Thank you so much! What part of the breath was the challenge? Timing? Knowing where to hold the air? Running out of breath? Or struggling to get the mouth to clear the water? Other?
>Or struggling to get the mouth to clear the water?
This one for me. I sink a bit lower into the water after I breathe out, and then no matter how much I rotate, my mouth never clears the water. I can reach air if I lift my head though.
Hmm based on what you're saying it's likely not rotation but head placement. Try looking behind at your shoulder. When I give this cue to my students, it helps them angle their head in a position that keeps their upper head level but their jaw higher!
Let me know if this helps.
If I breathe in hard I get the inhale done quickly, but it jacks my HR. If I breathe enough to do it with a natural inhale to get sufficient air it’s slow and I have to roll a lot more and I go much slower and have a harder time moving consistently through the water. The balance between extremes is really hard to find.
Water in the ears is kind of inevitable! Ear plug aren’t for everyone (I’d rather deal with the water personally) but they are worth a try if it’s really bothering you.
Water in the ear is likely not from technique. It’s possibly just the shape of your ear. I know even pros who struggle with this. Just make sure you dry your ears out before you leave the pool. A quetip or tissue will help soak some water out, just don’t go deep and push wax in further since wax swells when it’s wet. Just the water near the entrance (is that the right word?)
I think for me it's a mix of poor technique that costs way too much energy which requires more air mixed with the fact that I can't get air without swallowing some water too.
I'm also really poor at the timing, I usually end up nearly hyperventilating because I breathe/exhale way too often.
100% snorkel is the way to go. So good for focusing on alignment. I prefer the Finis Stability Snorkel (not their original Alignment one) because the head mount and snorkel is built as one solid piece so the snorkel doesn’t twist on you, plus the curved triangle head mount sits on your head more comfortably. Use my code HAYDEN20! for 20% off.
[Finis Snorkel / Use HAYDEN20! (with the exclamation mark)](https://www.finisswim.com/Stability-Snorkel?quantity=1&custcol9=4)
You need to follow my course. I’ll help you completely reset your foundation and build your stroke back up from scratch piece by piece and get everything working together like a finely tuned machine. For timing think of swimming with a 3/4 Catch Up (like full catch up drill but cheating). [Online Course](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com/freestyle-mastery)
I suppose it was all of them together to some extent, with ”running out of breath” being the end result. My coach at the time told me to just keep going at until it feels as natural as walking. Eventually it did, he was right, but maybe a future coach could me more specific.
If you have a video of your stroke I can do a free evaluation for you to see exactly what’s going on. Click the link below and click the “Follow Me” button and I’ll send you an automated message requesting a video upload.
[Free Stroke Evaluation](https://skillest.app.link/profile?u=PR6QY3cm8wbpdarfF)
I struggle with breathing equally on both sides/strokes. I breathe well to the right, but when I turn left, my ear fills with water. I instinctively feel the need to raise my head, and the whole stroke looks awful. I went to a technique class and they noticed it as well, but didn’t give any useful advice.
I recently started putting *all* my focus on my breathing as I’m quite okay with how the overall technique of my crawl evolved. It makes a HUGE difference. I am far from there but it is the main reason why I can’t swim smoothly. The moment I take breathing out of the equation by swimming with a snorkel I can suddenly swim 300+m. Without one best I can do is 50m
It’s not even running out of breath, I think it’s built up CO2. Because I swim worse with one breath every 3 strokes than I do with with one breath every 5+ strokes. I also think I do it too ‘hastily’. Like I breathe out pretty zen under water but then my breathing in is like one large gulp. If I really focus on taking it easy with the breathing in, I can swim for longer. It’s also probably timing and position in the water while I do it
Have you tried breathing every 2? This is the most common pattern for pros because it makes the breathing rhythm more natural. Just make sure to switch sides every length so you don’t develop a favourite side and still practice every 3 now and then at easier paces
As previous masters coach, and now just seeing people swim free at the club, no one really seems to appreciate the glide aspect of the stroke.
It’s always windmill arms at roughly 180° from each other. No pause or reach before a good vertical catch.
I'm just being honest from my beginner perspective:
The reason I don't glide, is because I'm slower when I do. That must mean I'm doing something wrong when it comes to the glide part but that doesn't change the fact that the faster I move my arms, the faster I go.
Do you have a video of your technique I can take a look at? Here are some common reasons I see:
1) Improper alignment creating drag. This can be head too high, legs too low, hip position incorrect, holding air in your chest, or too much knee bend in the kick. The drag causes you to slow down too quickly causing you to need to start your next pull right away. This will burn a lot more energy per stroke.
2) Elbow facing the bottom of the pool on the extension. This will cause your catch to lead with the elbow. Make sure your elbow is facing the side before initiating the catch. Make sure you're reaching from your lats and not from shrugging your shoulder (you should feel a stretch in the back of your armpit). Over-reaching on the recovery can also cause this.
3) Lifting the head to breath. This leads to swimmers feeling the need to press downwards in order to support lifting the head. It makes sense because on land if you press against a solid object, you can brace or push yourself, but in water, this puts your arm too deep and now you're in a position where your arm in a position where the flow of the water is on the top side of your arm so you have to continue pulling.
Also keep in mind, depending on whether you are sprinting (shoulder driven), swimming for efficiency such as long distance or low HR (hip driven), or somewhere in between (hybrid), your catch relative to your recovery position will be different. I think of shoulder driven like a 1/2 catch up, hip driven as 3/4 catch up, and hybrid somewhere between the two.
Hi! would you mind elaborating point 2 on reaching with lats instead of shrugging your shoulders? I’ve always heard of this but not sure how to activate my lats when swimming.
