Great freestyle swimming tip

[elinfiernoentusojos]

even this fat old lazy dumb blind swim coach can do it...

[elinfiernoentusojos]

even this fat old lazy dumb blind swim coach can do it...

[werty302]

even this super fuckin old coach can do it.. lol :d

[MrINSANEATHLETE]

watching this video, i have noticed that during the extension the swimmer in the video is moving his shoulder to the surface which is faulty. You are supposed to catch deep which means enter so when extending your hand is underneath your shoulder. This will help with rotation and create a more powerful pull. There are some elite swimmers that do what is done in the video such as Ian Thorpe, however he drops his arm while extending so he could rotate. Great video otherwise.

[sfrance783]

daghan kau swimmimg lesson

[XoXoBlackCrowXoXo]

why do you kjeep your head down while doing this? i learned swimming when i was 4 and i just swim by instincts but when i swim like this i dont put my head on the water , i just breath normally like walking and swimming lol

[munkirinch]

diving school playuh!

[CRS9YT]

I noticed this in the pool today, that when I extend my opposite arm and hand while turning up to breathe it was easier to keep my balance and stroke and breathe.

This was the first hit I got when I googels 'Proper Freestyle Swimming Techinique.

Good video and thanks for taking the time to put this out there. I will help a lot of people like me.

Just what I was looking for.

Now I need the 20 or so other little tips to keep swimming right.

Thanks.

[allezsport11]

one thing not mentioned - what if your head is semi forward?

[MrINSANEATHLETE]

my coach who was a national swimmer told me that you never want your hand above your shoulder. You should extend down because you need to grab water to pull...

not for the glide

[vondenballs]

There is one point that's never mentioned; the kick. If you kick well and strong like competition swimmers on short distances, your style can be completely changed. You can arch your back, create the wave and start getting serious about puling with your shoulders and arms and reduce rotation to a minimum. Most of us (who have to watch how to swim videos) will never reach that level of kick and we should aim towards a thriatlon swimming style where you have to spare your legs.

[Elantry]

@vondenballs Interesting point, never thought of it that way. Now I can feel less bad about my lazy flutter. XD "Create the wave" has a nice ring to it, though. That and an efficient dolphin kick are my goals.

[BabeioLeoraaa67]

Hî_ÅÑyOnË_wañÑÃ_chÅt_wÎth_mE_Í­_féÊl_sÔ_lõñêly_tØÐÄÿ...

[thankallahalltime]

thenoblequran (Ctrl+Enter)

[evilpandaperson]

Only way to get better at swimming. Join a club team. I tried getting better at swimming by myself and thought I was good with a 500 time of 6:47 but then I joined a club team and swam for a year and now my time is a 5:14. That's a huge difference!

[PHMasterBand]

thanx i followed your steps and i won a swimming competetion

[TheLeilisa]

what's the ideal height for swimming?

[hockeyyguurl]

@TheLeilisa theres not really an ideal height for swimming, the shortest girl on my team, age 14, has a 23 seconds in 50 freestyle. But having bigger feet can def help

[njolly99]

Completely different swimming piss slow and fast.

[TheWTFers]

Hey stroke Doc maybe you can tell us why your angle of attack is so deep into the water, why not give tips on how to reduce drag. Body roll happens naturally by most people who are thought correctly to begin with.

[Macro934]

Ok, I've been swimming for a bit over a year now for Tri's all i focus on is freestyle. My 500yrd time is 659. I feel like I'm not too bad at long distances but when I work on sprints such as a 50 or 100 off of a block I can never ever get a good breath in. I always slow down so much the moment i try to breath because i turn my head and don't get anything up water in my mouth. Could it be because at a higher rate i'm not rolling from my hips enough? I feel like at those quick speeds im too flat

[TomUK7]

I try and get into a rythym in my local pool using this kind of extension technique and then some show off lads always want to speed up and down for 2 lengths using short jabbing strokes which chops the water up successfully disrupting my 'glide' swim. drives me nuts!!!!

[swimming145187]

im swimming for my county at the british school championships for the 200 freestyle and i have a bounce in my stroke, i breathe every to and usually do 11 strokes a length going 10 m underwater, but i don't focus on rotation at all

[TheWTFers]

@swimming145187 Your bouncing because your pushing down on the water at the beginning of your stroke or pushing the water upwards at the end of your stroke; or your doing both. Head movement can also contribute to bobbing, keep your head still. Rotation is beneficial, in that it reduces drag created by your exposed shoulder. When starting your pull, don't push down on the water, instead allow your arm to sink a little, catch, and pull.

