Learning how to swim or propel yourself in water isn’t too difficult. The main thing you have to do is overcome the fear of water and know how to float naturally. However, if you wish to be truly good at swimming and swim fast, then you will have to practice a lot. Mastering the technique to perfection is a necessity if you wish to increase your swimming speed. So, let’s see what are some of these things you can do in order to improve at swimming.
Make Sure You Don’t Drag
It’s always important for your body to float evenly or in a straight line. You won’t sink or anything if it doesn’t but you will have to expend more energy and you will swim slower. Your back needs to be straight, you need to think of your body as a boat, and your limbs as oars.
This is why your head needs to be down and you need to look at the bottom of the pool. You need to be in that plank state. Your arms need to be stretched and your shoulders should brush your chin as you use them to swim.
Breathing
In almost any sport, breathing technique is a foundation for good performance. So this is something you will have to get used to until it becomes your second nature. Breath out while your face is in water, and take breaths as you roll sideways while swimming. You need to turn your head a bit further in order to clear out the water from your face and take a good breath. The timing is really important here, so don’t get frustrated if you are not getting it immediately.
Rotation
It’s also important that you rotate your body naturally, so a lot of the force when you move needs to come from the hips. This is once again why your body needs to be in a straight line Your kicks need to come from the hips, not knees. This way you are using your body weight to work in your favor and conserve a lot of energy while maximizing your power output.
Drills
You will need to practice this endlessly. These are all basics that you get better at with repetition. Moreover, this is just one swimming style, and you might want to look into others and see if they suit you better. You will also have to train constantly in order to increase your strength and stamina, as a lot of improvement will be a direct result of increasing your power.
These were some quick tips on how to improve your swimming technique. In order to get more in-depth lessons and more constructive feedback, you need to hire a professional instructor.
