Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

Former Member — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 16:44:27 GMT

Thanks, I have to try the 4 o'clock tip :) Had a session today and really tried to look back more, while still keeping one goggle under water. I tried both looking back a bit more and also about keeping my chin level in the water, with only my nose and mouth out. The best I could do is making sure that one goggle is always submerged and seeing only the underwater part of the pool ledge. The goggle out however, was looking back, but still seeing part of the roof. I managed to get air, but also more water in my mouth. Had to be much more conscious about moving my mouth a bit upwards. This will of course require a lot more practice, and as mentioned, getting better at breathing out. I might try the tennis ball trick to get a better feeling. Also tried reaching more forward for some laps at the end, and I think that's quite important too. Once again, thanks for all the great advice :)

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

flystorms — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 09:35:19 GMT

You've gotten some great feedback already. And Elaine is right, you are beating yourself up way more than you need to. You've got a nice stroke where a lot of your basics are already there. My only advice for looking back more is if the elbow thing isn't clicking, thing about looking towards your armpit (at about 4 o'clock if you thing about 12 o'clock being the way you're heading. This will help force you to keep your head down and one goggle in. Working on your blowing out underwater will help this as well. You just need a slow, steady drain of air so that when you turn to breathe, you're only breathing in (for the most part). You've got this. Just keep working and studying some of the greats in videos.

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

Former Member — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 06:03:48 GMT

I usually use a kickboard the least possible. But yes, I tried a couple of sets last time to improve my kick, and will do it frequently. I do it only with my head submerged. Btw, I guess not much speed is required to do a proper one goggle breath?

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

67King — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 01:44:39 GMT

........The best I could do is making sure that one goggle is always submerged and seeing only the underwater part of the pool ledge. The goggle out however, was looking back, but still seeing part of the roof. I managed to get air, but also more water in my mouth. Had to be much more conscious about moving my mouth a bit upwards...............getting better at breathing out I'll be honest. I don't try to keep in one goggle. I find it hard, as well. But as mentioned above, trying to fix everything all at once can be tricky. And I haven't been back at it long enough to have it all down, so I go for the big bits. On breathing out.......do you ever use a kickboard? I think that using a kickboard can be a great way to work on regulating your exhalation. First of all, you don't have to focus on 367 other things to do correctly, and I don't know about you, but my feeble mind runs out of things to recall when I run out of fingers to help me keep count! But yes, the kick sets can help.......IF you use the kickboard the right (my belief) way. First, don't do like when you were a kid who loved kick sets because you could throw your arms on top, and rest your hwole body on it. Don't even grab it. Push it out in front of you, and place your open hands on top of it. So the back of hte kicboard shouldn't extend beyond the middle of your forearm. When you are swimming, you exert downward a little with your hands......not enough to submerge it, but really what you are doing is keeping your hips up high in the water. Now where the breathing comes into play. Keep your face IN the water, looking down. Don't keep it up above water like you would think you'd do, that'll drop your hips. Now you do have to pick up your head to breathe, so the inhalation will be different, but the exhalation can be worked on like that. Just keep your face in the water, and slowly exhale through your nose. Again, not too much goinig on to think about, so you can focus on the exhalation. Try doinig that every time you do a kick set, and it'll help you make it habit. Speaking of kicking......really good to see how much you use your feet. So many people will kind of forget they are there. Great to see you use them the whole time.

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

Former Member — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 12:49:13 GMT

I'm not as experience as others, but the two things I would suggest you try: 2. When you breathe, looks like you losing your head positioning, and rotating your head more to the side. Try looking to the rear, not the side. FOlks have said to look for your elbow, which I think is a good idea. Reaching more (point 1) should also hep your breathing become more synched wiht the rest of your stroke. Hmm, look for your elbow. Like looking at it when it is passing by underwater and during the recovery? Or just to emphasize to look a bit behind, since the elbow is there just when the mouth breaks the surface? You are holding your breath. By doing so, you increase the time necessary to complete an entire breath cycle rather than just inhale. Exhale while your face is in the water. Try blowing your breath out. Fix this one thing and lots of problems evaporate. Keep with it. Now, this is interesting. I really try to exhale constantly through my nose (and a bit through my mouth) underwater, and try to force it more during the head turn, but maybe not enough? I must admit that breathing out underwater has been an issue. I was able to get quite better at it when improving my breaststroke, but with freestyle and issues with the head position it was more difficult. Only recently it is falling more into place.

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

67King — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 10:58:40 GMT

Hmm, look for your elbow. Like looking at it when it is passing by underwater and during the recovery? Or just to emphasize to look a bit behind, since the elbow is there just when the mouth breaks the surface? No, look behind you while breathing.....mouth out of the water. You'll see your elbow it is most bent position. Think about it this way. Imagine streamlining, no pulling at all. Right now, your eyes are ending up looking where your elbow would be. To the side, but even slightly forward. You are picking up your head a little, which puts a hitch through your whole body. If you breathe properly, that hitch will likely go away. You might try holding a tennis ball between your sternum and your chin while you swim to get a feel for where your head needs to be. You want to be looking down, not ahead. When you breathe, you want that chin to stay tucked down by your chest. Getting back to the first paragraph, when you breathe, you want for your eyes to be looking at your shoulders (again, streamline, no kick). That is to say behind you. Doing that will keep the chin down where it needs to be. When you add the pull into things, the timing of the breath and the recovery is such that you should see your bent elbow coming up fromm the water. Also, another tell-tell sign. Your mouth will be out of the water before your lower eye. Right now, you have to get both of yoru eyes out of the water before you can breath. When you look rearward, your chin will lead your head out. Right now, it appears that your forehead seems to be leading everything out, and you have to get both eyes dry before your mouth gets that way. And again, REACH on your pulls. Get your forward shoulder into your ear when you reach. Right now, it is kind of the back of your bicep. Reach as far as you can, really stretch. You'll feel it in your core later that day....you might even be able to tell while working. Your stroke count will also drop precipitously. Mine went from 19 to 15 when I stared putting it all together (I'm 5'8" for reference).

