Beginner Freestyle Swim Techniques

Freestyle is the fastest stroke in swimming and has been mastered by world record holder (as of May 2011) and Olympian Ian Thorpe. If you're a beginner, his technique is something to aspire toward. You can learn and improve your freestyle technique by practicing the five key principals of the movement. Don't worry if you can't do it right away; review each technique independently and improve gradually as you build up your strength.

  1. Body Position

    • Positioning your body correctly in the water will enable you to move smoothly and quickly as you glide. It's a misconception that you need to be perfectly horizontal; instead, your hips need to be slightly below the surface, while your spine, head and shoulders are in line. As you kick, you can then make best use of the muscles in your legs. To master this technique, use a kick board to practice stretching your arms ahead of your body and focus on kicking your legs deeply.

    Breathing

    • Beginner freestyle swimmers are often put off because their mouth fills with water and it becomes a bit of a struggle. You need to learn to integrate the breathing with the movement to do it properly. Keep your head aligned with your shoulder but look upward. Turn your head to one side. As you do this, the opposite arm is outstretched pushing downward. The arm on the same side as the head turn should be in the recovery phase of the stroke, meaning it's coming toward the surface of the water, ready to stretch out front again.

    Arm Stroke

    • It's important to streamline your body as your perform arm strokes. As a beginner, you may be tempted to throw your arms up and down erratically. However, you need to outstretch your arms in front of you, so they align correctly with your body. Each arm needs to be placed in front of your head. Only fully extend each arm as it enters the water surface, then pull downward slightly and bend your elbow. Push the water down past your hips and bring the arm out of the water again.

    The Kick

    • To avoid bad habits as a beginner, make sure you know how to move your legs in the water. Freestyle kicking varies in speed depending on the competition and stroke, but you shouldn't worry about kick counting at this stage. Simply master the movement. Kick from your hip, not your knee. Stretch your legs but keep a slight bend in the knee. As you kick upward, your foot breaks the surface of the water.

    Body Rotation

    • Work on your body rotation to link together all the different techniques used in your freestyle swimming. Note that your head doesn't need to move unless you're breathing. The rotation occurs when you stretch each arm out in front of you. Slightly tilt to that side so you can utilize additional muscles in your back.