[donniekreece]

Is it just me or does everyone dip on their strokes in this video.

[petenrita]

I am exactly the guy who is not extending! But how to do it? What imagery? How to think through this? Any drills to help this? I try, but as I turn for a breath, my opp arm just drops almost to the point of being a keel!

I tried changing the timing a bit so that I keep my head down until my arm enters the water before turning. But I cannot seem to extend to air.

lt is frustrating not being able to do what you want to do, esp when it is correct. Thx for your help!

[TheSwimPro]

@petenrita

I teach people this very thing by first having them hold something in their hand while swimming. The object (the size of a travel size shampoo bottle for example) always stays in the reaching hand then passes to the next hand as it reaches forward. (Think catch up drill). I find this exercise requires just enough concentration to change old habits. Another drill is to do one arm freestyle with breathing holding the reaching arm out the entire time. Good luck to you!

[jontanpoco]

how should you position your head? completely looking down or slightly forward?

[TheWTFers]

@jontanpoco Depends, if your very buoyant then the water should break at your hair line, if your not then have your eyes looking completely down. You should however avoid the water breaking at your eye brows, which means your eyes are looking dead forward, this can create many problems. One your hips and legs will sink, and you will not have a good body position. Second when you take your breath your arm which is extended in front will sink and create drag. Never look forward.

[rajeshlal2008]

best stroke for reducing weight

[DaddyWasADolphin]

Stroke Doctor, in case you're not aware your leading left arm begins to point upwards when you breathe to the right.

Also, your head moves up and down a lot and unnecessarily.

Fixing these things will improve your stroke.

[DaddyWasADolphin]

Stroke Doctor, in case you're not aware your leading left arm begins to point upwards when you breathe to the right.

Also, your head moves up and down a lot and unnecessarily.

Fixing these things will improve your stroke.

[kenangelo13]

thanks for the tips..i learn a lot

[Polarcupcheck]

What most everyone seems to leave out in these videos is that the best are conditioned for their technique. They have the required flexibility to execute it to begin with. In my experience, you need to get your body up to standard, otherwise, you will plateau.

[Polarcupcheck]

How many strokes do elite take in easy laps for 25 yards, surfacing about 5 yards, or the end of the solid marker?

How many do they take in a full sprint with the same distance (5 yards or so) underwater?

[jslovers]

@Polarcupcheck I saw one guy in the gym took 9 strokes (he did flip turn toward the end). He was warming up but he is the fastest guy in the gym.

[DeliaNatacion]

Hi,That´s good with my favourite band rock THE CRANBERRIES. I love you. Swimmig is like DREAMS :)

[Smokeydabear415]

fucking A...i gotta learn to pick up more speed im going for special forces in the navy

[BliindSniip3R]

damn that water is clean!

[Dee3917]

Good video.  Thanks!

[ShowOneGirl]

THX!!

i have a audition for swim team tommorow!!!!!!!!!!

[gregdancingmachine]

How did it go?

[justinperry1]

keep the freestyle tips going. people really need this information.

[cruiser277777]

i'll give it a try, thanks

[buckster7777]

great tip, cant wait until tomorrow to try it out.

Thanks.

[CrimsonBlackOps]

Excellent video, great tip, improved my time. Thanks!

[chtoni]

AS an elite coach i recommend to breathe less in short distances like 50 meters ,6 kicks beat per cycle,bilateral breathing for long distance but with 2 kicks beats

try to make hypoxic tranning to minimize breathing pattern in short distance ..

[scare2lose50]

WHAT SONG IS THIS?

[ladylazarus1113]

dreams by the cranberries =)

[juozasafrika]

for 50m -Dont breath iff you breath once it okay but do not breath my people i had 37.50 with breathin withuot 30.65 DO NOT BREATH!!!!!!!!!!

[adpl95]

you are so fuckin retarted by the way that time is slow as fuck i go a 24 check my video... your slow ass

[Sunlight70]

@adpl95 You English speak good... :)

[MuffinsRock74]

looks helpful, can't wait to try it tomorrow

[antoinekassis]

that's an excellent tip, i reached this conclusion after weeks of trying different techniques....

[kris533d]

listen carefully people!

you guys who say its best to breath every 3rd 5th or 7th is only the best for short distances such as 50- and 100m.

but when swimming 200m and above its best to breath at every 2nd stroke to avoid your muscles to colapse. and you should also spare that 6 and 8 kick rotations and go for a 4kick rotation.

