Fitness Swimming for Beginners

ebr250

I am looking for any helpful hints from experienced lap/fitness swimmers for starting a fitness swimming plan. I know how to swim, but I know my freestyle form is far from perfect. I know that the only true way to get better at swimming is to swim, but was wondering if there are any tips from the swimmers out there. Should I practice breathing with the help of a kickboard for a few laps? Is doing a few laps freestyle and then a few backstroke to work up endurance a good way to practice? Any form hints? etc. etc. etc.

Thanks in advance!!

joyosplash

Switching between strokes is not only a good way to 'rest' but also works different muscles and will help prevent overuse injuries.
You could try holding a kickboard with one hand, arm fully extended while using the other arm to take freestyle strokes normally. Then you can practice breathing to that side. If you are just holding the kickboard with both arms, when you try to breath your arm will be in the way.
My best advice, though it's easier said than done, is to try and relax. You don't want to be windmilling your arms, it's ineffective and exhausting. You want to be able to glide in a position with one arm extended in front of you and the other arm at your side. So practice that, take a stroke and hold that position, than take another stroke and glide on the other side.
Hope that helps a little!

ebr250

The "windmilling" describes me perfectly I think! Thanks so much, I am going to try your tips tonight!!

m9matlew

Hi!

I swam competitively for many years and still try to often(ish) for exercise now. My biggest piece of advice is- if you aren't breathing, kicking and stroking right it's going to be harder than it has to be... so focus on form to start.

Kick from your hip, with your leg straight (no bending the knee).

Slightly cup your hands, point your thumb toward the water with your fingers entering the water down the middle of your face/body. Once through the surface turn hand parallel to pool floor and pull cupped hand down your body. Bring elbow out of water first and form a v (or a roof shape) as you move hand back to forward.

You'll turn your head sideways (don't pull your head up out of the water!) to breathe. To start it's easiest to breathe every stroke, or every other. I've always breathed only on my left but you're "supposed" to breathe on both sides. Blowing bubbles out uses your saved breath.

Backstroke is a bit different, you keep your body straight and rotate your shoulders more (I feel like) but I spend a lot of time driving and on the computer for work and my therapists (physical at one point, massage at others) told me to do backstroke to stretch my chest muscles (alleviating some back/neck pain) and while I find it challenging, at the end of a ten minute interval, I feel stretched (in a good way).

Re: sets, etc.- I recommend always stretching (lots of shoulder, back) and starting slow (swimming is a whole body workout and can make you very sore to start and you'll feel injuries from earlier in your life, particularly shoulder- because of the repetitiveness of the sport). If you can swim one lap with good form, work on two next, etc. 4, 8, and 20 laps are milestones if you go by high school swim events.

Kick-boarding and "under waters" (trying to go as far as you can/farther under the water and without breathing- to practice sustaining holding your breath) are good activities too. Tip for under waters: do lots of deep breathing before you start (and I find breaststroke kick- also known as frog kick- better here). Then later you can do kick (with a board), pull (floating device between knees, only using arms), swim sets.

I'd also recommend a swim cap (it keeps your hair more protected from chlorine and massive tangles and out of your face) and goggles (out of your eyes, lets you see better).

I like swimming a lot; but it's very familiar to me. I like that you asked this question because I commonly see people struggling at the pool and want to give a few pointers that could make a big difference but don't want to intrude.

Good luck!