Perfecting Your Freestyle Stroke: Drills & Tips from Into the Swim’s Coaches

Freestyle swimming, often referred to as the front crawl, is one of the most efficient and fastest strokes in the water. Whether you’re an aspiring competitive swimmer or simply want to improve your technique, mastering the freestyle stroke is key to swimming with speed, endurance, and confidence. Perfecting your freestyle isn’t just about swimming longer distances—it’s about refining technique, improving efficiency, and building strength.

At Into the Swim, our expert coaches work closely with swimmers of all skill levels to develop strong freestyle techniques. This guide offers some of our top drills and tips to help you swim faster, smoother, and with better form.

Why Freestyle Technique Matters

Before diving into drills, it’s essential to understand why focusing on proper technique is so important. Many swimmers rely on raw strength or stamina to swim faster, but without proper form, this can lead to fatigue, slower speeds, and even injuries.

Here’s what proper freestyle technique can help you achieve:

• Improved Efficiency: Efficient swimmers glide through the water, minimizing drag and maximizing propulsion. By honing your technique, you’ll expend less energy, and swim longer distances without tiring.
• Better Endurance: Proper breathing techniques and a streamlined body position allow swimmers to maintain a steady pace, improving overall endurance.
• Injury Prevention: Poor form can put undue stress on the shoulders and neck. By mastering proper form, you reduce the risk of overuse injuries.

Drills to Perfect Your Freestyle Stroke

These freestyle drills are designed to improve various aspects of your stroke, from body positioning to breathing and propulsion.

1. Catch-Up Drill

The catch-up drill is perfect for working on your arm extension and body alignment. It ensures that each arm stroke is fully completed before the next one begins, helping you focus on a long, streamlined stroke.

How to Do It:

• Start in a standard freestyle position.
• Instead of alternating your arm strokes immediately, keep one arm extended out in front while the other completes a full stroke.
• Only start the next stroke when your hands “catch up” in front of your body.

What It Improves:

• Arm extension and lengthening of the stroke
• Body alignment and balance

2. Side-Kicking Drill

A common mistake in freestyle is improper body rotation. The side-kicking drill helps you practice rotating your body while keeping your head steady for proper breathing.

How to Do It:

• Kick on your side with one arm extended out in front and the other by your side.
• Rotate your head slightly out of the water to breathe, ensuring that your body stays aligned and balanced.
• Alternate sides every few kicks.

What It Improves:

• Body rotation and balance
• Breathing technique

3. Fingertip Drag Drill

The fingertip drag drill helps improve hand entry and encourages a high elbow recovery, which is crucial for an efficient freestyle stroke.

How to Do It:

• As you swim freestyle, drag your fingertips lightly across the water’s surface during the recovery phase (as your arm moves forward).
• Focus on keeping your elbow high and your movements controlled.

What It Improves:

• High elbow recovery
• Hand positioning and water entry

4. Fist Drill

The fist drill enhances your feel for the water by temporarily removing the natural advantage of open hands. By forcing your hands into fists, you’ll learn to use your forearms more effectively for propulsion.

How to Do It:

• Swim freestyle while keeping your hands in tight fists.
• After a few laps, switch back to open hands and notice the difference in how you catch the water.

What It Improves:

• Propulsion from the forearms
• Awareness of the hand’s role in generating power

5. 3-3-3 Drill

The 3-3-3 drill focuses on body rotation, breathing, and overall stroke coordination.

How to Do It:

• Perform three strokes on your right side, breathing as needed, then switch to three strokes on your left side.
• Continue alternating every three strokes.

What It Improves:

• Body rotation and breathing rhythm
• Stroke consistency

Additional Tips for Freestyle Success

Along with practicing drills, keep these expert tips from our Into the Swim coaches in mind:

1. Maintain a Neutral Head Position

Keep your head aligned with your body, looking slightly downward. This helps reduce drag and improves body positioning in the water.

2. Focus on a Steady Kick

While your arms do most of the work in freestyle, a steady, relaxed kick helps with body balance and propulsion. Avoid over-kicking, as this can lead to fatigue.

3. Perfect Your Breathing Technique

Proper breathing is crucial for endurance. Exhale fully underwater and turn your head smoothly to the side when taking a breath. Bilateral breathing (breathing on both sides) helps maintain symmetry and balance.

4. Think Long and Lean

Stretch your body as much as possible during each stroke. A longer stroke is more efficient and reduces energy expenditure.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced swimmers can fall into bad habits. Here are a few common mistakes to watch out for:

1. Over-Rotating the Head

Lifting your head too much while breathing can cause your body to sink, increasing drag. Keep your head low and rotate just enough to take a breath.

2. Short, Choppy Strokes

Focus on lengthening your strokes rather than taking quick, short ones. This increases your efficiency.

3: Holding Your Breath Underwater

Always exhale fully underwater to avoid holding carbon dioxide in your lungs, which can lead to fatigue and discomfort.

Ready to Perfect Your Freestyle Stroke?

Freestyle swimming is an art that combines strength, endurance, and technique. By practicing these drills and incorporating the tips from our Into the Swim coaches, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a more efficient and confident swimmer.

If you’re serious about improving your freestyle stroke, why not learn from the best? Into the Swim offers personalized swim lessons with expert instructors who specialize in refining techniques for swimmers of all levels. Give us a call at 732-419-3276 to learn more and take the plunge toward better swimming!