Does (why) form during recovery matter?

[arown]

You guys/gals are really overthinking what is a very simple concept.

If you don't get the hands and body over before breaking the knees, then you MUST lift the arms over your knees otherwise you'll slam into them.

Everyone is in agreement with this indeed simple and obvious form cue, but it is unresponsive to the OP question.

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

"Can someone explain to me whether/why it matters that during recovery, you put your arms away first, then swing the core, and then bend knees, i.e., the exact opposite of the drive?"

That is exactly what my response answered. Don't be so dense.

[dabatey]

"Can someone explain to me whether/why it matters that during recovery, you put your arms away first, then swing the core, and then bend knees, i.e., the exact opposite of the drive?"

That is exactly what my response answered. Don't be so dense.

Gotta agree with you on that. You did actually pretty straight up answer the original question. (Though I do think others have said pretty much the same already.)

My take is that at high spm I haven't even got time for a full stroke and have to shorten it a touch, never mind go through the palaver of trying to get my hands up and over my knees in a 'wave'.

[MPx]

First let me say that I agree with the idea that good form is most likely to be "best", be that due to efficiency gains or whatever. Although its been thought through for OTW it looks good and serves well for OTE.

However, exactly how much you lose by doing stuff wrong OTE is often a moot point. Tony C started a thread a while back about being beaten in the 2k championship by a Scandanavian who's form was "non-classic" but nevertheless translated to around a 6:20 2k IIRC. I watched that race. Far from getting his shins vertical at the catch, they barely raised to 45 degrees. So the argument is either how much faster he'd have been if he did it properly, or that he's found the best way for him to maximise his potential despite an apparent compromise.

My form is poor. I bend my knees too early and have a daft up and down wave of the handle/hands as a consequence. Its what the OP refered to as doing all three bits together not as a sequence, and its what I've done for so long its too hard to change now. Who knows how much better I would have been with classic form - or not! What I can say is that it does not impede my stroke rate, contrary to suggestions above. My 1 min PB was set at r50 and good enough for 6th (of 483) in the 60+ rankings. But a long way behind 1st...so maybe that's where there's room for improvement - who knows?