Which finger should enter the water first?

If your hand is entering the water thumb-first or totally flat, you are instantly killing your catch before your stroke even begins.

Technically, your middle finger should slice the water first since it is the longest. But to actually fix your hand placement, you need to change your mental focus.

Here is a drill to lock in the perfect hand entry:

The Mental Cue: Think about entering the water with your ring finger. This simple shift prevents your hand from rotating inward and places it in the optimal position.

The Pointer Drill: Since we are not going to make you swim down the pool giving everyone the middle finger 😂, try this instead: extend just your pointer finger.

The Execution: Focus on ""poking"" the water with that index finger, reach for full extension under the surface, and initiate your pull.

This hyper-focus forces you to feel exactly where and how your hand breaks the surface of the water.

Imagine getting this level of detailed feedback on every single stroke you take. That is exactly what happens at a MySwimPro retreat! If you are tired of guessing and want world-class coaches right on the deck with you breaking down the micro-details of your technique, you need to join us.

We are heading to Turkey for our next ultimate swim trip! Visit the link in our bio to learn more and claim your spot: hello.myswimpro.com/2026-turkey ✈️🌊

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