[snazzer00]

you should breath at least after every 3, but depends on swimmer. The less you breath, the faster you go. strange, but true. also, when pushing off the wall, stay under and do strong butterfly for about 7 meters, then do 2/3 strokes before breathing. most coaches ask for the swimmer to breath every 3 or every 5, but some drills are 7, and some are more.

[marioelie]

comment @ 1:25 is totally age discriminatory :P

[Peekingduck]

thanks for uploading

[Acko077]

nice

[EffortlessSwimming]

Thanks great video! For more freestyle videos check out our Youtube channel.

[JoeandNoah]

The swim coach is way too far under the water.

[Scarecrow345]

@JoeandNoah cuz hes doing ketchup

[frameshopperxxx]

and also do u have any tips for breathing...because for freestyle...i end up taking a deep breath and then when i blow my bubbles, underwater...i always have air left in my lungs to go another stroke but not enough to complete a pair of strokes. I don't know how much air i should take in for every 2 strokes..

hope all that makes sense...i really can't explain myself well...

thanks

[lbcitezen]

When I first started swimming at 10 years old, I remember I had the same issue, I would always be out of breath because I would not exhale all the air. Anyways its controlled breathing that you get down after a while. Don't take too deep of a breath. Your not going to hold your breath so there is no need to take a big deep breath. While you walk you don't take deep breaths do you? Only inhale enough so that you can exhale in time.

[amerikanerMarinen]

Actually..the best thing I did, though I didn't think it would fix the problem (same one you have) is don't just blow air out of your nose. You should hum normally while your underwater. It will keep a nice even stream of air coming out and you will take in the right amount of air. Because of this, I did lower 3 seconds on 200 free. It worked for me..so it might work for you

[frameshopperxxx]

omg! thats such a good tip!!! huming.... i don't know why i didn't think about that! haha

thanks so much!

and well done for lowering ur time! ! =)

[amerikanerMarinen]

No problem. I thought it was stupid until I put my finger under my nose and felt air coming out hahah. But it's the perfect stream of air.

Thank you.

Let me know how it goes

[frameshopperxxx]

hahahha..i just literally did that when u told me! haha...i didn't think but then yeah...i felt air coming out....

yeah i can imagine because its just the "right amount" when u don't hum,,,,u blow out a lot of air because u just do...

thanks a lot!!! i'm gonna try this ...so excited! haha

i will definately...tc

[palui]

humming? oh please.

[silysith]

try like skipping a breath and breathing every4th motion, on your dominant hand

[frameshopperxxx]

hey, great video!

one question.... when i go to breathe on my left, my left arm has a well controlled stroke going into the water......but my right arm becomes really sort of floppy....specially when its underwater and when i have to get it up again....

is there anything which will improve that technique.....?

[leedade]

my coach makes me do this as a drill

[zwrdl]

Question about the roll. Some excellent swimmers seem to stay as flat as possible, while others seem to roll through 45 degrees, especially when breathing. Is there an optimal rotation? Should the neck swivel and the body remain flatter or is the breath taken strictly via body roll? Does the upper shoulder break out of the water even on the non breathing side? I swim for open water distance, not speed, though I'm very interested in efficiency and stroke mechanics. Recommended books?

[StrokeDoctorSwims]

Degree of rotation will change (lessen) at high speeds, particularly all-out sprint speeds because there is so litttle time between strokes at a high tempo. Long distance will generally use more rotation, both breathing and non-breathing. For the most part head/neck/body move together--perhaps a slight turn in the neck. Any of the Total Immersion books are a good basic resource. Online discussion boards are probably better/more current source of info.

[zwrdl]

Thank you.

[lbcitezen]

Think of it this way, when your on your side there is less body resistance than when you are flat. Take for example a skim boat, it cuts threw the water and there for is a fast boat. Now take a thug boat, its very slow. And the faster you move the more resistance there will be, just like when you stick your hand out the window of your car. So when swimming fast its crucial to rotate. Most of your rotation should come from hips and up.

[PresidentMugabe1990]

guys in competitive matches do u breathe after every stroke?

i always thought it was after 3 but phelps does it after 1 ..

so that must be correct right?

[fenderstratman4567]

well...find a breathing patern that works for YOU. there is no true CORRECT way...phelps breathes all the time because thats how he has formulated his stroke around it and how is body moves through the water etc...but i would swim in practice for time with different breathing paterns and find which one suits you best.

