Freestyle swimming | Tips & Tricks

 Everyone can use freestyle swimming to achieve the best speed and minimal effort in freestyle event swim. Technically, freestyle is simply flutter kicks combined with alternate arm movements while in the prone position. This creates the thrust. This sounds so easy! As a beginner, this is the easiest and most important skill to master. You must focus on your technique and posture to get the fastest possible speed. The goal is to not only stay above the water but also get through the line. The goal is not to get it done faster or better than your competitors. A significant part of this is to master the fundamentals. The off-season for professional athletes is the best time to practice technique and correct any errors. Here are some tips and tricks for improving freestyle swimming.

Spine Alignment

It is vital to align your spine with the movement direction. This allows for less resistance from water. The waterline should cut to the top of one's head with the eyes down and the feet pointed towards the bottom. It is a mistake to look ahead rather than down. This can lead to extra resistance, as well as hip and leg drop. It is important to keep your legs elevated while swimming freestyle. Otherwise, it can make kicks harder.

If you want to keep your body flat, but still have your legs raised, you can press your chest lightly while swimming. The human body fulcrum, which is between the navel & the groin, is found between the pelvis and the hips. Pushing down on the chest will allow you to keep your legs moving quickly. It's a simple analogy for a seesaw. Keep your head down, and keep your chest out to create a horizontal line parallel to the pool.

Breathe in water and don’t hold your breath

Freestyle swimming is best done sideways. To ensure that the head is always in the water, the shoulder should be out. Inhaling and exhaling in the same position takes too much time. To inhale, you should exhale air underwater. In this situation, it is easier for you to relax than holding your breath. It is not necessary, but it is a thumb rule to inhale on both the left and right sides of the body after every third stroke.

Kickstarts with the hips and not the knees

While moving alternately with legs, you can also do quick and efficient kicks in the water while keeping your feet pointed. Flutter kicks are performed by putting your feet on the water, creating a splash. It is also a mistake to kick with bent or swollen knees. A kick should always start at the hips. You can think of kicking the football beginning at the hips and going all the the way to the ankle. Resistance can be caused if you bend your knee. The hip-flexor muscles should feel tired and sore at the end to verify that you are performing the task correctly.