IMPROVE YOUR FREESTYLE STROKE
PRACTISE BREATHING
1 “The key thing is to breathe out through your nose and mouth while your face is in the water so that you need only to breathe in when your mouth is clear of water,” says Nuala Muir-Cochrane, head of swimming for David Lloyd Clubs. She suggests practising the breathing while standing in a pool. “Put your head in the water for counts of three – most people breathe every three strokes – and turn it slightly to the side before gently blowing out,” she says. “Think face in, breathe out, turn slightly and breathe in above the water.”
Don’t stress if you only breathe on one side. “It’s not a disaster,” says Simon ri ths, author of Swim Wild & Free. “Plenty of strong swimmers are single-sided breathers.”
WORK ON LEG ACTION
2 Kicking too hard is a common fault as it consumes a lot of energy that will usually be wasted. “Although the leg action of front crawl is called a ‘kick’, it’s not the same as kicking a ball,” ri ths says. “The knees should bend very little, the legs moving alternately in a short swinging motion from the hips with the feet stretched and the toes pointing away from the direction you are travelling.
“If your legs swing sideways or separate too much, it is likely to counterbalance an incorrect arm movement. And sinking legs are o en a result of li ing your head too high, a weak core or poor breathing patterns.”
LEAVE ARMS UNTIL LAST
3. “Your arms are the main providers of propulsion in front crawl,” ri ths says. To move forwards you need to press the water backwards with the hands. “You can achieve this by bending your elbow at the front of the stroke so that the palm of your hand is facing backwards, then pressing through in a straight line until the hand is roughly level with the hips. From there pull your hand straight out of the water and swing it forwards, hand and arm relaxed at this point with your hand lower than your elbow.” The hand re-enters the water a short distance in front of your head, ngertips rst, with the rest of the arm following through. “Keep ngertips lower than wrist and wrist lower than elbow when your arm straightens.” – The Times, London