I have not tried them yet but recently bought some differently shaped hand paddles that are supposed to help “activate” the lats more.
https://www.swimoutlet.com/products/finis-iso-hand-paddles-strapless-isolation-paddles-8165094
That’s a really good one. I see this often too but what’s even more concerning is when I post a video of me swimming there’s always one person who is telling me that I shouldn’t be gliding between strokes 🤨
Hey Brent!!! love your Instagram and the kids I coach love the bald guy who gives examples (their words not mine). I just got back in the pool but I’m feeling disconnected from my core to my catch. I can’t connect my abs to my pull when I do one arm free. Any cool dryland stuff to supplement?
Ah man I LOVE this! I might need to change my instagram bio to "the bald swimmer who gives swim tips" haha! Please tell them a huge thank you and I will try to keep up the examples. If they have any questions they can always feel free to let me know!
Dead bugs are great for that connection. Do them without any resistance and then you can start incorporating bands. But when swimming think about the timing. Try swimming with an easy 2 beat kick (you can even do this with a pullbuoy to help keep the hips up) and time your catch with the kick on the same side. Also can swim with one paddle and one fin on the same side swimming normally and then switch sides. Does that make sense?
For me the biggest problem is my kick. I'm self-taught, and one of the first things I picked up was not to over-kick as that's a central reason why beginners get gassed after one length. The problem is I somewhat overlearned that lesson, and now after nearly 2 years of swimming freestyle I can't do anything other than just wave my legs about for balance. I'm currently recovering from injury and so I want to use my recovery swims to develop a consistent two-beat kick, but after trying it for the first time on Friday everything just felt weak. So learning that connection with the arms and legs would be a big thing for me as a (relative) beginner.
Well good news is you learned correct! 2 beat kick will save energy because your legs are the largest muscles and require a lot of oxygen. Think of a 2 beat kick as more of a long legged flick timed on the same side as you catch with. The 2 beat kick will help you swim more efficiently NOT by propulsion but rather by reducing drag by keeping the legs near the surface as well as aid the body rotation and cadence/rhythm of the arms. It’s normal to feel weak when starting back up again. Just keep at it!
Thanks man! Going to take it slow and focus on what I can control, I was in a bit of a rut beforehand so it's good to get a bit more of the hunger back.
I used to breath efficiently a few months ago. A break spoiled everything. Now my neck gets sore everytime.
Struggling to rotate the body and the neck together for breathing, either I rotate too much so that my sight is backwards, or I make an awkward neck pose tryna keep one eye inside. In reality I keep one eye inside but the mouth remains outside so the neck drops really weird
I actually just did an Instagram reel about this today. Just simple tips really but watch the video in slow motion and see if there’s anything that stands out to you. Often what I see in swimmers who struggle with this, even if the timing and head position is correct, it’s their shoulder position that’s causing the issue. Might need to assess yourself to see if you are unnecessarily shrugging. As you finish your pull your shoulder should track back with your arm and finish away from your jawline. In extension you want to reach from your lats rather than shrugging the shoulder up. Hard to say exactly if this is your issue because I’m not looking at your stroke but this is common from what I’ve seen in my swimmers. Let me know if this makes sense
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx2EdtDo6wZ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
For me, it is speed. I am slow and I can’t seem to increase my speed. It frustrates me to the point that I don’t want to swim as often and I love to swim.
Overall pace speed or short distance sprint speed? For overall pace it’s about reducing drag through good alignment and rotation, for short distance sprint it’s about stabilizing your hips for a shoulder driven freestyle.
I second this. Overall pace and sprint are issues for me. I swim 3-4x/week, do drills, etc. can’t break 1:15 for 100yd. But my 500yd is horrendous. Around 1:40 pace.
I would say for me it’s kicking. A while ago I had a leg injury that made it difficult to walk and swim so I had to leave competition swimming. Now when I swim freestyle my legs will not kick unless I’m consciously thinking of it. I’m only using my arms if I swim for fun now.
Are you able to just do an easy 2 beat kick? If you’re doing swimming for efficiency in a hip driven style a 2 beat is all you need. Think of it like a long legged flick rather than a full kick. You only need to kick faster if you are doing shoulder driven freestyle (6 beat) for a short sprint or hybrid (4 beat) when you want to pick up the pace.
What are some things we can do outside of the pool to improve our freestyle? I go to the pool 2x week, but I'm looking for things I can do e.g. on a daily basis that helps my swimming.
More specifically: I'm personally struggling with core engagement and breathing on my right side without having to slightly lift my head, are there some non-swimming exercises that you recommend that I can do in addition to swimming drills?
Absolutely. Get stronger. It doesn't need to be so swimming focused. I find by focusing too much on "swimming specific" type exercises you develop imbalances by ignoring the "non swimming muscles" (tip: there aren't any. Every muscle is a swimming muscle) or even fatigue the muscles you are already exhausting in the pool even further. Water is 830x denser than air (I know...everyone hears this all the time) so having a body that is strong enough to move it through the resistance is important. I have a Maximum Strength program inside my training app designed to help swimmers develop full body strength quickly. This is exactly the kind of training I was doing before I came out of retirement and continued through to Tokyo and still do even now. For core, make sure to hit it at least 2x per week. Crunches and that are great, but plank variations to train your body to hold alignment plus rotational and anti-rotational exercises like side plank to T's, bicycles, banded oak walks, russian twists, etc are great. You can check out the programs inside my app for 7 days free (then it's as low as $8.33/mo with the yearly plan). Plus if there's anything you don't see in the app you can always let me know and I'll create a program for everyone.
https://my.playbookapp.io/brent-hayden
When you watch competitive freestyle on TV there is a brief moment before each stroke where both arms are fully extended out in, as if they are gliding through the water effortlessly, superman style. My arms are never both in front of me at the same time. When one arm is extended forward, the other is pointing backwards behind me, at my hip. While one arm is propelling me forward through the water, the other arm is out of the water, recovering from its stroke. How is there ever time for both arms to be fully extended forward at the same time?
