strengthen the arm and increase body awareness to improve motor function.
  • Adaptive Equipment
    Explore using adaptive equipment.
  • Targeted Swim Drills
    Implement specific swim drills to reinforce midline control, rotation, and symmetry in both sides of the body.
  • Clear Stroke Explanations
    Provide clear and detailed explanations, and increased muscle awareness of what components are needed for an effective stroke.

How Can Aquatic Therapy Help Arm Weakness?

At Swim Angelfish, we believe in the magic of water! Our expert instructors and aquatic therapists are trained to address unique challenges like one-sided weakness in swimmers.

Through specialized aquatic therapy, we tailor exercises to meet the individual needs of each swimmer, helping them improve their stroke technique, coordination, and overall performance in the water.

Watch how Ailene Tisser, PT, uses weights to provide feedback for improved arm range of motion.

Water’s resistance and buoyancy provide a gentle yet effective way to enhance movement, body awareness, and coordination, especially for those with motor difficulties, physical limitations, or disabilities.

Targeted Swim Drills

To help swimmers overcome challenges in front crawl, particularly those related to weak arm movement and motor planning, targeted drills are essential. Here are two examples from the Swim Whisperers® method that you can incorporate into your lessons:

  • Drill 1: Strengthening the Pull for Weak Arm Correction
    Using a dumbbell in one hand for stability, guide the swimmer to practice the pull motion with the weaker arm, allowing ample time to develop and refine the stroke.
  • Drill 2: Motor Planning with Instructor Support
    To facilitate motor planning, adaptive swim instructors can offer sensory input and hand-over-hand guidance to assist the swimmer through the physical experience of a horizontal front crawl. This promotes motor planning and understanding of the stroke’s mechanics.

In this video we demonstrate this tried and tested adaptive swim drill that focuses on motor planning techniques, specifically designed for the front crawl.

While we’ve shared a few helpful drills here, it’s crucial to understand that these are just starting points. Addressing the complex needs of swimmers with autism, anxiety, ADHD, or other challenges requires a holistic approach. The Swim Whisperers® methodology provides that comprehensive framework. Specialized training is essential to effectively support struggling learners in any swim class.

Transform Your Swim Instruction with Adaptive Swim Whisperers® Training

Are you struggling to adapt to the increasing number of swimmers with autism, ADHD, anxiety, sensory sensitivities, and motor challenges?

The Swim Whisperers® Adaptive Aquatics Training Program is your solution.

Our certification program equips instructors with a proven toolbox of strategies and techniques to adapt their teaching and gain the confidence and skills to create inclusive and successful swim lessons.

Transform your swim instructor skills today and ensure every swimmer thrives.

Ailene Tisser, MA, PT, Founder

Ailene is a pediatric Physical Therapist with more than 25 years of experience treating a variety of diagnoses, both in and out of the water. She is NDT (Neuro-Developmental Treatment) trained in pediatrics and is trained in DIR/Floortime. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. Ailene brings all of her Physical Therapy expertise into the water, where she helps children of all abilities feel safe, confident, and independent. She combines her passion and skill for working with children with special needs with the therapeutic properties of the water to achieve amazing results. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience by educating other Aquatic Professionals so that they can also make a significant impact on the lives of swimmers with special needs.

Cindy Freedman, MOTR, Founder

Cindy is a recreational therapist and an Occupational therapist. After working for ten years as a recreational therapist in a variety of settings, she pursued a Master’s degree in OT. Her career as an OT includes specialty training in sensory integration, reflex repatterning, and aquatics. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. As a swimmer and national champion diver, Her love of the water combined with her education and work experience created them an opportunity for Swim Angelfish to become a reality! “Our mission is to create an aquatic community of trained instructors so that together we can decrease the alarming statistic of drowning being the leading cause of death for children with special needs.”