Long boats balance better than short boats, so be a long boat
You go where your arms are pointed
You are always better balanced with a long straight arm in front of you. Value your line and leave your lead arm in front as long as possible.
This is not the time to be casual, to drop your elbow, or let your hand wander about. Point your arm laser straight to where you want to go. Keep your hand vertical, little finger down.
In core-driven freestyle your leading arm does not travel down and under your torso. Your arm stays high in the water, just below the surface, on the same horizontal plane as your body, close to your long-axis, as you rotate your hips and swim past the catch.
Because you use your hips for propulsion
Now you are longer, straighter, better balanced with a shorter, faster, easier recovery.
This is not catch up swimming, that's something else, that limits hip rotation, so is of no use.
This is swimming into the front quadrant. Have a strong bias toward the front of the stroke.
Send your energy forward, continuously forward.