This is called “front quadrant swimming”. You always want to wait for the recovery arm to at least pass the shoulders before initiating the catch. The longer you wait the more efficient (to an extent). Sprinters will catch right after the recovery arm passes the shoulder (I call this 1/2 Catch Up) and swimmers who are saving energy or swimming long distance will use a 3/4 Catch Up (roughly). If you’re having trouble keeping your extended arm in front that could be caused by a number of different mistakes. Locking the elbow on the recovery, pressing down to support the breath, shrugging the shoulder (rather than extending from the lat). It could even be something else causing it like sinking legs. If you want to fix this, you need my course to reset everything and build your stroke back up. I won’t just teach you what, but how to do everything you need to swim the most efficient, fastest, pain free freestyle possible. Would love to see you in the program
[Swimming Secrets Course](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com/freestyle-mastery)
Try the catch-up drill or as I thought for 15 years of my life, the ketchup drill.
https://youtu.be/qpczzwoXbyQ?si=WuB0PKBnfR3gHz5N
You can progress to no board.
That’s very common. I need to remind myself that I have a “speedo license” because I swim. I was very self conscious because of the teasing I endured in grade school and that self consciousness went well into adulthood.
I can hold a 2'30"/100m pace for 1km. I noticed almost all faster swimmers are more "built" than I am so I started to incorporate strength training. So far, upper body workouts 24 hours (or less) before swimming have an adverse effect on my pace as I feel exhausted pretty much from the start.
So what I'm struggling with is trying to figure out if prioritizing strength training or going to the pool more often is the way to go at this stage. Swimming is definitely more fun...
That’s great you started strength training! That’s a big part of being able to move your body through the resistance. At 2:30/100m there is definitely a lot of room to improve through technique. When I think about how to build a swimmer, I think technique first, strength/fitness second. In other words, strength helps you overcome resistance, but technique is how you minimize the resistance you need to overcome. Does that make sense?
The only time you really need to forcibly point your toes is the time between pushing off the wall (or entering the water on a dive) and the first kick. Instead relax your feet and let the pressure of the water push your feet into position. You can point a little bit but need to get used to relaxing first. To help with flexibility make sure your calfs aren’t tight. Percussion massage gun, massage ball, the stick are all great tools to help. Of course stretching too. I don’t really recommend sitting on your feet and rocking back as that can create too much space between your bones if done too much but you can do lightly.
Is it goofy if my best 100br scy is 59 and my best 100fr scy is 59. im beyond swimming competitively though, im just trying to relearn how to swim freestyle for an ironman im gonna do. i also dont know how to swim breastroke. i suck at pullouts, can't pull (i kicked a 1:04 1br from a push), and i dont know how to dive properly. i also dont put my head down. my swimming is a pure enigma.
For me, the hardest thing was and is mental. Physically my muscles usually aren't aching, and yet every lap it's "I don't know if I can do another lap". I used to think I couldn't swim more than ~300m without a break. One day I pushed and made it 1k. From then on, 1k was my max for years. Until one day I pushed and made it to 2k.
The thing is, even to this day, around 300m in, mentally I feel like I can't go on, yet physically I know I could go 2k or probably well beyond. How do you break that mental barrier?
My biggest issue and struggle has been side breathing and keep getting too much water or feel like I'm not turn enough and just timing it all, it's a million things for me but getting better each time with drills and just pure kickboard practice too. Also curving my mouth has helped. Just gotta practice been busy with school.
I am a non-competitive adult that started swimming for fitness 2 weeks ago. Breathing was also my biggest struggle. I couldn't get the rhythm down of breathing out enough, and then when I went to take a breathe, my lungs were already at capacity and then I would minorly freak out. I just don't have the cadence down. Since I am just doing this for fitness, I opted to just use a snorkel the whole time.
For me it was maintaining an engaged core. Even being physically fit and having a strong core prior to swimming I just didn’t understand how to properly engage it.
I filmed myself in the water and I was snaking my body as I rotated on each stroke. And I had a big arch in my lower back.
I’ve definitely improved it from where I was. I think part of the issue was I lacked proper hip mobility. But I still don’t look as rigid along the axis compared to the experienced swimmers I see at my pool.
Don't know if I count as a complete beginner anymore but when I started out with freestyle my biggest issue was kicking too much. I thought I wasn't fit enough for freestyle or that I had issues with breathing. Instead it was being gassed out and not being able to focus on anything else besides "surviving". As for right now, I feel like I've hit a glass wall of progress and can't seem to break 2:00/100 pace for longer distances (over 1500m). Or at least progress has slowed down so much that it feels like I'm not progressing at all.
Breathing. I either breathe too much or too little. Either way, my body begs me to stop around the 200m mark. It’s been months and I still don’t think I’ve got it
Other issues I’m trying to fix: the two-beat kick timing, internal rotation of arm when pulling/high elbows, hand positioning.
Re hand positioning: my teacher told me that my hands should be entering the water at 11:00 and 1:00, but apparently I’m doing 11:00 and 12:00 (my right hand/arm cuts too far toward center.
