How To Swim With Correct Body Position In Freestyle

Do you want to achieve the right body position in freestyle swimming? Body position is extremely important for a smooth and effortless swimming stroke. It's a major ingredient for any swimmer who wants to take their speed and endurance to the next level. A greater improvement in overall swimming comes from correcting body position more than increasing fitness.

Each training session work on swimming with the correct body position rather than exerting more effort in the pool. You will not only feel better in the water, but your technique will flow more naturally and your times will improve with less effort. There are 3 steps to achieving a great body position in swimming which will blow your competitors away:

1. Lengthen your body - The reason many swimmers hit a plateau is because they get too 'caught up' with where they should be pulling with their arms, how hard they should be kicking and many other 'minor' issues compared to their body position. The swimmers which focus too much on the other things usually aren't lengthening out there body. The longer your body line is in the water, the faster it moves and the less resistance which is created. Think of your body as a long yacht which glides effortlessly through the water, and avoid being a big wide barge which is slow and cumbersome.

2. Rotate your shoulders - To move more easily through the water in freestyle, you must rotate your shoulders. No doubt you've been told to rotate in the water, but too often swimmers are told to rotate the entire body as they take each stroke. This is incorrect. Elite swimmers work on rotating only slightly at the hips. This allows the hips to generate a powerful kick and provides a strong core for the upper cody to leverage from. The shoulder should rotate and emarge out of the water as it is taking a stroke. This reduces frontal resistance and allows for a high elbow recovery which is a key part of freestyle.

3. Stay flat to the water - Resistance increases exponentially as you get faster. This is why it's important to reduce your total resistance created by your body. Keep your body flat to the surface or slightly raised at the front, but don't allow your hips and legs to sink. This creates resistance on your lower body and makes it difficult to swim faster. Remember, the easy way to swim faster is to reduce your resistance.

In your next session, try focusing on improving your body position by lengthening your body line, rotating your shoulders more and keeping your body parrallel to the surface. This will help you swim faster, smoother freestyle.