This is the ultimate guide to learning more about swimming and was created for anyone looking to learn more about the sport. After reading this, you may not be an Olympian but you will have the foundation to start your own swimming journey. We touch on lingo, equipment, stroke technique, types of events, and everything in between.
This is a high-level crash course broken into four parts. We recommend you start with The Basics and work your way through The Stroke Basics, Adult Swim Training, and Events 101. However, you can jump around to what is most relevant to you. Enjoy!
There are lots of ways to propel yourself through water. Dog paddle, sidestroke, and double-arm backstroke come to mind when thinking of recreational strokes that you might see at the pool.
Although all those are good for fitness, adult swimmers generally get the best workout by using the four competitive strokes: the long-axis strokes of freestyle and backstroke and the short-axis strokes of breaststroke and butterfly.
The long-axis strokes are so named because much of the movements are centered around the vertical line of your body and rotation around that axis (think top of your head straight down through your feet). Similarly, the short-axis strokes focus movements through the horizontal axis of your body (think horizontally through your lower ribcage).
All four strokes have positions and movements critical to helping you move through the water with the greatest velocity and the least amount of effort. Here’s an overview of each stroke and its basic elements.
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How to Swim Freestyle
Freestyle races technically can be swum using any stroke, but the front crawl stroke is the fastest of the competitive strokes and it’s become synonymous with freestyle. Here are the basic elements of how to swim effective freestyle.
Body Position
Keeping a good horizontal position on the water is a key element of effective freestyle. The basic position is horizontal on the water with your head, hips, feet, and hands all at the surface of the water. As you remain stretched out on the water, make sure your face is in the water and you’re looking straight down, or at a slight angle forward, at the bottom of the pool.
Arms
A good freestyle arm stroke consists of four basic elements that provide the bulk of the propulsive force for swimming.
- The catch. Once your hand enters the water, pitch your fingers down so that your hand is perpendicular to the direction you want to go. As your hand pitches down, rotate your elbow and shoulder so that your forearm is also perpendicular to the direction you want to go.
- The pull. During this part of the stroke, pull your arm through so that your hand and forearm stay perpendicular to the direction you’re going and your elbow remains bent.
- The finish. Once your arm is about midway down your body, transition from a pulling motion to that of a pushing motion, almost as if you’re going to try to slap your thigh with your hand.
- The recovery. Raise your arm out of the water, almost as if pulling your hand out of your pocket, and bring it back to the front position where you started by sliding your hand fingers first into the water 8 to 10 inches in front of your head and extending your arm fully after that.
Legs
Flutter kick should be done in a relaxed manner with small amplitude. Keep your ankles loose and your heels just below the surface. Experiment with how big you make your kicks, noting that the higher the amplitude, the harder it is and the more drag you produce. Ideally, you should feel the water roll down your legs and off your toes.
Breathing and Rotation
As you’re alternating your arms, your body should be rotating gently. It’s very difficult to swim and breathe if you try to stay flat on the water. In freestyle, breathing is to the side. You use your core muscles to rotate your body side to side, so you won’t have to strain your neck, look, or twist to breathe. Make your breathing as rhythmic as possible. Exhale slowly when your face is in the water and let the air fall into your lungs when you inhale.