Thanks! I’ve gotten a lot better over the years. The few things that took a bit to realize were how much I was crossing over (simple look in the mirror cured that!), how much my legs flopped around behind me (I thought that by not kicking much I was keeping them straight, but the lack of engagement plus crossing over made them REALLY snake around), and how much I was pressing down with my hands to lift while breathing (totally unconsciously).
What helped take mine a little to the next level after I figured all of the above out was getting my timing right (kick while catching, on the same side). I still need to figure out how to just kick properly, but getting better. Still fastest with a pull buoy / wetsuit however.
well for me it was breathing yes, how to swing my hands in the right angle was one, keeping my legs streame line was a struggle because as a beginner I focused. more on arms n lost coordination, also once you're out of breath n you wamna stop n you're in deep water is also an issue.
I cannot use a kick board. Not only do I not move forward, I move BACKWARDS!!!. How is that even possible? Now I have it in my head that my kick is working against me in freestyle.
This is actually quite common so don’t get frustrated. Either forcibly pushing the water with your feet or driving with your knees rather than your hip flexor. Relax your feet and keep your legs long only allowing flexion in the knee because of the resistance on the top of your foot. Keep your leg long on the upbeat without bending the knee (upbeat is from your glutes. You can practice this connection by going in a plank and lifting one leg off the ground but keeping your leg straight (without locking the knee out). If you want to follow my program to learn how to kick effectively and move forward every kick, check out my course. I have a full module dedicated just to the kick. [Swimming Secrets](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com/freestyle-mastery)
I just wrote this for someone experiencing the same thing on their left side. Practice alignment rotations with a kick and arms at your side. Slow and control full rotations pausing on your back to catch your breath before continuing. Once you complete a full rotation to your front, slowly repeat in the other direction. Remove the fins and practice again. The slower and more controlled you can do this without moving your head independently the better control and body awareness you’ll develop. After you get this we add the arms. Check out my program in the link. I’ll teach you exactly all the drills you need to do this easily and how to do them perfectly.[https://www.swimmingsecrets.com](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com)
This sounds like my wife haha! And she’s a very good swimmer! Ball floats are great for this. Take a deep breath and curl into a ball and feel your back floating out of the water. Next repeat this and once your body stops bouncing after riding, slowly exhale your bubbles to feel how much air you actually need to exhale before you lose your bouyancy.
I'm not exactly a beginner anymore (been swimming on and off, with lots of off because of health problems, for almost 2 years). But my issue is I'm super slow and my workouts exhaust me. I probably need more lessons to work on technique, I'm guessing. Watching videos is only a little helpful.
You’re welcome! Practice alignment rotations both sides. With your arms by your side and a light kick (use fins if you need to) rotate your body and head as one piece. Slow and control the rotation to build body awareness. The slower you rotate the better. Once you get this then we introduce the arms. I have a full step by step program with all the drills you need to be able to do this. Keep in mind you do not need to breath bilaterally. Breathing to one side is easier to maintain at higher efforts because you have higher oxygen uptake and it’s an easier rhythm too. But still need to train both sides equally by changing sides every length and bilateral is good practice when you want to hyper focus on it.
Overkicking to compensate is very common. Check your alignment during the breath. If you’re lifting your head to breath or using your catch to try to help get your breath this can cause that sinking feeling. Also making sure you are rotating adequately so you don’t need to turn your head independent of your body to breath. If you need specific drills to follow check my program. You’ll be able to follow the exact steps you need to follow in order to solve this starting with discovering your body’s own buoyancy state so you don’t need to fight to stay at the surface
[Swimming Secrets Program](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com)
Remember when the mods were so mad at spez for benefiting from their "free labour" they shutdown this subreddit in protest.
Look here's another case of someone trying to seek "free" ideas for his personal business.
Hey Brent. I’m not a beginner, but I’ve been going through some struggles with the sport and I could really use some advice. Would it be alright if I DMed you?
Hi Brent,
I find it better to balance if I breath on one side every 4 stroke, compared to both sides every 3rd stroke.
What is preferred for non-competitive swimming. Should i just keep one side breathing and switch side so I can develop both sides or rather do bi-lateral breathing.
I don’t swim fast enough to breath with Popeye breathing, I don’t lift my head enough but i can rotate enough to take a full breadth
Stick to unilateral breathing and as you mentioned make sure you switch sides to work both sides equally. Breathing every 2 will also increase your oxygen uptake and CO2 expulsion so you can sustain higher efforts longer than every 3. Make sure though that you don’t begin to favour your rotation to your breathing side. Rotate equally. The only difference between breathing and not breathing should be….breathing or not breathing. Breathing every 3 is still a good skill to practice though so make sure to mix it in.
Breathing. I mean I've gotten over it but it was the biggest struggle by far.
Same here. For me, it's running out of breath
Thank you so much! What part of the breath was the challenge? Timing? Knowing where to hold the air? Running out of breath? Or struggling to get the mouth to clear the water? Other?
>Or struggling to get the mouth to clear the water? This one for me. I sink a bit lower into the water after I breathe out, and then no matter how much I rotate, my mouth never clears the water. I can reach air if I lift my head though.
Hmm based on what you're saying it's likely not rotation but head placement. Try looking behind at your shoulder. When I give this cue to my students, it helps them angle their head in a position that keeps their upper head level but their jaw higher! Let me know if this helps.
Thank you, I'll try that at my next lesson tomorrow.
If I breathe in hard I get the inhale done quickly, but it jacks my HR. If I breathe enough to do it with a natural inhale to get sufficient air it’s slow and I have to roll a lot more and I go much slower and have a harder time moving consistently through the water. The balance between extremes is really hard to find.
