Technique tips for freestyle swimming?

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lporter229
lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi. I am new to swimming (well, as an adult). I am trying to take it up as a means of cross-training while I rehab my hamstring tendinitis. I am finding it extremely difficult, and I know it is mostly a matter of refining my technique. Does anyone have any tips for a new swimmer that will help me become more efficient and enjoy my sessions? I am currently swimming 3 days per week for 30 minutes each session. The most I have been able to do so far is 750M, but I would like to get up to 1000M by the end of the month. I am hoping I can do that by decreasing the time I rest between laps. Is that reasonable?
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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,962 Member
    edited May 2017
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    To increase stamina, you can use the strap-on hand paddles and alternate between laps with them and kick board laps.

    Sometimes I will use the leg buoys between my thighs or knees when I am using the hand paddles; it makes it less strenuous because I'm not kicking. Most pools will have them on the pool deck. Ask the life guard if you don't see them.

    If you have any interest, you can try alternating your laps with breaststroke or backstroke. That rests parts of your body a little and they are both easier to regulate breathing than freestyle. When I freestyle swim, I take a breath every four arm strokes. If I pace my stroke cadence to be able to do that, it is about right for me.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,962 Member
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    maddy, that's good to know about the paddles. I guess since I've been a swimmer all my life, I've found the paddles to be really helpful when I've been out of the water for a while and have trouble with stamina. I didn't know it could lead to injury but that makes sense. :)
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    maddy, that's good to know about the paddles. I guess since I've been a swimmer all my life, I've found the paddles to be really helpful when I've been out of the water for a while and have trouble with stamina. I didn't know it could lead to injury but that makes sense. :)

    yup - I have a busted shoulder because of bad form - had a coach who tried to change a lot of stuff in my swim technique too quickly and caused all kinds of trouble - now I stick to my slightly funky style that works (and I'm decent...sub-2:00/100)
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    750meters in half an hour is actually impressive for a beginner
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    At 750m for 30 minutes you're doing ok.

    In terms of technique, I'd recommend adult classes, rather than trying to learn form and drills on your own. What you're asking to do is increase your distance per store, which is partly down to technique and partly down to power.

    Pullbuoy and kickboard drills will help your power generation and working on your breathing will help your form.
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
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    Masters swim classes are a great way to go. There are a lot of YouTube videos that can also help out with some of the key concepts. Swimming is so technique-intensive that it's hard to self-teach as it only takes one really bad habit to cause all kinds of issues. At the same time, exposure to good strokes and a voice over can help you develop an idea of what good form looks like even if you are not able to completely reproduce yourself. There is plenty of time while swimming laps to think about and work on different elements.

    The other thing that you can do is if you have access to a GoPro you can get a buddy to film you under water. It's hard to visualize what you look like and can show things like splayed legs that are slowing you down.

    Finally, spend some time just learning to feel the water and develop a good balance without stroking. You can find some videos showing how to break your stroke down into basic elements so you can work on developing that feel. It's what all good swimmers can do and why it often looks so effortless when they swim.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    750meters in half an hour is actually impressive for a beginner

    It is? I prob swim about that rate and am the slowest person in the pool (of those who actually swim their laps rather than rehabbing). I'm beyond newbie but nowhere near competitive. That makes me feel better!
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    750meters in half an hour is actually impressive for a beginner

    It is? I prob swim about that rate and am the slowest person in the pool (of those who actually swim their laps rather than rehabbing). I'm beyond newbie but nowhere near competitive. That makes me feel better!

    for a beginner yeah, for someone who has been swimming for a while...ehhh - that is about 4:00/100yd (or m) depending on the pool - if you have been swimming for a while I would learn towards some form issues that are slowing you down
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
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    There are some great resources around that can help you visualize what a good swimming stroke looks like. As an adult onset swimmer, one that I liked was a youtube video titled "mr swim smooth" which provides an animated view of what a near perfect freestyle stroke looks like.

    With that said, there is nothing like having a coach (or just a skilled swimmer) on deck to help you identify major faults in your stroke. ( common ones include: Head too high, legs sinking, feet splayed too far apart, knees bending, etc.) When I started, I thought that my stroke was fairly good until I saw a video of myself. It really helped to have feedback from a swimmer to see where I needed technique improvement. Small changes in technique often provide a big payoff in both increased speed and energy efficiency.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    Thanks for the advice everyone. Lots of good suggestions here. I will definitely check out some of the suggested videos. I looked at a few last week and some of the suggestions have helped me improve already from 500M on my first session last week (the head too high thing was a major help!).

