How To Swim Perfect Freestyle in 2025

Summary

Learn how to swim faster with less effort by improving your technique. Focus on body position, reducing drag, and increasing propulsion through streamlined movements. Proper breathing, a controlled stroke, and efficient kicking will enhance your speed. Interval training, rather than continuous swimming, will help boost performance and prevent fatigue. Personalized coaching can help identify areas to focus on and refine your technique. By incorporating these key strategies, you’ll improve your swimming efficiency and reach your goals in no time.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on perfect body position, catch, and breathing to swim faster with less effort.
• 😀 Water is 800 times denser than air, so focus on reducing drag and increasing propulsion for speed.
• 😀 Keep your head aligned with your body and point your eyes down to avoid leg sagging, which causes resistance.
• 😀 To streamline your body, make sure your feet are flexed and pointed to reduce drag and improve efficiency.
• 😀 In freestyle swimming, maintain a neutral body position and feel like you’re swimming downhill for optimal speed.
• 😀 Breathe by keeping one eye and ear underwater, and focus on breathing in through your mouth and out through your nose.
• 😀 Bilateral breathing (breathing on both sides) helps balance your stroke but can be more advanced than breathing every two strokes.
• 😀 Ensure a smooth, graceful hand entry into the water, and focus on maximizing your reach to extend your body.
• 😀 Engage the muscles of your back with an early vertical forearm (EVF) for a powerful catch to pull more water.
• 😀 Keep a relaxed but powerful hand position to maximize surface area when pulling through the water.
• 😀 Kick with a short and fast tempo, minimizing the amplitude of your kick to avoid excessive water displacement.

Q & A

Why do swimmers often feel exhausted after only 50 meters?

Swimmers may feel exhausted after only 50 meters due to improper technique and inefficient body positioning, which causes unnecessary resistance in the water. Common mistakes include incorrect head position, poor breathing, and ineffective stroke mechanics.

What are the two main factors that contribute to swimming faster with less effort?

The two main factors are decreasing drag and increasing propulsion. Reducing drag helps minimize resistance in the water, while increasing propulsion ensures more effective movement forward.

How does the density of water affect swimming performance?

Water is 800 times denser than air, which means swimmers have to overcome much more resistance when moving through it. This is why technique, body position, and propulsion are critical to swimming efficiently.

What is the role of body position in swimming faster?

A proper body position is crucial for swimming efficiently. Keeping the body streamlined, with the head and eyes pointing downward, allows swimmers to reduce drag and maintain momentum while swimming.

How can a swimmer improve their head position for better performance?

A swimmer should ensure that their head is in a neutral position with eyes looking straight down. This helps keep the body in a high and streamlined position, reducing drag and improving overall speed.

What is the correct technique for breathing while swimming?

When breathing in swimming, it is essential to keep one eye and one ear below the surface, breathe in through the mouth, and exhale through the nose. This technique helps maintain body position and ensures efficient oxygen intake.

What is bilateral breathing and when should swimmers use it?

Bilateral breathing involves breathing every three strokes, alternating sides. It's an advanced technique that helps balance the swimmer’s stroke, improve symmetry, and maintain a more stable body position. However, most swimmers should focus on unilateral breathing (breathing every two strokes).

What is the importance of an early vertical forearm (EVF) in swimming?

An early vertical forearm (EVF) is crucial for maximizing the surface area during the catch phase of the stroke. This position engages more muscles, particularly the back and lats, allowing swimmers to pull more water with greater strength and efficiency.

How should a swimmer position their hands when performing the stroke?

A swimmer should keep their hands relaxed but in a powerful position, avoiding too wide or too close finger positions. The goal is to increase surface area without compromising control, creating maximum efficiency during the pull phase.

Why is the kicking technique important for swimming speed?

Kicking provides stability and contributes to propulsion. Swimmers should focus on a short, fast kick with minimal amplitude (the distance between the top and bottom of the kick), keeping knees straight and toes pointed to reduce drag and increase efficiency.

What is the difference between continuous swimming and interval training?

Continuous swimming involves swimming for a set period without breaks, while interval training breaks the swim into shorter, repeated intervals with rest periods in between. Interval training helps improve speed and efficiency by allowing the swimmer to recover between efforts.

How can structured interval training improve swimming performance?

Structured interval training improves performance by focusing on higher-intensity efforts followed by rest. This approach allows swimmers to push themselves harder and recover between intervals, ultimately leading to faster swimming speeds and better technique.