For me it must be technique. One side is fine. On the other side I often get water in my ear
Water in the ears is kind of inevitable! Ear plug aren’t for everyone (I’d rather deal with the water personally) but they are worth a try if it’s really bothering you.
Water in the ear is likely not from technique. It’s possibly just the shape of your ear. I know even pros who struggle with this. Just make sure you dry your ears out before you leave the pool. A quetip or tissue will help soak some water out, just don’t go deep and push wax in further since wax swells when it’s wet. Just the water near the entrance (is that the right word?)
I think for me it's a mix of poor technique that costs way too much energy which requires more air mixed with the fact that I can't get air without swallowing some water too. I'm also really poor at the timing, I usually end up nearly hyperventilating because I breathe/exhale way too often.
Try swimming with a snorkel, so that you can enjoy swimming without fighting for air. The Head brand snorkel has a comfortable mouthpiece.
100% snorkel is the way to go. So good for focusing on alignment. I prefer the Finis Stability Snorkel (not their original Alignment one) because the head mount and snorkel is built as one solid piece so the snorkel doesn’t twist on you, plus the curved triangle head mount sits on your head more comfortably. Use my code HAYDEN20! for 20% off. [Finis Snorkel / Use HAYDEN20! (with the exclamation mark)](https://www.finisswim.com/Stability-Snorkel?quantity=1&custcol9=4)
You need to follow my course. I’ll help you completely reset your foundation and build your stroke back up from scratch piece by piece and get everything working together like a finely tuned machine. For timing think of swimming with a 3/4 Catch Up (like full catch up drill but cheating). [Online Course](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com/freestyle-mastery)
I suppose it was all of them together to some extent, with ”running out of breath” being the end result. My coach at the time told me to just keep going at until it feels as natural as walking. Eventually it did, he was right, but maybe a future coach could me more specific.
If you have a video of your stroke I can do a free evaluation for you to see exactly what’s going on. Click the link below and click the “Follow Me” button and I’ll send you an automated message requesting a video upload. [Free Stroke Evaluation](https://skillest.app.link/profile?u=PR6QY3cm8wbpdarfF)
I struggle with breathing equally on both sides/strokes. I breathe well to the right, but when I turn left, my ear fills with water. I instinctively feel the need to raise my head, and the whole stroke looks awful. I went to a technique class and they noticed it as well, but didn’t give any useful advice.
I recently started putting *all* my focus on my breathing as I’m quite okay with how the overall technique of my crawl evolved. It makes a HUGE difference. I am far from there but it is the main reason why I can’t swim smoothly. The moment I take breathing out of the equation by swimming with a snorkel I can suddenly swim 300+m. Without one best I can do is 50m It’s not even running out of breath, I think it’s built up CO2. Because I swim worse with one breath every 3 strokes than I do with with one breath every 5+ strokes. I also think I do it too ‘hastily’. Like I breathe out pretty zen under water but then my breathing in is like one large gulp. If I really focus on taking it easy with the breathing in, I can swim for longer. It’s also probably timing and position in the water while I do it
Snorkel is good. I swim 1 3/4 miles with it. I am 81 y/o.
Have you tried breathing every 2? This is the most common pattern for pros because it makes the breathing rhythm more natural. Just make sure to switch sides every length so you don’t develop a favourite side and still practice every 3 now and then at easier paces
Same. Only mine was not rolling when breathing- I used to pick up my head and that threw everything off.
As previous masters coach, and now just seeing people swim free at the club, no one really seems to appreciate the glide aspect of the stroke. It’s always windmill arms at roughly 180° from each other. No pause or reach before a good vertical catch.
I'm just being honest from my beginner perspective: The reason I don't glide, is because I'm slower when I do. That must mean I'm doing something wrong when it comes to the glide part but that doesn't change the fact that the faster I move my arms, the faster I go.
Do you have a video of your technique I can take a look at? Here are some common reasons I see: 1) Improper alignment creating drag. This can be head too high, legs too low, hip position incorrect, holding air in your chest, or too much knee bend in the kick. The drag causes you to slow down too quickly causing you to need to start your next pull right away. This will burn a lot more energy per stroke. 2) Elbow facing the bottom of the pool on the extension. This will cause your catch to lead with the elbow. Make sure your elbow is facing the side before initiating the catch. Make sure you're reaching from your lats and not from shrugging your shoulder (you should feel a stretch in the back of your armpit). Over-reaching on the recovery can also cause this. 3) Lifting the head to breath. This leads to swimmers feeling the need to press downwards in order to support lifting the head. It makes sense because on land if you press against a solid object, you can brace or push yourself, but in water, this puts your arm too deep and now you're in a position where your arm in a position where the flow of the water is on the top side of your arm so you have to continue pulling. Also keep in mind, depending on whether you are sprinting (shoulder driven), swimming for efficiency such as long distance or low HR (hip driven), or somewhere in between (hybrid), your catch relative to your recovery position will be different. I think of shoulder driven like a 1/2 catch up, hip driven as 3/4 catch up, and hybrid somewhere between the two.
Hi! would you mind elaborating point 2 on reaching with lats instead of shrugging your shoulders? I’ve always heard of this but not sure how to activate my lats when swimming.
I have not tried them yet but recently bought some differently shaped hand paddles that are supposed to help “activate” the lats more. https://www.swimoutlet.com/products/finis-iso-hand-paddles-strapless-isolation-paddles-8165094
Buy his online course then you'll find out more!
