6 Easy and Basic Steps to Learn Proper Freestyle Swimming

Swimming for many athletes is primarily their biggest weakness. This will take you time, months maybe to learn proper freestyle swimming. This sport will define who you really are. This will cast out your personality as how you discipline yourself and how much you love and enjoy triathlon.

As a non-swimmer, (I have totally no idea on how to swim as I am thalassophobic—fear of the sea) I began this sport watching Youtube videos. This helped me a lot of what are the do’s and don’ts. So I want to share some tips for you guys on how to basically start proper freestyle swimming:

1.       Watch Youtube videos – before the actual training, I regularly watched tutorial videos. This gave me ideas on what will I feel, what will I do and don’t. Maybe start watching proper breathing topics.

2.       Equipments – You already have latest running shoes and you already own a thousand-worth road bike so DON’T BUY cheap swimming equipments. You engage in this sport so you have to invest and spend. Buy swimming goggles which can adapt to sea water. Don’t believe of the tag “anti-fog” as all goggles will be foggy if you spend hours in water. (Sue me if this is not true). Kickboard will help you big time if you are a newbie in swimming.

3.       RELAX YOUR BODY – Water will not eat you! So relax, ok? Your body should be “confident” with the water. Start your training in swimming pool as you have idea of its depth.

4.       Proper Breathing – This will be your biggest problem. I will tell you now that you will not learn this properly in 1 day or 1 week. This made me think to quit triathlon and just go instead for duathlon. So that’s how hard it is! Maybe my tips for this are just keep swimming and swimming and also try the breathe in, breathe out technique (watch this tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a0Q-IAqO8U).

5.       Body Movement – Your whole body will be working here so we start on the top.

A. Head – Your head should be parallel on the bottom of the water. Only your hair should be seen so you have to look down. It is where your mouth and nose located (just in case you don’t know). In order to breathe, you have to rotate your head, just your head! This doesn’t include your neck. 45 degrees rotation is the most proper way. Breathe out while you’re in the water and as you rotate to breathe in, only 1 eye and half of your mouth should be seen as you breathe in.

B. Stroke – Reach forward. Extend your arm to its fullest and your body will rotate also. Imagine you are reaching for something. As you propel, the tip of your fingers should be facing down.

C. Hips – As you reach forward, your hips should rotate also. This will make you              accelerate further.

D. Legs – Legs should be relaxed. Legs should just be straight. As you kick, don’t kick      too hard. If you kick too hard, you will immediately gas out. Preserve your energy        as it is a long distance swimming.

               

6.       Love it! – As I have said, this will take you months to learn this sport. Just keep swimming and swimming. If you do this because you have to, then stop it. Don’t continue! Do this because you love this.