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

Michael Heather — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 03:03:10 GMT

I will only correct one thing at a time. You are holding your breath. By doing so, you increase the time necessary to complete an entire breath cycle rather than just inhale. Exhale while your face is in the water. Try blowing your breath out. Fix this one thing and lots of problems evaporate. Keep with it.

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

f1refl1es! — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 11:33:07 GMT

I'm a very very green swimmer -- but Zenith, your comment that swimming's helping with computer posture, that's pretty inspiring to me (a definite computer geek)! I hope to be posting some video soon, too, and I am certain it will be more embarrassing than yours!

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

Former Member — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 09:54:23 GMT

Thanks Elaine for all the kind words and good advice :) It all seems very much spot on. I definitely have an issue with trying to fix too many things at once. I think I will look into breathing/rotation issue first, then body position and the leg kick. I am also a bit uncertain about my head position in the water, should I keep it lower? I mean between the breathing strokes. It usually feels just about right, I look a tiny bit forward under water.

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

Elaine Krugman — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 08:34:11 GMT

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

Former Member — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 08:22:00 GMT

I would say a big improvement would be to develop a better catch and hold of the water as you pull. It looks like your hand is passing through the water with little traction, so the water is slipping away from your palm resulting in little forward momentum. When your hand enters the water, start scooping your fingers around, then your palm, then your forearm so that you are using these three body parts to act as one big paddle to pull/push the water to your feet. You can also think of pulling yourself over your fingers/Palm/forearm. Accelerate your hand speed from the time you "catch" the water when your fingers start scooping, through the pull phase, to the push and exiting of your hand. By accelerating your pull you maintain grip on the water. It will feel firmer that way too. Practice sculling exercises to develop a feel for holding water.

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

67King — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 07:04:55 GMT

I'm not as experience as others, but the two things I would suggest you try: 1. REACH more. Looks almost like your shoulders are staying square. Reach further forward, it will help make your stroke more efficient, and it will engage more of your body (core!). You'll use your kick to drive your body forward as you reach. Here's one thing I noticed when I started learning to reach properly. Your whiskers will chafe your shoulders unless you are pretty cleanly shaven. That's a good way to know you are doiing it correctly. 2. When you breathe, looks like you losing your head positioning, and rotating your head more to the side. Try looking to the rear, not the side. FOlks have said to look for your elbow, which I think is a good idea. Reaching more (point 1) should also hep your breathing become more synched wiht the rest of your stroke. Again, there are others here smarter than me, so I hope if someone takes issue with the way I tried to explain it they'll speak up.

RE: Looking for advice on improving my freestyle

Elaine Krugman — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 04:56:12 GMT

First of all, STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP! :bighug: Your stroke isn't as bad as you say. Actually, there are many good things about it, and it wouldn't take much coaching to get you on the right track. Kudos to you for planning on getting some coaching. That shows you really DO want to improve. :applaud: to you for making the effort to have somebody shoot a video of you and post it here on the forums. (Please tell your videographer they did a great job, too!) I can't tell you how many people I have suggested this to, and we never hear from them again. :bitching: Although I am no expert, I have had enough coaching (and watched TONS of videos!) to spot a few things about your stroke. First, when you turn to breathe, you are lifting your forehead at the same time. You also are turning it too far, as you pointed out. When you breathe, make a point of looking at the side of the pool (underwater!) with the eye/goggle that is supposed to be underwater. If you can see topside with both eyes. you are turning too far! :nono: You have pretty good body position in the water, but see if you can press you chest down between shoulders and keep you hips up, so you are swimming at a downhill angle. Less knee bend in your kick will help. Try to think of having a small kick (less up and down) and keeping your big toes next to each other as you kick. Kick from your hips rather than the knees. Your arm recovery is beautiful! I notice your hands tend to bend up at the wrist at the end of the recovery though. Try to keep your wrist higher than your fingertips. Otherwise, the entry is nice and smooth, and you have a good reach before you hand enters the water. On the pull, good for you; you are keeping your elbows bent. At the end of the pull, your hands are turning toward your body, though, so you are losing out on that last push of water. Think about keeping your palms facing BACK, rather than towards your body. These are just a few tips for now. Whatever you do, DON'T try to fix everything all at once. Pick one think to work on or several laps before you switch to another. If you try to fix it all at once, you will just get frustrated! Over all, you are a lot better swimmer than the majority of adults out there in the world. 37% of adults can't even swim the length of a pool, so you are way beyond that! Please stick with us here on the Forums, because you will learn a lot! Good luck! :cheerleader: