Improving Your Freestyle
When it comes to swimming, being a freestyler is one of the most advantageous strokes to specialize in. Approximately half of the individual and all of the relay events include freestyle. So, if you want to make an impact on your team, freestyle is your way in. However, without the proper swimming instruction it can be difficult to execute freestyle effectively. Thankfully, CoachUp is here to lend a helping hand in the process! Here are our favorite freestyle tips that will help you immediately improve.
Head Down
All too frequently, swimmers crane their necks up too high and stare at the wall as they swim towards it. This causes the body to drop and, ultimately, will sink you! The black lines aren’t at the bottom of the pool just for fun, use them! They’ll keep you swimming straight and the markings at the end lets you know you’re at the wall. Dropping your head will allow you to lie flat and swim through the water more efficiently with less resistance.
Breathing From The Side
As bad as it is to swim with your head slightly raised, it’s even worse to completely remove it from the water to quickly inhale. This motion completely interrupts your stroke and stops you in your tracks. Instead, simply turn your head to the side to grab a quick breath of that sweet, sweet fresh air! This can be tricky for beginners but it’s incredibly key for improvement. It might seem awkward at first, but keep trying, you need to breathe to succeed!
Straight Legs
When swimmers bend their legs at the knees, they lose all power from their upper legs — which is where most of the muscle is. Try to start the kick in the upper part of your legs while keep them straight and toes pointed. This tactic lends itself to rapid and more controlled flutter movements, giving you an efficient and optimal kick.
Fingers Together
When swimmers spread their fingers apart, they miss a lot of water that they could be using to leverage themselves forward. By bringing your fingers together and slightly cupping your hands, you can speed further through the water with each arm motion. This goes back to the idea of lowering your resistance and acquiring any little bit of speed you can. It may seem silly, but try it out and you’ll see an immediate improvement.
(Related: Read about improving your backstroke here.)
Huddle Up
By implementing proper freestyle technique with your head, breath, legs, and fingers, you will become a faster, more effective swimmer nearly guaranteed. Fixing the little things and creating a better final project means that you’ll most certainly improve no matter what. However, if you’re still struggling with a bonafide freestyle technique, consider booking one of CoachUp’s private trainers to help you out. The freestyle is commandingly different thanks to its unique and multi-faceted strategies. If you’re looking for someone to help you hammer out a consistent and reliable routine, then look no further! What are you waiting for?
