Swim perfect freestyle

8 steps for a faster crawl

We’re usually taught to swim either by a parent or at school when we’re fairly young. This brings most swimmers up to a level where they can be safe in the water, and for many of us that’s where the training stops.

It shouldn’t. Swimming is one of the perfect sports: it supports the entire body, is non-impact, great for cardiovascular fitness and builds muscle. By training and perfecting your swimming technique, you get more out of the sport and are far more likely to keep going back for more.

WideWorld was invited by Speedo to spend a training session with Bill Furniss, an Olympic trainer and coach to double gold Olympic medal winner Rebecca Adlington. Once in the water, Bill observed our technique and took us through the basic elements of creating the perfect freestyle.

Planes

You have to think about the two planes along which your body is travelling. One is the direction of travel – straight along the pool. The other plane is the vertical one: your body has to keep itself parallel with the water’s surface. The legs are kicking to hold your less buoyant end up in the water, while the arms are helping to propel you along forwards.

Kicks

There’s a temptation to let your legs perform deep, slow kicks, but the way professionals do it is to keep their kicks short and fast. Kicking isn’t just about propelling you forward; it’s also got a lot to do with keeping the body level. Small, fast kicks keep the body lying flat in the water much better.

Entry stroke

Some people think that when they swim, they create movement by pushing water, but that’s an illusion. You’re actually dragging yourself through the water, as if you were pulling yourself along the floor with your hands. With the entry stroke, you’re looking to make long, slow extensions of the arms each time, straightening each arm to increase the length as much as you can. The hand should hit the water nearly flat, and as you push down let your shoulder rotate. You’re not using your arm muscles as much as your back....

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