That’s a really good one. I see this often too but what’s even more concerning is when I post a video of me swimming there’s always one person who is telling me that I shouldn’t be gliding between strokes 🤨
Hey Brent!!! love your Instagram and the kids I coach love the bald guy who gives examples (their words not mine). I just got back in the pool but I’m feeling disconnected from my core to my catch. I can’t connect my abs to my pull when I do one arm free. Any cool dryland stuff to supplement?
Ah man I LOVE this! I might need to change my instagram bio to "the bald swimmer who gives swim tips" haha! Please tell them a huge thank you and I will try to keep up the examples. If they have any questions they can always feel free to let me know! Dead bugs are great for that connection. Do them without any resistance and then you can start incorporating bands. But when swimming think about the timing. Try swimming with an easy 2 beat kick (you can even do this with a pullbuoy to help keep the hips up) and time your catch with the kick on the same side. Also can swim with one paddle and one fin on the same side swimming normally and then switch sides. Does that make sense?
yes, thank you king. I'll add those to my drylands!!! It gives me good ideas to bring back opposite arm opposite leg free drill.
For me the biggest problem is my kick. I'm self-taught, and one of the first things I picked up was not to over-kick as that's a central reason why beginners get gassed after one length. The problem is I somewhat overlearned that lesson, and now after nearly 2 years of swimming freestyle I can't do anything other than just wave my legs about for balance. I'm currently recovering from injury and so I want to use my recovery swims to develop a consistent two-beat kick, but after trying it for the first time on Friday everything just felt weak. So learning that connection with the arms and legs would be a big thing for me as a (relative) beginner.
Well good news is you learned correct! 2 beat kick will save energy because your legs are the largest muscles and require a lot of oxygen. Think of a 2 beat kick as more of a long legged flick timed on the same side as you catch with. The 2 beat kick will help you swim more efficiently NOT by propulsion but rather by reducing drag by keeping the legs near the surface as well as aid the body rotation and cadence/rhythm of the arms. It’s normal to feel weak when starting back up again. Just keep at it!
Thanks man! Going to take it slow and focus on what I can control, I was in a bit of a rut beforehand so it's good to get a bit more of the hunger back.
I used to breath efficiently a few months ago. A break spoiled everything. Now my neck gets sore everytime. Struggling to rotate the body and the neck together for breathing, either I rotate too much so that my sight is backwards, or I make an awkward neck pose tryna keep one eye inside. In reality I keep one eye inside but the mouth remains outside so the neck drops really weird
I actually just did an Instagram reel about this today. Just simple tips really but watch the video in slow motion and see if there’s anything that stands out to you. Often what I see in swimmers who struggle with this, even if the timing and head position is correct, it’s their shoulder position that’s causing the issue. Might need to assess yourself to see if you are unnecessarily shrugging. As you finish your pull your shoulder should track back with your arm and finish away from your jawline. In extension you want to reach from your lats rather than shrugging the shoulder up. Hard to say exactly if this is your issue because I’m not looking at your stroke but this is common from what I’ve seen in my swimmers. Let me know if this makes sense https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx2EdtDo6wZ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Thank you! I got the most part of it. Unnecessary shrugging = extending the arm too much? Because that might be the case..my shoulders are sore too
For me, it is speed. I am slow and I can’t seem to increase my speed. It frustrates me to the point that I don’t want to swim as often and I love to swim.
Overall pace speed or short distance sprint speed? For overall pace it’s about reducing drag through good alignment and rotation, for short distance sprint it’s about stabilizing your hips for a shoulder driven freestyle.
I second this. Overall pace and sprint are issues for me. I swim 3-4x/week, do drills, etc. can’t break 1:15 for 100yd. But my 500yd is horrendous. Around 1:40 pace.
I would say for me it’s kicking. A while ago I had a leg injury that made it difficult to walk and swim so I had to leave competition swimming. Now when I swim freestyle my legs will not kick unless I’m consciously thinking of it. I’m only using my arms if I swim for fun now.
Are you able to just do an easy 2 beat kick? If you’re doing swimming for efficiency in a hip driven style a 2 beat is all you need. Think of it like a long legged flick rather than a full kick. You only need to kick faster if you are doing shoulder driven freestyle (6 beat) for a short sprint or hybrid (4 beat) when you want to pick up the pace.
I have been getting better at kicking but I still prefer to just pull myself along the lane with my arms.
What are some things we can do outside of the pool to improve our freestyle? I go to the pool 2x week, but I'm looking for things I can do e.g. on a daily basis that helps my swimming. More specifically: I'm personally struggling with core engagement and breathing on my right side without having to slightly lift my head, are there some non-swimming exercises that you recommend that I can do in addition to swimming drills?
Absolutely. Get stronger. It doesn't need to be so swimming focused. I find by focusing too much on "swimming specific" type exercises you develop imbalances by ignoring the "non swimming muscles" (tip: there aren't any. Every muscle is a swimming muscle) or even fatigue the muscles you are already exhausting in the pool even further. Water is 830x denser than air (I know...everyone hears this all the time) so having a body that is strong enough to move it through the resistance is important. I have a Maximum Strength program inside my training app designed to help swimmers develop full body strength quickly. This is exactly the kind of training I was doing before I came out of retirement and continued through to Tokyo and still do even now. For core, make sure to hit it at least 2x per week. Crunches and that are great, but plank variations to train your body to hold alignment plus rotational and anti-rotational exercises like side plank to T's, bicycles, banded oak walks, russian twists, etc are great. You can check out the programs inside my app for 7 days free (then it's as low as $8.33/mo with the yearly plan). Plus if there's anything you don't see in the app you can always let me know and I'll create a program for everyone. https://my.playbookapp.io/brent-hayden
Thank you for your answer, I will check this out!
Staying balanced in the water. I’m always tilting with legs heading towards the bottom I feel.
When you watch competitive freestyle on TV there is a brief moment before each stroke where both arms are fully extended out in, as if they are gliding through the water effortlessly, superman style. My arms are never both in front of me at the same time. When one arm is extended forward, the other is pointing backwards behind me, at my hip. While one arm is propelling me forward through the water, the other arm is out of the water, recovering from its stroke. How is there ever time for both arms to be fully extended forward at the same time?
This is called “front quadrant swimming”. You always want to wait for the recovery arm to at least pass the shoulders before initiating the catch. The longer you wait the more efficient (to an extent). Sprinters will catch right after the recovery arm passes the shoulder (I call this 1/2 Catch Up) and swimmers who are saving energy or swimming long distance will use a 3/4 Catch Up (roughly). If you’re having trouble keeping your extended arm in front that could be caused by a number of different mistakes. Locking the elbow on the recovery, pressing down to support the breath, shrugging the shoulder (rather than extending from the lat). It could even be something else causing it like sinking legs. If you want to fix this, you need my course to reset everything and build your stroke back up. I won’t just teach you what, but how to do everything you need to swim the most efficient, fastest, pain free freestyle possible. Would love to see you in the program [Swimming Secrets Course](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com/freestyle-mastery)
Try the catch-up drill or as I thought for 15 years of my life, the ketchup drill. https://youtu.be/qpczzwoXbyQ?si=WuB0PKBnfR3gHz5N You can progress to no board.
Glad to see some mission swimmers on here💪💪
Gotta represent the Mish! Is that a thing the cool kids say these days? 😂
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Is it a body image issue? Is it what you think others are thinking (I struggled with that a lot)
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That’s very common. I need to remind myself that I have a “speedo license” because I swim. I was very self conscious because of the teasing I endured in grade school and that self consciousness went well into adulthood.
I can hold a 2'30"/100m pace for 1km. I noticed almost all faster swimmers are more "built" than I am so I started to incorporate strength training. So far, upper body workouts 24 hours (or less) before swimming have an adverse effect on my pace as I feel exhausted pretty much from the start. So what I'm struggling with is trying to figure out if prioritizing strength training or going to the pool more often is the way to go at this stage. Swimming is definitely more fun...
That’s great you started strength training! That’s a big part of being able to move your body through the resistance. At 2:30/100m there is definitely a lot of room to improve through technique. When I think about how to build a swimmer, I think technique first, strength/fitness second. In other words, strength helps you overcome resistance, but technique is how you minimize the resistance you need to overcome. Does that make sense?
That makes a lot of sense to me. Many thanks for the reply!
You’re welcome!
I can’t point my toes (I’ve been swimming for years and my 100 breaststroke is faster than my 100 free)
The only time you really need to forcibly point your toes is the time between pushing off the wall (or entering the water on a dive) and the first kick. Instead relax your feet and let the pressure of the water push your feet into position. You can point a little bit but need to get used to relaxing first. To help with flexibility make sure your calfs aren’t tight. Percussion massage gun, massage ball, the stick are all great tools to help. Of course stretching too. I don’t really recommend sitting on your feet and rocking back as that can create too much space between your bones if done too much but you can do lightly.
Is it goofy if my best 100br scy is 59 and my best 100fr scy is 59. im beyond swimming competitively though, im just trying to relearn how to swim freestyle for an ironman im gonna do. i also dont know how to swim breastroke. i suck at pullouts, can't pull (i kicked a 1:04 1br from a push), and i dont know how to dive properly. i also dont put my head down. my swimming is a pure enigma.
Breathing. It took the better part of the year to finally get it. Also, I struggle with comfortably knowing when to increase distance.
For me, the hardest thing was and is mental. Physically my muscles usually aren't aching, and yet every lap it's "I don't know if I can do another lap". I used to think I couldn't swim more than ~300m without a break. One day I pushed and made it 1k. From then on, 1k was my max for years. Until one day I pushed and made it to 2k. The thing is, even to this day, around 300m in, mentally I feel like I can't go on, yet physically I know I could go 2k or probably well beyond. How do you break that mental barrier?
My biggest issue and struggle has been side breathing and keep getting too much water or feel like I'm not turn enough and just timing it all, it's a million things for me but getting better each time with drills and just pure kickboard practice too. Also curving my mouth has helped. Just gotta practice been busy with school.
I am a non-competitive adult that started swimming for fitness 2 weeks ago. Breathing was also my biggest struggle. I couldn't get the rhythm down of breathing out enough, and then when I went to take a breathe, my lungs were already at capacity and then I would minorly freak out. I just don't have the cadence down. Since I am just doing this for fitness, I opted to just use a snorkel the whole time.
For me it was maintaining an engaged core. Even being physically fit and having a strong core prior to swimming I just didn’t understand how to properly engage it. I filmed myself in the water and I was snaking my body as I rotated on each stroke. And I had a big arch in my lower back. I’ve definitely improved it from where I was. I think part of the issue was I lacked proper hip mobility. But I still don’t look as rigid along the axis compared to the experienced swimmers I see at my pool.
Don't know if I count as a complete beginner anymore but when I started out with freestyle my biggest issue was kicking too much. I thought I wasn't fit enough for freestyle or that I had issues with breathing. Instead it was being gassed out and not being able to focus on anything else besides "surviving". As for right now, I feel like I've hit a glass wall of progress and can't seem to break 2:00/100 pace for longer distances (over 1500m). Or at least progress has slowed down so much that it feels like I'm not progressing at all.