    I am not sure that hiring a coach will be an option, but since most of you suggest it, I will look into it. I am currently swimming at my local health club, so definitely not an option there. Maybe there are other reasonable alternatives I can look into for coaches.

    Thanks again for taking the time to reply. At least now I know that I am not hopeless!
  • jenmarrs429
    jenmarrs429 Posts: 45 Member
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    I watched a lot of technique videos online to get my form right.
    I use a centerline snorkel to build up stamina....doing interval training without having to worry about breath control.
    Just remember to keep your body rotation even with a snorkel so you don't wreck your shoulders.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    edited May 2017
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    As others said, 750m in 30 min is good for a beginner.

    If you want to up your distance,
    - take a break every two laps instead of every one.
    - Try speed up your non-break turns, watch other swimmers for technique
    - Push off the wall really hard and GLIDE, you can get 5+ meters before your first stroke
    - Add some high intensity laps and really get your heart rate up

    mix it up if you are getting bored, like back stroke every third length, or breast stroke.

    If you aren't training for an event, I wouldn't hire a coach yet. Just make friends with another competent swimmer, I bet they'd gladly watch your form for a couple laps and give you a few tips to work on.
  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
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    Slow down and you'll go farther. Extend your glide on each pull, so you have fewer pulls per length. Alternate with a backstroke length when you need a break, rather than resting on the wall.

    I did adult swim lessons, because I was starting as a non-swimmer. Today I tried a 0-to-700m plan ( http://ruthkazez.com/Zeroto1milePreamble/pre-zero.html ) and went 850m in 30 minutes, about 2/3 of which was freestyle, at a pace I could have maintained indefinitely. Slow, easy, no breaks other than a few breaths to fiddle with counting beads every lap or two.
  • beerfoamy
    beerfoamy Posts: 1,521 Member
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    I watched a load of youtube videos, but best one that got through to me was to watch your hand as you pull. No bubbles is best as less resistance created. It helped me think about how I was placing my arm.
    I also watch a triathlete who joined my gym recently and she powers through while looking like she is doing nothing. She keeps her arms a little wider than I do, so i think I may be crossing a tad rather than keeping in line with my shoulders. Her kick is also amazing though - she just kicks faster than I swim!
    Another guy told me to keep my legs up -practice with the pullbuoy helped with this and gave me time to focus on arm technique as legs were out of it.
    Someone told me to keep fingers together - seems obvious but when I was getting tired I was flailing more than swimming.

    As others have mentioned, laps with fins and laps with just kicking are good. And asking people to give tips :)

    I re-started (as adult - was a fish as a child! lol) 3 years ago being able to do about 75m front crawl before being exhausted and going back to breaststoke.
    Now I find 1000m front crawl easier than 500m breast stroke. Still trying to get the breaths every 3 or 5 to equalise each side but not too fussed.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    Today was my 8th session swimming and I swam 850m in 30 minutes, so I am making progress, even though it's slow. The advice of staying relaxed has really helped a lot. The biggest issue I am having right now is trying to get my kicks right. I feel like I am doing a combination of freestyle stroke with breaststroke kicking, if that makes sense. I feel like I can go through the water pretty well this way, but as soon as I try to focus on kicking my feet correctly, I revert back to my flailing around and going nowhere technique. Does anyone have any advice for syncing my kicking with my arm strokes? Would practicing with a kick board help? Or am I best to keep focusing on my arm strokes and not worry about my legs yet?

    Thanks in advance for the help!
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
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    When I started out , most of my flaws in technique were related to my legs and kicking. With that said, a few thoughts come to mind. In freestyle, you want to be flat in the water to reduce resistance. That means head down and core engaged, so your legs stay straight and your body is flat to the water's surface.

    Once in that position, here's what I think about as I work on my kicking:

    1 Kick from the hips, NOT from the knee. Bending your knees too much causes drag.
    2 Point your toes and keep your legs close together. You might focus on having your feet or ankles brush each other lightly once in awhile while kicking, to be sure your legs are not spread out.
    3 Keep your kicks small to start. Think of kicking while keeping your feet inside a 5 gallon pail.

    When you put your arm and leg movements together, you might find that thinking of your kicks as a soft "pitter patter" is a good way to integrate kicking without disrupting your arm strokes. You'll probably get some tips from the stronger swimmers here, but those are things that helped me. Good luck.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    @Djproulx -Thank you! That advice is very helpful.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    Would practicing with a kick board help?

    Kickboards, pullbuoys and hand paddles all help to develop your style

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