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This guide will teach you how to swim freestyle faster and more efficiently. We offer tips, drills, workouts, and dryland exercises to ensure our expert advice sticks.
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Freestyle is a category of swimming competition, defined by the rules of World Aquatics, in which competitors are subject to only a few limited restrictions [1] on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races are the most common of all swimming competitions, with distances beginning with 50 meters (55 yards) and reaching 1,500 meters (1,600 yards ...
- Overview
- Learning the Stages of the Arm Stroke
- Kicking and Rotating
- Breathing and Practice Drills
Freestyle was traditionally a race that allowed competitors to swim in whichever way they wanted. However, after what was referred to as the front crawl became the dominant way to freestyle, the term freestyle has replaced the term front crawl as the name for the stroke.
Freestyle involves alternating arms that make windmill arc motions forward while the head is underwater, and the swimmer breathes at the side. It is accompanied by a two or six beat flutter kick that is synced with arm strokes to stabilize the body. If you want to know how to freestyle for fun, for exercise, or for competitions learn how to move your arms, kick your legs, and breathe correctly.
Move each arm in a smooth sweeping motion, pushing your arms up, out, and backward on the backsweep.
Flutter kick with your toes pointed just under the surface of the water. Use a two-beat kick for long and middle distance swimming.
Perfect your hand placement and entry.
To begin your stroke, your hands should be relaxed and your fingers should be held together. Put your hand into the water fingers first about 15 inches above your head. Your palm should be tilted at a 45 degree angle facing out so your index and middle finger enter the water first. Your wrist should be tilted down and positioned above the fingers, and your elbow will be raised above the wrist. Your hand should make as little splash as possible during entry. Once your hand is in the water, extend your arm another 4 inches
Once your hand is in the water, press your hand down and out with your fingers spread out slightly. This is called “getting a feel” for the water or “the catch”.
If you want to work on your hand technique, you can wear hand paddles to help you concentrate on how your hands are entering and exiting the water.
Avoid putting your hand into the water just above your head. It will slow you down and hurt your technique.
Do not smack the water with your arms, instead, once your hand enters the water, follow the motion and glide your arm into the water.
Flutter kick just below the surface of the water.
Although kicking accounts for only 10-15% of the power in your stroke, it is still an important part of your freestyle technique. Keep your hips close to the surface of the water and make a series of quick kicks. You want to focus on minimizing drag while you propel yourself forward; therefore, your kicking range of motion should be narrow. Your legs should not kick out of the water and neither should they break below the line of your body.
Kick from the hips and thighs. Do not kick from your knees, this is called a bicycle kick, and it will cause more drag. You may slightly bend your knees while you kick, but this should not be where your power is coming from.
The two-beat kick requires less power and is used by long distance and middle distance swimmers. You kick one leg per stroke cycle. One stroke cycle means the stroke of one arm. Kick one leg in conjunction with the insweep of the opposite arm. (The insweep is when the arm starts pulling water toward the midsection of the body.) If you can think about how your arms and legs sync while you are walking, how your arm moves forward at the same time as the opposite leg, you can imagine how your kicking should be synced with your arm stroke in a similar way.
Rotate your body to the surface, and inhale through your mouth.
This will allow you to keep your neck muscles and your head relaxed. If you turn just your head, you can put unnecessary stress on your neck. Keep your forehead and the crown of your head slightly submerged while you breathe. Imagine you have a wine glass balanced on the side of your head that you cannot spill.
Do not over rotate. You only want tilt your body 30 degrees in one direction or the other.
Do not hold your breath longer than you need to when you swim. Breathe at every stroke if you feel the need.
Do not lift your head up- this will cause your hips and legs to fall, and you will have to work to regain your balance.
Continue to keep your body and arms outstretched while you breathe. Keep your body straight, and do not lose your extension while you breathe.
Apr 15, 2024 · Yes, you’re technically able to swim any of the four strokes — or do pretty much whatever you want other than pull on the lane line or push off the bottom of the pool — if you’re swimming...
Jun 7, 2024 · Freestyle swimming, while seemingly simple, requires attention to detail in body position, stroke mechanics, breathing, and kicking. By understanding its history and mastering these techniques, you’ll swim more efficiently and effortlessly.
Olympic swimming takes place inside a 50-meter-long pool divided into eight lanes. Swimmers race each other at distances varying from 50m (one lap) to 1500m (30 laps) using one of four strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly (medley events use all four).
Rules and Regulations. Freestyle means any style except for the breaststroke, butterfly, or backstroke. The competition also specifies that the swimmer must touch the wall at the end of each lap as well as the end of the event as well.
