Top Tips for Improving Your Swimming Technique
August 3, 2023
Swimming is not only an essential life skill but an excellent tool for exploring the wonders of the aquatic world. Whether you are a competitive distance swimmer, a marine obsessed scuba diver, or you just want to take a dip in a lake on a beautiful summer’s day, a good swimming technique will help you keep safe in the water and have fun.
Here are our top tips for improving your swimming technique:
What are the best swimming techniques?
There are three main types of swimming strokes. These are breaststroke, backstroke, and front crawl. Each style is suited to different types of swimmers, so improving your technique can be as simple as switching up your stroke.
Breaststroke
This is a great stroke for beginners. Swimmers can keep their head above water while swimming with their body facing down. Swimmers make semicircle movement with their arms and frog kicks with their legs to propel them through the water.
Breaststroke is best suited to calm conditions and is usually a low energy and slow swim stroke.
Backstroke
Swimmers are on their back and look up at the ceiling. They move by kicking their legs and alternatively lifting their arms over their head in a circular movement.
This is another beginner friendly stroke as it is easy to breath and cover long distances.
Just make sure you are aware of your surroundings as you cannot see where you are going when you do backstroke.
Front crawl
Swimmers will swim with their front facing down, using alternating arms to reach overhead and pull through the water whilst kicking their feet. This is the fastest technique. To swim most efficiently, swimmers need to learn how to time their breath; swimming with their head under water and turning occasionally to take in air.
Front crawl is the fastest swimming technique and is for more confident swimmers who feel comfortable with their head submerged.
Consider which swimming technique is right for you.
Casual swimmers find breaststroke the most relaxing and enjoyable. If you are wanting to swim competitively or enjoy open water swimming, then front crawl could be your primary swimming style. Back stroke can be used for either, as long as you feel confident you can keep track of where you are heading.
How to improve your swimming technique
Breaststroke
1. To get the most from your legs during breaststroke you want to have a powerful and symmetrical kick that propels you forward. Make sure you are not kicking down and that your legs do not go too wide. Think of it as one powerful and precise movement that maximizes the strength in your legs.
2. Your body position is very important for having a good swimming technique. Keep your body as streamlined as possible; tuck in the hip and keep a strong core and straight back.
3. Working on your ankle flexibility will help improve your breaststroke technique. Implementing some ankle exercises will help you to catch water and give you better flexion to push it away with the bottom of your feet.
One of the best things about open water swimming is spotting wildlife along the way. Here are 6 Best Places to See Seals and Sea Lions.
Backstroke
When swimming backstroke, it is all about the water’s surface. Keep your body high to reduce drag. Look straight up to the ceiling or sky to help keep your body raised to the water’s surface.
1. Your arm position is another important focus point. As your arm enters the water, lead pinky first to make sure you can catch the most water when you pull your arm back to your side.
2. It is also good to have some slight shoulder rotation to avoid adding extra resistance with stiff shoulders.
3. Quick feet combined with short strokes is another top technique that will improve your backstroke swimming. As always, make sure you are kicking your feet at the water’s surface to maximize your energy.
Front Crawl
1. Have your head looking around 2 meters from the bottom of the water to ensure a great body position during front crawl. Combine this with some rotation as you pull water from in front of you and your form will improve. Good arm extension will help to create natural rotation in your body as well.
2. Your face will be submerged most of the time you are swimming front crawl, so controlling your breath is essential to a great front crawl technique. Try to keep your breathing smooth and relaxed.
3. Do not over rotate your head - half of your face should be enough and will allow your out breath to trickle out slowly to make most out of each inhalation.
4. As one of the fastest swim strokes, using your legs efficiently for front crawl is important. Think of the kicks as coming from your hips rather than the knee to make a wave of power that will propel you through the water.
Mastering open water swimming
Swimming in open water brings new and unpredictable elements to your swim. Front crawl, or freestyle, as it is also known, is the most popular swim stroke for oceans, lakes and rivers.
These tops tips will help you navigate choppier waters and improve your swimming technique:
1. Alternate your stroke rate
Swimming in open water means adapting to the conditions, and the best way to make the most of your swim is to change your stroke rate accordingly. In choppy conditions, increase your stroke rate, and make shorter and shallow movements. When it is calm, take longer strokes that maximize your pull.
2. Utilize sighting to swim straight
It is very easy to go off track when open water swimming as the current pushes you off course and you can waste energy zigzagging to your goal. Sighting is an excellent way to swim straight. To do this just lift your head at regular intervals to spot a fixed point in the direction you are swimming.
3. Implement bilateral breathing
Most swimmers will naturally tilt their head to one side when catching breath for front crawl. In unpredictable open water conditions, being comfortable with turning your head to both sides will improve your ability to swim with any elements.
This technique will mean you can breathe regardless of the directions the wind is blowing or the waves are rolling.
When you go open water swimming, make sure you check the water temperature and conditions beforehand. If you are going to swim in cool waters, take a hat and warm clothing to change into afterwards and wear a swimsuit designed for open water swimming. Zoggs’ silver-lined swimwear is designed to keep you warm in open waters and is also sustainable.
Swimming is an excellent form of exercise which can be enjoyed by people of all sizes and abilities. Once you have the basics down, focusing on a few key elements of your swimming technique will help you improve how you move through the water.
You can always develop your swimming abilities by venturing into different conditions and seeking out the best techniques and places to build on your skills and stay safe. With more than 70 per cent of the earth covered by water, there are endless opportunities for you to explore the aquatic world as a swimmer!
Dive below the water’s surface and you will find colorful marine life, shipwrecks, and stunning landscapes that add a sense of adventure to your swims.
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