Practice sculling exercises (short, regular sculling movements) to develop your 'feel for the water' and strengthen your catch, as the forearm plays an essential role in propulsion during the front crawl.

noli's read

The assertion that the forearm is a crucial propulsive lever and that sculling helps to 'feel the water' is widely validated by sports biomechanics research. A controlled trial published by Dumlu et al. (2025) has, in fact, demonstrated that targeted sculling training significantly improves swimming mechanics, grip strength, and overall movement efficiency. Furthermore, literature reviews in hydrodynamics (such as that of Takagi et al., 2023) confirm that the precise orientation of the hand and forearm optimizes water pressure management, which develops aquatic proprioception. However, science offers an interesting nuance: a fluid dynamics study from Johns Hopkins University (Mittal et al., 2012) suggests that, during active swimming, a direct pulling motion (like a 'paddle') is more efficient for forward motion than a continuous sculling motion (like a 'propeller'). The sculling proposed by Lucile is therefore perfect as an educational tool to strengthen the stabilizing muscles of the forearm and refine one's sensations, but it does not replace a firm, direct propulsive stroke once engaged in an event.

the sources

No named source held this one up — that absence is part of the verdict.