[Sunlight70]

They tend to breathe bilaterally in training to keep the stroke balanced, then breathe every second stroke in racing to prevent themselves going anaerobic

[GMZTORP]

Actually no...Phelps is not a master of the freestyle stroke...Ian thorpe has better freestyle stroke than phelps actually...The correct technique is breading each 3 strokes because it helps you to keep your balance in the water and dont rotate too much to one side, plus it helps you work your off-arm stroke better...plus...in competition it helps a lot because you are able to see your opponents position on the both sides without compromising your technique :)

[HungAzn]

GENERALLY it is better, but each person is different, which is why it is better to test it out and see which suits you the best.

[didgerman66]

This is nonsense.

[snazzer00]

not really. in training, always do every 3, or, if you can, every 5. This improves endurance.

[didgerman66]

It doesn't improve endurance at all. In fact using less oxygen decreases the endurance training effect.

You should always practice in training what you do in racing, so you should breathe every stroke, and also be able to breathe on either side without slowing. Practice proper sprinting form and finishing technique as well.

All that said, for your easier long freestyle sets, it's fine to breathe every 3-5 pulls, just to make it easier on your neck and shoulders.

[TheWTFers]

@zwrdl Think of it this way, shoulders are drag. If one arm is extended in front, while the other arm just finished the pull. That means that one shoulder is exposed and if its in the water it will create drag. On the other hand if the shoulder is out of the water, there is no drag by that shoulder. In other words you want to cut through the water, and not drag your body parts through it.

[zwrdl]

@TheWTFers Thanks.

[TheWTFers]

@zwrdl Get a book called science of swimming by James Councilman. Its a bit outdated but has a lot better tips than this stuff, trust me. 

[Artegr4]

that noob at start should learn how to swim >_>

[PJ96er]

i always forget to blow my bubbles

[UNo0b]

Notice how Grant Hackett's hands never stop moving during the stroke even though it looks like it for a faint moment it is really arcing downward and forward to grip and catch the water; the other swimmer literally has a 2-3 second delay. Grant Hacket does not EXTEND he just rotates on his shoulder 45 degrees, overextending shoulders will cause you to burn your muscles out extremely fast and burn out, bad INFO.

[StrokeDoctorSwims]

I agree that "extension" is not about jabbing your hands forward and holding them still. I prefer the term "active stretch" to "glide" for this reason. At racing tempos there is no time to patiently glide. At slower tempos the set-up you describe (arcing downward) happens more slowly and some perceive this as gliding. The main point here is that body rotation/extension are coordinated and nearly inseparable. Poor swimmers may take your comment too literally and flail away with their hands.

[cybertimc]

@UNo0b extension throughout the opposite pull engages the most powerful chest muscles and adds much power to the anchor or pull in the water, of course forward-driving extension is a good thing, as long as there is release as soon as the pulling arm exits the water and the catch is then made for the other arm to anchor over as it swings over into forward extension. you wouldn't get very far merely rolling from side to side

peace

[Jeph629]

Excellent video; very good explanatory notes. I'll be incorporating this right away!

['Deep catch' guy needs to keep swimming and stay out of coaching]

[Sjor5930]

I'm currently doing private lessons for 4 traithletes right now, and this video is absolutely perfect

[ZeugmaticallyMinded]

Great video. I do exactly what I shouldn't do (pull as I'm going for air). It seems slightly counterintuitive, but it makes sense when you see them swim. Will try this way, as I feel my technique is limiting my swimming. Thanks!

[mc1703]

hips are low at 1:14

[longpointepass]

... Somehow the timing of breathing, arm extension as well as open armpit high elbow catch (seen in Coach Evans video) just clicked. Thanks again and please keep posting.

[longpointepass]

Thanks for singling out this point. I have learned body rotation/elongation through TI swimming. But my timing between body rotation and breathing was off for my left side (slow down every time I breathe on the left). I stumbled upon this video last week and tried syncing breathing and full arm extension as soon as I got to the pool. It worked and I got 16 (almost 15) spl without even trying (I was consistently 17 spl before this). (continue on the next post)

[verdeterapia]

Muy buen video, a estirrarse toca!!!

[ulsbolde89]

Section with Grant Hackett seems a bit unrealistic. Either he's participating in 50 or 100m spring heat, or the section is fast forwarded. Either way, that's intense from Hackett.

[StrokeDoctorSwims]

I think the Grant Hackett stuff got a little jumpy as the clip quality got pared down. His actual tempo is about 1 stroke every 0.77 seconds, I think. He makes it look long and easy at that tempo, but in reality it's a pretty challenging stroke rate. If you have a tempo trainer, set it at 0:77 and see if you can manage a stroke per beep!

[howlingpunkin]

good tip, but hard to keep over long distance.

[pretexter]

how so? It's not harder at all, maybe you're just not used to it.

