Swimmers refer to the freestyle stroke as the forward crawl or the Australian crawl. It is the fastest of the four competitive strokes and when performed correctly, it is an efficient stroke for sprints and long-distance swims. During freestyle, you face the bottom of the pool and keep your face in the water, except when you take a breath.
Swimming Relaxed
Slipping through the water instead of fighting against it is a basic concept that helps you swim faster without tiring yourself. Gennady Touretsky, coach of gold-medal Olympic champion swimmer Alexander Povov, promoted the concept of swimming "relaxed." Although it might seem counterintuitive, moving your arms faster and stroking harder does not always make you go faster. You create turbulence and waves, which slow you down. Swimming smoothly and focusing on technique helps you swim farther with less perceived effort.
Breathing on Both Sides
You likely favor breathing on one side, but developing bilateral breathing is an important step in improving your freestyle. When you breathe on one side, you develop your muscles differently on that side, creating an unbalanced body. Breathing on one side only also increases your risk for neck and shoulder strain. Practice breathing on both sides when you swim laps. Swim odd laps breathing on your left, and swim even laps breathing on your right side.
Rotate Body
You should swim on your side during most of the time during freestyle swimming. Practice swimming and kicking on your side by pushing off the pool wall with one hand extended in front of you. Rotate on to your side so that your front side is perpendicular to the bottom of the pool. Pull down and back with your arm as you start rotating your body to the other side. Bring your "recovery arm" to the front and prepare to take your next stroke.
Head/Body Position
If you draw an imaginary line from your head down your spine, you should rotate around that axis when you swim. Maintaining a streamlined and steady body position helps improve your speed and efficiency in the water. Keep your head low so that the water hits between your eyebrows and your hairline. Keeping your head low in the water allows you to maintain a higher body position, keeping your hips higher and minimizing drag. Keep your head steady during your stroke and let your body rotation help put your head in the correct position to take a breath, rather than lifting or turning your neck when you want to breathe.
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