How To Improve Your Swim Technique
There is no such thing as the perfect swim stroke but there is a perfect stroke for your body. No matter how good of a swimmer one is, there is always going to be room for improvement. We are going to explore the top 3 mistakes athletes make when trying to fix their freestyle stroke and then we will give you the method we use to train our athletes!
The Mistakes
We have been coaching triathletes and open water swimmers for the past 15 years. We have observed that many athletes make the same mistakes over and over again. These training mistakes lead to frustration, a decline in performance and have even caused some to leave the sport all together. The 3 training mistakes to avoid are:
Working On More Than 1 Problem At A Time
Our brains are great but in the water they aren’t great at trying to fix more than one issue at a time. Athletes who focus on more than 1 issue at a time generally create more problems than fixes. It is hard for the brain to think about fixing technique while also kicking, rotating the body, taking strokes and remembering to breathe.
Only Doing Drills
Many athletes think drills will fix it all. Instead of doing a regular workout, they will just do drills and nothing but drills. If you only do drills, then you will forget how to swim! Additionally, many triathletes and open water swimmers will do a “Drill Day” in which they focus on drills 1 day per week. This is also not enough to fix a problem area. There needs to be consistent work on the issue and 1 day per week is not going to cut it in most cases.
Constantly Focus on Technique and Nothing Else
This is the problem that leads triathletes and swimmers to go slower when focusing on fixing their stroke. When you think about your stroke constantly, then there are important pieces of your workout that you miss. This can most easily be seen during your main set. Think about all the times have you attempted a main set while trying to correct issues during the set. Ok now of all those workouts how many times were you able to hit all the goal times from those workouts? We are going to guess you answer is rarely or never. Main sets are meant to be challenging and require you to focus on going fast. If you think about technique, then you can’t focus on hitting your pace. In our experience, this is the leading cause for a swimmer’s speed to decline while trying to fix stroke mechanics. Workout after workout, they are trying to fix their stroke during the main set and fail to hit any goal times. After enough workouts of missing goal times, then you are moving in the wrong direction!
Our Solutions
There are many ways to combat these mistakes so that you improve your swim technique while continuing to get faster. We are going to give you the advice we give to all of our athletes.
The solutions are pretty simple:
Prioritize Your Problems
More often than not there will be a few things that need some work and that is normal. Swimming is a progression and an issue in one area can actually cause an issue elsewhere. For example if you enter the water crossed over, then we be you also have a problem with your catch. By fixing the entry, you may also naturally fix or minimize the issue you see in your catch. It is important to understand the root cause of an issue and shoot to correct that. If you work with a coach, they should be able to tell you what to fix. If not, a good rule of thumb for freestyle is start from the feet and work your way up (If you aren’t sure what this means, ask us in the comments!).
Fix 1 Issue At A Time
Now that you have your prioritized list, in order to correct them the fastest it is important to work on 1 problem at a time starting with number 1 on your list. Once the first issue looks better then move on to the next for as long as it takes. The more often you swim the quicker it will be to fix your stroke.
Mix It Up
Non-stop drill work is not the answer to your problems. It is important to mix up the drills you are doing. Every problem area will have several drills that you can do. It is important to work on a few of these and alternate between doing the drill and then swimming focusing on good technique. Don’t be afraid to put equipment on and take it off. Sets of 25s or 50s alternating 25 drill then 25 swim focusing on fixing the one problem area is a great way to mix it up.
Know When To Think About Technique & When Not To
In our opinion, this is the most important tip of them all! Only those who read this far will be rewarded with it. In order to see continued speed improvements while correcting your technique, there are certain times to think about your stroke and certain times to think about going fast!
When should I think about my stroke during a workout?
Warm Up
Drill Sets
Recovery Sets even if it is in the main set
Cool Down
When should I not think about my stroke during a workout?
Main Set
Pre-Set (unless the purpose is stroke work)
Post-Set (unless the purpose is stroke work)
When you focus on your technique in the warm up, drill sets, recovery sets and cool down, you are teaching the body to do what you want both when you are fresh and when you are exhausted. Over time your stroke will naturally begin to improve.
By only focusing on going fast or hitting your goal paces in the main set and pre & post set, you will never split your attention and slow down. Your stroke is naturally improving when you aren’t thinking about it and you are continuing to hit your times. You are getting faster! This is a less frustrating and more efficient way to become a better swimmer.
The only down side to this process and letting your stroke evolve naturally is that it takes time. Be Patient! It could take a couple of weeks to several months depending on how often you are swimming and a few other factors. This is why it is crucial to start fixing problems right away rather than 2 weeks before your race. If you want to be race ready and as fast as possible, it is in your best interest to give yourself plenty of time. We recommend working with a coach a minimum of 6 months prior to your “A” race.
Well that was a lot! We hope you found this helpful and you will start reaping the benefits of understanding how to incorporate drills to fix your swim technique!