Freestyle kicking technique is very similar to a football kick
your leg performs almost the same movement as in football
this is why, the simplest tip for us in swimming is to imagine that we are kicking a ball
First, we move our straight leg back to prepare for a kick
and then kick
In swimming, we do exactly the same movements
we move the leg up to the surface and then kick downwards
Make sure that you move your entire leg from pelvis to your toes
such a movement will give you the maximum power with each kick
you can imagine how weak a kick would be if you did it only with your lower leg
in football such a kick will not be as powerful as the correct one
Practice correct kicking technique on land and try to memorize how it feels
In swimming kicks are much smaller than in football
it should be only in your body's streamline
if you do larger kicks, they will slow you down
Make sure that your knees don't bend too much
as this creates water resistance and decreases the power of your kicks
Remember to perform each kick as a football kick
move your straight leg backwards, kick with the entire leg and bend your knee a little
this is the most powerful part in freestyle swimming that will give you the most of your speed
N ow i will explain the basics of freestyle arm stroke
After that you will be a cool freestyle swimmer
you'll be able to swim confidently and smoothly
Also, this will improve your arm muscles and allow you to develop your fitness
In the beginning, it is important to get your arm ready for the arm stroke
Your arm should be almost straight and stretched forwards
fingers close to each other
Then, get your elbow facing upwards
most probably your wrist will turn to the side
make sure to move your wrist back into a neutral position
to get your arm in perfect position
Remember, this is the correct position of your arm for the arm strokes
Only this position will allow you to perform useful arm strokes
The idea of the arm stroke is to catch the water and push yourself forward
Here's an example comparing correct and incorrect arm strokes
imagine you're running, the wrong arm stroke is comparable to you having bad traction
making your feet sleep so you are unable to push yourself from the ground
The correct arm stroke is comparable to having good traction
enabling you to push yourself off the ground very efficiently
In swimming, it works the same way when you start the arm stroke in the wrong position
your arm will not catch the water and you cannot perform it correctly
Correct arm strokes allow you to catch the water
This allows you to push yourself forwards very efficiently and gain a lot of speed
from our most popular video you have seen one of the best drills for improving freestyle technique
The chair exercise
This will help you to practice the correct arm stroke technique
you will also be able to check for yourself whether your arm stroke technique is correct or wrong
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Arm recovery is what makes your swimming easy and relaxed
Make sure to use your shoulder for arm recovery
so to rotate your shoulder when you recover your arm after the arm stroke
Many swimmers don't use their shoulders and perform arm recovery very low
this way is wrong and very difficult
they move their arm forwards but don't rotate their shoulders
this is a large mistake that makes swimming feel heavy
when you finish the arm stroke, you need to raise your arm from the water,
lift your shoulder and rotate it
Imagine that you are drawing a half circle with your shoulder or hand in the air
the entire arm recovery movement is performed only by your shoulder
you can recover your arms in two ways: - with almost straight arms
and with high elbows in the air
arm recovery with almost straight arms is much more simple to master
For beginners and triathlon athletes I recommend swimming with almost straight arms
this will guarantee that your arms are relaxed in the air so it will be much easier to swim longer distances
swimming feels easy when your body is in the correct position
if you do extra movements, this will disturb your swimming and make it harder
The correct body position helps you not only make your swimming easier
but also improve your posture, abs and core muscles
Therefore, you need to learn how to keep your entire body in a horizontal position
so that it doesn't slow you down
this is crucial for every beginner swimmer
it is important in the beginning to check that your face is fully in the water while swimming freestyle
eyes should be directed down and forward
try not to lift your head from the water while swimming
if you do so you, will make your legs sink which will slow you down
Your body will work as a scale
when one part goes up - another part goes down
So never ever let your body leave the horizontal position
Always keep your head in the water and legs near the water surface
When you swim always try to stretch your body forward as much as possible
The longer you are stretched out - the easier it is for you to swim
Check out the difference between correct and incorrect gliding position
if you learn to keep your body in the correct position your swimming will be really enjoyable and easy
if you don't learn it, you will struggle while swimming
Remember to keep your head in the water,
your legs and pelvis near the water surface and to stretch your body forwards as much as possible
This is an important skill to make your swimming easier and smoother
Make sure to exhale only when your face is submerged in the water
exhaling out of the water will prevent you from inhaling properly and fully
and will make your swimming much harder
So make sure you can exhale through your nose or mouth while swimming
After exhaling, you need to inhale quickly
in swimming there is always limited time for breathing
so you need to inhale exactly at the correct moment
In freestyle, this is the moment when you turn your head to the side
in breaststroke and butterfly, it is when you lift your upper body out of the water
at this moment you need to inhale quickly and deeply without any pauses
to continue smooth swimming
there is no better moment to take a breath
if you don't exhale in the correct time
you will break your swimming rhythm
and miss the most suitable moment for inhaling
this will ruin your swimming technique
So make sure to exhale in the water, turn your head and immediately inhale
this will greatly improve your confidence in the water and swimming will become much easier