Competitive swimming became more and more sophisticated in the first decade of the 21st century. New technology allows coaches to videotape swimmers from both above and below the water, using slow motion and stop action to analyze strokes. As USA Swimming notes, computer models of swimmers allow sports scientists to study and devise more efficient strokes. Competitive freestyle swimmers can take advantage of the new technology and research by utilizing tips from experts to improve the effectiveness of their turns, starts and even cool-down swims.
Starts
The Effective Water Fitness website offers tips to improve your start, flip turns and kicks off the turns. Improving any one of those race elements can improve your times. If you are still using a traditional start with both feet at the front edge of the starting block, try the more modern start by placing one foot up and one foot back on the block in a style resembling a sprinter in track. It gives you more of a flying start, and it distributes your weight more evenly on the blocks, reducing the risk of a false start. Whether you use the modern or traditional start, keep up your speed off the block by entering the water in a streamlined position. Don't dive in too deeply, and use a butterfly dolphin kick to maintain your speed before your first arm stroke.
Turns
A good flip turn can make all the difference in a race. Practice your flip turn every time you change direction in practice. It is particularly important to time the start of the turn correctly in order to maintain your momentum. This is a matter of practice and experimentation. As you flip, position the feet on the wall for maximum advantage -- the lower the feet, the longer your underwater swim off the wall will last. In addition, you will flip faster the more you bend your knees. As you push off the wall, stay in a streamlined position.
Underwater Kick
Modern swimmers stay underwater longer after their starts and turns, because you can swim faster underwater than on the surface. As long as you don't travel more than 15 meters, you can stay underwater during the freestyle and other strokes as well. To maximize the underwater portion of the freestyle, use an underwater dolphin kick as you are rising to the surface -- since you are swimming freestyle, you can use any stroke you desire. The dolphin kick starts with your back and not the knees. In addition to swimming faster at the start and coming off turns, the dolphin kick uses different muscles and allows the muscles you use for the freestyle to get frequent short rests. Test out the underwater dolphin kick in practice -- it can be more fatiguing for some swimmers, which could offset gains in speed.
Swim Down
The current sports science relating to the swim down -- the swim you do after a race to recharge your body for your next event -- has transformed the traditional swim down. The old thinking was to swim 800 meters very slowly, which supposedly cleared lactic acid from your system, reduced your heart rate and helped your body recover. The modern thinking, as of 2011, is to swim down 800 meters by doing interval laps, with some at fast speed. The mental side of recovery is also stressed -- the Swimming Coach Brain website recommends breathing exercises for relaxation. The right amount of swim down for you is defined by the Goldilocks rule: If you swim too much, you risk fatigue and dehydration. If you swim too little, your body will still be stressed from the previous race. You should emerge from your swim down feeling just right -- fit, fresh and eagerly awaiting the next race.
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