Freestyle is undoubtedly the most productive swimming stroke one can use. It is a fast and easy stroke that uses just about every muscle in the body. For this reason it is the prefered stroke of fitness gurus who like to use swimming as a cardiovascular workout. However, many swimmers have not been formally instructed on proper form for using this stroke. Proper form can not only lead to a faster stroke and better workout, but also can assist with avoiding injuries.
The most important factor to consider when swimming freestyle is head position. When swimming, the water should break right on your hairline. This leads to good hydrodynamics and helps position the rest of your body in a streamline posture. Hips also play a vital role in swimming. When taking a stroke, your hips should naturally sway with your body. The hips swaying side to side not only increase the power of your kick, but also add to the desired streamline posture. Body position is what makes freestyle such a fast stroke, and as such, is the most important factor to consider when trying to improve your stroke.
More than anything, your freestyle stroke is powered by your upper body. While the kick does provide propulsion, the flutter kick is not an ideal kick for the displacement required to attain the speed for which the freestyle stroke is known. For this reason, mastering the arm motion of the stroke is of vital importance. When making a stroke with your arms, your fingers should be together so they can displace more water. Your hands should make an ‘S’ motion underneath your body, first coming in towards your abdomen, then quickly changing direction and pushing the water out and behind you. This, once again, leads to the maximum amount of water displacement, which in turn leads to a faster stroke.
The kick of the freestyle stroke is really a horrible kick. It does not produce a lot of power and expends a ridiculous amount of energy compared to other kicks. However, using a breast or side stroke kick with the freestyle would detract from the hydrodynamics that make it such a fast stroke, so the options are some what limited to the flutter kick. The main goal of the flutter kick is to keep the legs elevated so that they are inline with the rest of the body. Since body position plays such an important role in this stroke, you want to avoid having your legs sinking and creating drag.
Using these guidelines, attempt to evaluate your stroke and see where you can make improvements. Obviously this article is no replacement for in person instruction, so next time you are at the gym, ask one of the most accomplished swimmers to evaluate your stroke and make suggestions. Using proper form makes swimming a much more productive and enjoyable activity.
