Top 5 Freestyle Swimming Mistakes and How to Fix Them

This insightful video highlights the five most common freestyle swimming mistakes and provides practical advice to help swimmers correct them for better performance and efficiency. Aimed at both beginners and seasoned swimmers, the speaker identifies errors such as looking forward instead of down, kicking too much, improper breathing technique, crossing arms over the midline, and pulling with straight arms. Each mistake is broken down with explanations on why it hinders progress and how to fix it. The video emphasizes the importance of body alignment, controlled movement, and purposeful training. A bonus tip reinforces the idea that every workout should have a specific goal. With a structured approach and focus on technique, viewers are empowered to swim smarter, conserve energy, and make significant improvements in their freestyle stroke.

Key Takeaways:

• 🧠 Head Position Matters: Look down, not forward, to reduce drag and maintain proper body alignment.

• 🦵 Kick with Purpose: Avoid excessive kicking—use short, fast kicks powered from the hips.

• 🌊 Efficient Breathing: Rotate to breathe, keeping one goggle in the water to stay streamlined.

• ⛔ No Crossover Arms: Enter the water in line with your shoulders to prevent “wiggly” strokes.

• 💪 Use Early Vertical Forearm: Pull with bent elbows to maximize propulsion and minimize resistance.

• 🗓️ Train with Intention: Don’t just swim laps—set goals and focus on refining specific techniques.

In this informative video aimed at both beginner and experienced swimmers, the speaker outlines five critical mistakes commonly made in freestyle swimming, as well as an additional bonus mistake. By identifying these errors, the speaker intends to help swimmers improve their technique, efficiency, and performance in the water. The five main mistakes discussed include looking forward while swimming, kicking too much, improper breathing techniques, crossing the arms over the midline, and pulling with a straight arm. Each point is accompanied by a rationale that explains why the mistake negatively affects swimming performance. The video culminates with the importance of having a structured training plan, reminding viewers to focus on their swimming strategy rather than merely swimming through the motions. By highlighting these mistakes and offering corrective measures, the speaker provides swimmers with practical skills and insights geared towards enhancing their swimming technique and overall health.

Highlights

• 🏊‍♂️ Looking Forward: Swimmers should focus on the bottom of the pool to maintain a proper head position and reduce drag.

• 💦 Kicking Technique: Emphasize short, fast kicks generated from hip rotation rather than excessive kicking.

• 🌬️ Breathing Mechanics: Proper breathing involves rotation and minimizing head lift to maintain streamlined body position.

• 🚫 Crossover Issue: Enter the water at a 45-degree angle in line with your shoulders to avoid inefficient worm-like movements.

• 🖐️ Pulling Technique: Avoid straight arm pulls to maximize water displacement; focus on an early vertical forearm for better propulsion.

• 📅 Training With Purpose: Every swim session should have a goal; aim to improve specific techniques with each workout.

• 📲 Swimming Resources: Utilize tools like the My Swim Pro app for personalized training programs and access to swimming drills.

Key Insights

• 🧠 Cognitive Dissonance in Technique: The point of looking forward while swimming is a common misconception. As the speaker rightly points out, the wall of a pool doesn’t change; hence, focusing on the bottom of the pool allows swimmers to maintain better body alignment, which leads to reduced drag. This insight emphasizes the importance of understanding how body position affects overall efficiency in the water.

• 🦵 Kicking Efficiency: The speaker’s explanation that excessive kicking can lead to decreased speed is particularly useful for swimmers who mistakenly believe that a more vigorous kick correlates with increased velocity. The key takeaway focuses on the idea that the kick should function in tandem with proper hip rotation; that is, the kick should support the body’s motion rather than be the primary driver. Mastering this can lead swimmers to conserve energy while improving speed.

• 🌊 Breathing: The video underscores the need for a methodical approach to breathing. Many swimmers tend to overthink this aspect—lifting their heads too high out of the water rather than rotating adequately during the stroke. By advocating for controlled exhalation while underwater and a quick inhale when rotating, the speaker links efficient breathing to an overall improvement in swimming endurance. This lends significant weight to the instructor’s suggestions regarding lung capacity and comfort in the water.

• ➡️ Correct Entry Points: By advocating that swimmers enter the water at 11 and 1 o’clock relative to their shoulders, the speaker effectively captures the significance of technique during the catch phase of swimming. This foundational information guides swimmers to prevent unnecessary movement inefficiencies and to ensure a direct line from entry to pull, thereby enhancing their stroke mechanics.

• 🐠 Avoiding Crossover: The caution against arm crossover reinforces the need for a streamlined swim position. Entering the water at the shoulder line and avoiding crossing over ensures that the body travels in the most efficient path. This insight suggests that swimmers should remain mindful of their body alignment to avoid causing undue “wiggle” in their stroke.

• 🌱 The Importance of Just-Do-It Mentality: One critical takeaway from this video is that many swimmers inadvertently waste valuable training time. Whether swimming independently or in a structured workout, having a focused plan or specific technique goals from session to session can significantly enhance the learning curve and improve performance metrics in the pool.

• 📥 Resource Utilization: Lastly, the speaker encourages viewers to utilize resources like the My Swim Pro app and community groups. This encouragement points to the importance of being proactive about training and technique improvement, emphasizing not just a thirst for knowledge, but also a willingness to connect with fellow swimmers for support and motivation.