[StrokeDoctorSwims]

It can be hard to maintain if you are too forceful or rigid as you lengthen/extend, particularly if you tighten your hands. One of the real skills in any sport is balancing how much tension versus how much looseness. I feel a slight stretch in my lats/scapula area as I follow through on the front end of each stroke. My hands, though, are fairly soft and pliable.

[Leon123233223]

all knew that lol!are you noob?

[al256byu]

awesome video, thanks.

keep posting some more

[anglersohn]

great bodyline dumpling

[srhadden]

grrrrrrrrrrrreat tip . tnx!

[xlimitzouras2193]

i will try to do this in my practice...lets see!

[wouldreaux]

o damn - trying this tmrw! great tip.

[KforKool]

Yeah, im gonna try this on wed's practice

thanx

[rrruizzz]

Lol, and this whole time I thought it was doing it right!! Definitely trying this out tommorow!

[Sevexius]

Nice comment, Im going to use this in my practice tomorrow. But shouldnt you breath so fast that you have almost no pause in your strokes?

[giorgiobello1]

I've watched a video about Thorpe and I can see he uses a lot the forearm to pull.

The extension was my major problem. Thanks for the video.

[catxmd]

One of the clearest (narrative and video) of proper extension technique. I'm trying this tomorrow morning in the pool. This was very helpful. Thank you.

[andresrojas22]

i had this problem until i saw this video, before that i didnt know why i was swimming so slow i feel like a rocket now, thanks!

[chuchofreeman]

Well, I try to do this, but its kinda tiring, at least for me, i can only use a extended stroke for the first 100 or 200 meters, then I use a normal stroke(my stroke is not short as the one showed in the video)

[Random989lol]

Well then you are only a 100-200m swimmer. This is how you should swim. It's not muscle or strength it's the tenchnique. Once that goes your gonna get nowhere fast.

[freebird199]

umm question, i have iasas soon and im wonderin for 50 free swim should u keep ur arms bent when ur arm is out of the water?

[rl0u8888]

THX

[winston0807]

Nice tip! I needed this. I am currently working on the breathing portion of my stroke. Great to see the swimmer breathing with the lead arm fully extended.

[genewizejerald]

Great Water Polo Swimming instruction! Its no good If you don't apply it! Fast Players Shoot Alone!

Jerald Powell

GeneWize Life Science

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[enjoi2sk8o7]

these guys r retards

they r swimming below the surface most the time 4 one

and... it looks like they r goin as slow as they possibly can.... wtf

[paulgwj]

i guess that's why some of them are world class swimmers, right?

[StrokeDoctorSwims]

While it would appear that swimmers are "on top of" the water, the reality is that we ALL plow through the water. One of the great skills of elite swimmers is that they know how to reduce the resistance/drag of the water as they plow through it. The "low head" position advocated these days is really about elevating the back end (think "see saw")to create a balanced, low resistance profile in the water.

[graciefr]

can you see what I'm doing wrong or need to improved? I've posted my video here. I'm very slow (slowest in my class), so want to get some expert advice on this. Thanks!

[freebird199]

i think i know why ur abit low in swimming freestyle 1 maybe ur head it abit too high therfore ur legs sinks and vice versa if ur heads to low. but im no coach just a swimmer so sorry if i give u any bad advice. :P

[beansinmyhead]

is this coach gary?. sounds just like him

[StrokeDoctorSwims]

Yes, it is...who has beans in his (or her?) head??

[beansinmyhead]

its sergio from plantation swim team.

coach i even have sectionals now in the 100 breast.

[antokindness]

Go for this "extended stroke": then tell me something about your aching shoulders!!!!...Go for a deep catch immediately after the entry instead and see how fluid and painless your free become...bye!

[phoca99]

Digging deeply only increases stress on the shoulder. There is no strength down deep and you are not propelling yourself forward when you push water down. The glide should be relaxed, then leaving the elbow high, sweep inward toward the centerline to engage the forearm pulling water back.

[antokindness]

"Deep catch" is not "digging deeply": I mean it is IMPORTANT to reach immediately-on-entry the catch-position and then pull through: I agree on the rest of your comment anyway, bye.

[AssassinsReign]

wait so do u keep your elbows high in freestyle?

[phoca99]

yes.

[RandyQuaid]

I'm going to get in the pool and see what I do, then fix it if need be. Thanks! Great tip!

[zachiam88]

lets keep swimming lets keep swimming swimming swimming i love to swimmmmmm(:

[sadeq12]

goood! thnx

[GroundhogDays]

Great tip. I working hard on lengthening my swim stroke. Right now, I look like the choppy swimmer in the video.