Freestyle Swimming Technique

Freestyle technique of swimming is considered to be the fastest and most efficient. It maintains the swimmer's body in a streamlined position. The limbs are able to exert constant propulsive forces due to the arms and legs. The arms perform alternating action while the legs perform continuous flutter action. Apart from efficiency and speed, freestyle swimming is easy to learn as well.

Basic Freestyle Swimming Technique for Beginners

The position of your body in the water carries great significance while you swim. The body must be positioned well to help you swim efficiently. To begin with, you should place your head in line with your spine. You should look forward such that your hairline crests the water surface in front of you. If you find that your hairline is receding, then keep your forehead just below the surface. You should look at the bottom of the pool while not breathing, look sideways with one eye directly over or above the other while taking breath. While swimming, try to keep the muscles of your neck and upper back relaxed. Always remember, if you look too far, your neck and upper back muscles will tense up and the face will act as resistance. This will cause you early fatigue and discomfort. Avoid such acts and keep your head and vision in the appropriate manner to help you swim with greater efficiency.

After body positioning, the second important thing for a perfect freestyle technique is the correct movement of the arms. Move your both the arms in a windmill motion opposite each other. Extend one arm completely out while keep the other all the way back. Keep the palms of both your hands flat. The thumb should be separated from the index finger. While you swim, you should pull the extended arm through the water under your body. You should bend your arm at the elbow. Lift the other arm out of the water and move it to the front as the first arm pulls beneath you. Bend the arm at the elbow and drag the fingertips along the water surface. You should try to penetrate the water with your fingertips. Try to completely extend the arm.

While swimming, you should try to rotate your hips around the central axis of spine in the plane same as the shoulders. Try to initiate this body rotation from the hips. Try to gently kick with your leg. A variation in the kick rhythm is acceptable. It should be between 2-beat and 6-beat. If you switch from a lower beat to a higher beat kick, you will tend to move your arms faster, and thus swim faster. Take a deep breath after every 2-3 pulls. You should be comfortable, breathing to either side. Try to breathe less if you are swimming for a short event.

Stretch each stroke out as much as possible for you. Secondly, remain horizontal inside water. This will keep your legs from sinking behind you when you kick strongly. Thirdly, when you pull your hands through the water, keep your fingers held slightly apart. Fourthly, do not make a big splash in the pool while you are kicking. Rather, try to only churn the water surface.