The last 4 weeks of new content on the Swim Videos On Demand application have taken an in-depth look at some important components of swimming a fast and efficient freestyle!
Freestyle is a very challenging stroke due to the amount of coordination and connection required. A swimmer’s entire body must work together as a unit in order to swim freestyle quickly and efficiently. Each video released over the last 4 weeks takes a look at a different components of freestyle. Practice each of these drills paying special attention to how each piece fits into the full freestyle stroke.
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Fist Variation Freestyle
Our first drill is from Jessica Long. It focuses on a swimmer’s feel for the water. Begin by swimming with just one finger and focus on trying to grip the water as much as possible with just one finger! Then add in swimming with 2 fingers, 3 fingers, and an A-OK sign! You can really have fun with this drill trying different combinations of fingers.
6-Kick Roll
Clark Smith focuses on a strong and powerful rotation in his freestyle! Rotation is a very important part of swimming a fast and efficient freestyle. In this drill, the swimmer will take 3 strokes, then pause with one arm extended and complete 6 kicks before taking 3 more strokes. This allows the swimmer to exaggerate the rotation and get a better feel for how it works within a swimmer’s freestyle.
Hesitation Freestyle
WHEN you breathe in your freestyle is very important. A quick breath can greatly improve the balance and timing in a swimmer’s stroke. The goal for when to breathe in freestyle is to begin to turn your head as your arm drives into the water. Then, you should put your head down in the early phase of the pull. This allows for a much more balanced stroke and efficient arm pull.
Rotation with Arm Lift
This drill from Bruno Fratus and Brett Hawke forces the swimmer to really engage their core and maintain balance in their freestyle rotation. The swimmer will begin by kicking (with an optional snorkel) with their arms down at their sides. After completing 6 kicks, they will rotate slightly onto their side while lifting the arm up behind. The swimmer then hovers their arm for 6 kicks before rotating to do the same on the other side. .
