Freestyle - Direct Path to the Catch

Are you adding time and effort in simply getting your hand to the point where you start to catch?  Here's a simple drill to help you avoid that.

Why do it:
Many swimmers sweep across the front of their body during extension then ultimately get to the point of where they begin their pull by sweeping back out to that point.  Skipping all that extra maneuvering gets you to the catch quicker.

How to do it:
1)  Swim for a bit with your head down, without breathing and focus your attention on what your hand is doing during extension.
2)  Now slowly lift your eyes so you can actually SEE what your hands are doing during extension.
3)  If you notice any inward sweep of the hands upon entry, try to feel as if you're pushing your hands OUT to full extension.
4)  Slowly lower your head back down and try to maintain the feeling of reaching a bit wider into the catch than you did before.

How to do it really well (the fine points):
Put on your Finis Swimmers Snorkel and feel your arm stretching forward from inside your elbow.  The extension should be quick and the feeling of lengthening the arm immediately should alleviate much of the sweeping across.  Also, have someone watch you to see that you're not still sweeping across.  It's not an easy problem to fix, so feedback will certainly help.