How to Swim a Faster Freestyle

Swimming a faster freestyle requires discipline and dedication to learning and practicing swimming skills, including stroke technique, kicking and putting the two together. Swimming fast also requires appropriate aerobic conditioning and speed training.

Instructions

    • 1

      Develop a good freestyle kick. Your kick must be rhythmic and not overpowering. If you're swimming freestyle for distance, kick using a 1-2, 1-2 pattern, kicking every one to three seconds. Use your whole leg with just a slight bend in the knee.

    • 2

      Work on your arm stroke. Your hand should enter the water above your head, reaching far enough so that your body rotates to the same side as the arm that's above your head. From there, pull your arm down through the water to your waist, bending at the elbow, finishing the stroke by thrusting your forearm back by your side and thigh. The arm stroke should resemble drawing a question mark with your arm. You can practice this out of the water.

    • 3

      Build your fitness level. To really get fast at freestyle, you need an aerobic base followed by anaerobic (speed) training. Aerobic training in the pool requires 30 to 50 minutes of swimming intervals with short rest periods. Once you've developed your aerobic fitness, anaerobic training is necessary. Anaerobic training consists of swimming shorter distances really fast, with little rest.

    • 4

      Speed training is the final step in swimming a fast freestyle. Speed training consists of swimming short distance in an all-out sprint with a full recovery as a rest period.