Freestyle Swimming: Techniques, Training, and Speed Enhancement

How to do freestyle swimming faster?

To achieve greater speed in freestyle swimming, focus on refining your technique for optimal hydrodynamics and propulsive force, while integrating targeted strength and conditioning with strategic training principles.

Understanding the Fundamentals of Swim Speed

Freestyle swimming speed is a complex interplay of minimizing drag and maximizing propulsion. It's not simply about brute force; rather, it's about efficient movement through water, which is approximately 800 times denser than air. Therefore, small technical inefficiencies can lead to significant energy expenditure and reduced speed. Mastering speed requires a holistic approach, addressing biomechanics, physiological conditioning, and strategic training.

Optimizing Freestyle Technique

Technical proficiency is the cornerstone of faster swimming. Each phase of the stroke must be executed with precision to enhance propulsion and reduce resistance.

1. Streamlined Body Position:

• Horizontal Alignment: Maintain a flat, horizontal body position, akin to gliding on top of the water. Your head should be aligned with your spine, looking slightly forward and down.
• Core Engagement: Actively engage your core muscles to prevent hip drop and maintain a rigid platform for arm and leg movements.
• Minimal Drag: Keep your body as narrow as possible. Hands, arms, and legs should not cross the centerline of your body, which can create unnecessary drag.

2. The Catch and Pull (Propulsive Phase):

• Early Vertical Forearm (EVF): This is the most critical element. As your hand enters the water, immediately press down and back, bending your elbow to position your forearm and hand as a large paddle. Your elbow should remain high, pointing towards the surface.
• Inward Scull: The hand and forearm sweep inward, then outward, and finally back towards the hip, maintaining continuous pressure on the water. Think of "grabbing" and "pulling" water rather than just slicing through it.
• High Elbow: Maintain a high elbow throughout the pull phase, ensuring your forearm and hand are directly behind your elbow, maximizing the surface area pushing water backward.

3. Efficient Recovery:

• Relaxed Arm Swing: After completing the pull, relax your arm and swing it forward over the water. Your elbow should be the highest point, leading the recovery.
• Hand Entry: Your hand should enter the water gently, fingertips first, directly in front of your shoulder, slightly wider than your head. Avoid slamming your hand into the water, which creates splash and drag.

4. The Propulsive Kick:

• Continuous, Flexible Kick: The freestyle kick is primarily for propulsion and stability. It should be continuous, originating from the hips, with flexible ankles and relaxed knees.
• Moderate Amplitude: Avoid a large, thrashing kick. The up-and-down motion should be relatively shallow, keeping your feet within the "shadow" of your body to maintain streamlining.
• Two-Beat vs. Six-Beat Kick: While a two-beat kick (one kick per arm stroke) is more energy-efficient for long distances, a six-beat kick (three kicks per arm stroke) provides more continuous propulsion and is generally faster for sprints and middle distances. Experiment to find what works best for your body and race distance.

5. Controlled Breathing:

• Minimal Head Movement: Rotate your head just enough to clear the water for inhalation, keeping one goggle in the water. Your body should rotate with your head.
• Exhale Underwater: Exhale fully underwater before turning to breathe. This ensures you can inhale efficiently and maintain a continuous breathing rhythm.
• Bilateral Breathing: While not always for speed, bilateral breathing (breathing on both sides) promotes symmetrical stroke development and can help maintain balance and body alignment, indirectly contributing to efficiency.

6. Timing and Coordination:

• Seamless Integration: The true art of fast swimming lies in the seamless coordination of all these elements. The arm pull should begin as the opposite arm is recovering, creating a continuous, powerful motion.
• Body Roll: Integrate a controlled body roll (rotation along the long axis of your body) with each arm stroke. This roll allows for a longer, more powerful pull and aids in a more efficient recovery.

Strength and Conditioning for Swimmers

Dryland training is crucial for building the specific strength, power, and endurance required for faster swimming.

1. Core Strength:

• Planks and Side Planks: Develop stability and maintain a streamlined body position.
• Russian Twists: Improve rotational power for body roll.
• Leg Raises: Strengthen lower core for kick efficiency.

2. Upper Body Strength and Power:

• Pull-ups/Lat Pulldowns: Essential for the "pull" phase of the stroke.
• Push-ups/Bench Press: Develop chest and shoulder strength.
• Shoulder Stability Exercises: Rotator cuff exercises (e.g., external rotations with bands) are vital for injury prevention and powerful arm movements.

3. Lower Body and Hip Strength:

• Squats and Lunges: Build general leg strength.
• Calf Raises: Strengthen ankles for a more propulsive kick.
• Hip Flexor/Extensor Exercises: Improve kick power and endurance.

4. Swim-Specific Drills:

• Fist Drill: Focuses on EVF by eliminating hand propulsion, forcing reliance on forearm.
• Sculling Drills: Improves "feel for the water" and propulsive hand movements.
• Catch-up Drill: Emphasizes extension and timing.
• Kicking Drills: With and without a kickboard, to isolate and strengthen the kick.

Training Principles for Speed

Beyond technique and strength, how you structure your training sessions directly impacts speed development.

1. Interval Training:

• High Intensity, Short Rest: Performing short bursts of high-intensity swimming followed by brief recovery periods. This builds anaerobic capacity and improves speed endurance.
• Examples: 8 x 50m at 90% effort with 30 seconds rest.

2. Threshold Training:

• Sustained Effort: Swimming at a challenging but sustainable pace, typically just below your lactate threshold. This improves your ability to maintain higher speeds for longer durations.
• Examples: 4 x 200m at 80-85% effort with 1 minute rest.

3. Overload and Progression:

• Gradual Increase: Gradually increase the distance, intensity, or reduce rest intervals to continually challenge your body and stimulate adaptation.
• Periodization: Structure your training into cycles (e.g., base, build, peak, taper) to optimize performance for specific events.

4. Pacing and Race Strategy:

• Even Pacing: For most distances, maintaining an even pace is more efficient than starting too fast and fading.
• Negative Split: For some races, aiming to swim the second half slightly faster than the first can be an effective strategy.

5. Recovery and Nutrition:

• Adequate Rest: Allow your body sufficient time to recover and adapt to training stress. Overtraining can lead to fatigue and injury.
• Balanced Diet: Fuel your body with appropriate macronutrients (carbohydrates for energy, protein for repair) and micronutrients. Hydration is paramount.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Dropping the Elbow: Losing the EVF, leading to a "pushing water down" motion rather than pulling it back.
• Over-rotating: Excessive body roll that causes hips to sway and creates drag.
• Crossing the Midline: Hand entry or pull that crosses the imaginary line down your body, increasing resistance.
• Scissor Kick: A wide, inefficient kick that creates drag and wastes energy.
• Lifting the Head to Breathe: Breaking body alignment and causing hips to drop.

Conclusion

Achieving faster freestyle swimming is a journey that demands dedication to technical refinement, consistent strength and conditioning, and intelligent application of training principles. It's not just about swimming more, but about swimming smarter. Seek feedback from experienced coaches, utilize video analysis, and patiently apply these strategies. With consistent effort and a focus on efficiency, you will undoubtedly unlock greater speed in the water.