Technique tips for freestyle swimming?
lporter229
Posts: 4,907 Member
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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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.1 -
OP... you can use paddles to increase strength, but as a former swimmer, I advise you to go slow with implementing them. If you do not have proper stroke technique you can really mess up your shoulders.
Here's my advice:
1) see if there is a Masters (adult) team in your area. The coach should be able to work with you on proper technique and ability to increase your stamina effectively. A good coach will also be able to help you work out while allowing your hamstring to heal.
2) Relax into the stroke as much as possible, especially around your shoulders. Efficient swimming is all about relaxation and breathing (similar to yoga).
3) U.S. Masters swimming has some very helpful videos on technique and drills to improve your technique. It may be in your best interest to watch a few of them.
Good luck! Swimming is one of the best sports around! I hope you enjoy your time in the pool.6 -
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.
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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)1 -
750meters in half an hour is actually impressive for a beginner1
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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.2 -
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.1 -
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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 down0 -
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.1 -
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!1 -
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.0 -
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.2 -
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.1 -
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.1 -
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!0 -
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.
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@Djproulx -Thank you! That advice is very helpful.0
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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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For me it helps to consciously kick at my ankle, flexing my feet. It is easier to tell I am doing it right than "kicking from the hips". This helps avoid the knee bend and does cause your leg to move from the hip. The result is the same, but easier for me to control.0
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Lots of good suggestions here.
If you don't have a swim background, you may want to check out Total Immersion Swimming (i.e.,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC8ZZZhabp4 ). There seem to be a lot of videos on youtube. Your library may also have the dvds. The approach is popular with triathletes (especially with a running background) who pick up swimming seriously as adults. Good drills for body positioning and legs that drag.
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Not that I was ever good at following instructions when I swam competatively. But these two bits still ring out from all of the coaches tips as bing easy to visualize.
Kicks: when on your back, the flutter kick should seem like you are trying to bounce a ball along with you as you kick.- for freestyle same concept but flipped over- but better visual cue the other way
Stroke: coming up out of the water, should seem like you are pulling your hands out of the back pocket of your pants as you go to start your next stroke. Then cup your hands just enough to PUSH thru the water...0 -
lporter229 wrote: »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!
practicing your flutter kick with a kick board is a good way to break up the monotony of the laps, and give your legs a good workout. Try swim 8, kick 2, repeat.
Side stroke kicks are common with a leisurely front crawl, but not breast stroke kicks. Keep working on your arm technique and your legs will likely fall in line.
Beyond that, don't worry too much about your legs unless they are providing negative motion because of bad form (I've seen it before). Virtually all your power and speed comes from your upper body arm motion. While sprinters kick up a storm, distance swimmers use their legs more as a balance to their body roll and not for propulsion.0 -
@lporter229 Missing you in the Running Group. Come over and join us in the Did You Swim Today
If your local pool does not have Adult Lessons you can try to improve technique by adding drills into your swim workout.
Drills are designed to Break The Stroke Down Into Manageable Chunks, Isolate particular elements of a stroke.
Do Drills Slowly and Deliberately, Take your time.
Use Fins, Pull Buoy, Kick Boards, Hand Paddles, Forearm Fulcrums etc. Don't be afraid to ask the LifeGuards where they are stored and for tips. You may want to buy your own Fins/Hand Paddles to get ones sized for you. I prefer Stubby ( short ) fins as the ones the pool's normally have are usually more like snorkelling fins and I find them to be a little long/oversized/undersized and I get Toe Cramps from them.
My Adult Swim Club normally would do a 100m Warm-up swim and a 50m kick set.
Then we would start Drill Sets of 50-100yds per drill. Here are a few Video links to some common stroke improvement drills.
Drill #1: Front to Back Body Balance
Drill #2: Side Body Balance
Drill #3: Six beat Switch
Drill #4: Catch Up Drill
Drill #5: Finger Tip Drag
Zipper & Finger Tip Drag
Once you are comfortable doing the Finger Tip Drag and Zipper you can start to incorporate both of them into one stroke. Once you are comfortable with this combination you can add the Fist Drill into it at the end of the stroke incorporating 3 drills into one. This really improves the position/alignment of your Forearm in the water ensuring you are getting the maximum pull from your arm.
5 Catch Drills
This one is a pretty good video, it has a lot of stroke tips integrated into 1 video and demonstrates some of the swim aids. The audio quality suffers from the Echo in the room.
The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle
Breathing Technique
Swim Smooth Site
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Thanks @juliet3455. I miss the running group too! I have been popping in from time to time, but I have to admit that it's kind of hard to see all of the amazing runs when you are sidelined. Still trying to check in when I can though.
Thanks for all of the great info on the drills. I will definitely be checking them out. Because I swim at my health club, there are no lifeguards and limited equipment. My neighbors have kick boards for the kids at their pool, so I am going to see if they will let me borrow one.
Also, I really appreciate all of the advice that has been given on this thread. It has been extremely helpful!1 -
Thank you so much for this information, it is extremely useful. I partly want to bump this thread up to make it easier for me to find, but also I have a question for you experienced swimmers. I need to keep my heart rate below 120ish (70% Maximum Heart Rate) for medical reasons. Will gentle freestyle swimming achieve this?0
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lporter229 wrote: »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.
Try incorporating some kick sets into your workouts. I do the same thing when I'm tired and my form starts to break down.
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The number 1 issue I see with swimmers that can be improved is kicking from the knee, not the hip. You want your knees to be loosely bent, not locked, but the kick needs to come from hip and your legs should be straight (but your knees should not be locked.)0
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violasrbest wrote: »Thank you so much for this information, it is extremely useful. I partly want to bump this thread up to make it easier for me to find, but also I have a question for you experienced swimmers. I need to keep my heart rate below 120ish (70% Maximum Heart Rate) for medical reasons. Will gentle freestyle swimming achieve this?
You should be able to keep your heartrate within a range if you are aware of it. I would stop every length or two and check your heartrate (there should be some kind of a pace clock on a wall to allow you to count your beats for 15 seconds) while you swim. Once you get the feel of your pace and heartrate, you might be able to swim for a few more lenghts at a time between checks. Some of this will depend upon your general fitness level and how comfortable you are in the water, and how well your body adapts to swimming. That will vary person to person, day to day.
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