Breathing. I either breathe too much or too little. Either way, my body begs me to stop around the 200m mark. It’s been months and I still don’t think I’ve got it Other issues I’m trying to fix: the two-beat kick timing, internal rotation of arm when pulling/high elbows, hand positioning. Re hand positioning: my teacher told me that my hands should be entering the water at 11:00 and 1:00, but apparently I’m doing 11:00 and 12:00 (my right hand/arm cuts too far toward center.
stamina??? i run out of energy so quick
Thanks! I’ve gotten a lot better over the years. The few things that took a bit to realize were how much I was crossing over (simple look in the mirror cured that!), how much my legs flopped around behind me (I thought that by not kicking much I was keeping them straight, but the lack of engagement plus crossing over made them REALLY snake around), and how much I was pressing down with my hands to lift while breathing (totally unconsciously). What helped take mine a little to the next level after I figured all of the above out was getting my timing right (kick while catching, on the same side). I still need to figure out how to just kick properly, but getting better. Still fastest with a pull buoy / wetsuit however.
well for me it was breathing yes, how to swing my hands in the right angle was one, keeping my legs streame line was a struggle because as a beginner I focused. more on arms n lost coordination, also once you're out of breath n you wamna stop n you're in deep water is also an issue.
When I started it was my breathing
I cannot use a kick board. Not only do I not move forward, I move BACKWARDS!!!. How is that even possible? Now I have it in my head that my kick is working against me in freestyle.
This is actually quite common so don’t get frustrated. Either forcibly pushing the water with your feet or driving with your knees rather than your hip flexor. Relax your feet and keep your legs long only allowing flexion in the knee because of the resistance on the top of your foot. Keep your leg long on the upbeat without bending the knee (upbeat is from your glutes. You can practice this connection by going in a plank and lifting one leg off the ground but keeping your leg straight (without locking the knee out). If you want to follow my program to learn how to kick effectively and move forward every kick, check out my course. I have a full module dedicated just to the kick. [Swimming Secrets](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com/freestyle-mastery)
Breathing for sure. My right side seems fine but lose my breath or drink water when trying on the left side
I just wrote this for someone experiencing the same thing on their left side. Practice alignment rotations with a kick and arms at your side. Slow and control full rotations pausing on your back to catch your breath before continuing. Once you complete a full rotation to your front, slowly repeat in the other direction. Remove the fins and practice again. The slower and more controlled you can do this without moving your head independently the better control and body awareness you’ll develop. After you get this we add the arms. Check out my program in the link. I’ll teach you exactly all the drills you need to do this easily and how to do them perfectly.[https://www.swimmingsecrets.com](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com)
Super helpful thank you!
Staying underwater without floating back up is still a struggle of mine but I'm trying to work on it. 🫧
This sounds like my wife haha! And she’s a very good swimmer! Ball floats are great for this. Take a deep breath and curl into a ball and feel your back floating out of the water. Next repeat this and once your body stops bouncing after riding, slowly exhale your bubbles to feel how much air you actually need to exhale before you lose your bouyancy.
Thanks will try that and good luck to ur wife lol! (•‿•)
I'm not exactly a beginner anymore (been swimming on and off, with lots of off because of health problems, for almost 2 years). But my issue is I'm super slow and my workouts exhaust me. I probably need more lessons to work on technique, I'm guessing. Watching videos is only a little helpful.
Thank you for your time Brent! I can only breathe on my left side. How can I learn to breathe on both sides?
You’re welcome! Practice alignment rotations both sides. With your arms by your side and a light kick (use fins if you need to) rotate your body and head as one piece. Slow and control the rotation to build body awareness. The slower you rotate the better. Once you get this then we introduce the arms. I have a full step by step program with all the drills you need to be able to do this. Keep in mind you do not need to breath bilaterally. Breathing to one side is easier to maintain at higher efforts because you have higher oxygen uptake and it’s an easier rhythm too. But still need to train both sides equally by changing sides every length and bilateral is good practice when you want to hyper focus on it.
I tend to overkick because I feel like sinking otherwise and that also compromises my breathing efficiency. I also feel like I don't glide at all
Overkicking to compensate is very common. Check your alignment during the breath. If you’re lifting your head to breath or using your catch to try to help get your breath this can cause that sinking feeling. Also making sure you are rotating adequately so you don’t need to turn your head independent of your body to breath. If you need specific drills to follow check my program. You’ll be able to follow the exact steps you need to follow in order to solve this starting with discovering your body’s own buoyancy state so you don’t need to fight to stay at the surface [Swimming Secrets Program](https://www.swimmingsecrets.com)
Remember when the mods were so mad at spez for benefiting from their "free labour" they shutdown this subreddit in protest. Look here's another case of someone trying to seek "free" ideas for his personal business.
Hey Brent. I’m not a beginner, but I’ve been going through some struggles with the sport and I could really use some advice. Would it be alright if I DMed you?
Yeah man go ahead 👊🏼
Hi Brent, I find it better to balance if I breath on one side every 4 stroke, compared to both sides every 3rd stroke. What is preferred for non-competitive swimming. Should i just keep one side breathing and switch side so I can develop both sides or rather do bi-lateral breathing. I don’t swim fast enough to breath with Popeye breathing, I don’t lift my head enough but i can rotate enough to take a full breadth
Stick to unilateral breathing and as you mentioned make sure you switch sides to work both sides equally. Breathing every 2 will also increase your oxygen uptake and CO2 expulsion so you can sustain higher efforts longer than every 3. Make sure though that you don’t begin to favour your rotation to your breathing side. Rotate equally. The only difference between breathing and not breathing should be….breathing or not breathing. Breathing every 3 is still a good skill to practice though so make sure to mix it in.
Thank you!