High elbow does not mean near the surface
A high elbow catch is not about keeping your elbow close to the surface. Brenton Ford spends the video on the misconception that sinks most adult attempts: high means the elbow sits above a straight line drawn from shoulder to fingertips, not that it is near the water. In practice the elbow is ten to fifteen centimetres under the surface, even in elite swimmers. Once you see that, the whole shape of the catch makes sense.
Why it matters: with the elbow in that position, the forearm presses back on the water rather than down. Pressing down moves you up. Pressing back moves you forward. Ford recommends starting with a snorkel and fins so you can isolate the arm shape without fighting balance. Watch this before you go looking for hour-long 'ultimate catch' breakdowns. It corrects the wrong mental model first, which is what most of the other videos assume you already have.