This reply comes late, but just wanted to take part in this great forum and exceptional insight into athletics and physical conditioning. I know it???s an old thread??? but so captivating.
I think Edwards tried to change his arm technique prior to 1995 from single arm swing to double arms alá Conley. And with some success ??? WR in Gothenburg and 18.43w in Lille manifests that of course. Looking at the tape from the Word Championships in Stuttgart 1993, he still used a single arm swing very close to what Markov did. However, I don???t think his arm movement in Atlanta 1996, or in the years after for that matter, is intentional. I believe he wasn???t getting that same kind of balance he had in 1995. In fact, before his world record in Gothenburg he jumped 17.98 (WR at that time) with the same kind of ???unbalance???, forcing his right arm up and to the side, away from the double arm rhythm. I herd him complain some years after the WR-jump that even though he was in better physical form and striding faster (100m PR from 1996, Tallahassee) he couldn???t get into that same kind of rhythm as in 1995 ??? old traits of his arm technique sneaking back into his hop.
You can see the ???unbalance??? in Atlanta when you focus on how his left foot is almost forced down (after it???s passing the right knee) somewhat earlier than in his WR-jump. I believe that???s because the right arm is too far away (in front and up) from his center. In the WR-jump it???s much closer, giving him some extra time to drive his right left foot further ahead before it goes down.