Whether you’re just beginning to explore the world of swimming or a seasoned athlete aiming to enhance your competitive swimming edge, understanding the fundamentals is the first step to becoming a good swimmer.
Swimming is not just about moving through the water; it’s about mastering the techniques that allow you to swim efficiently and confidently.
This guide will explore 15 essential swimming tips and tricks for beginners and competitive swimmers. From improving your breathing to refining your strokes, these tips will help you make the most of your time in the pool.
1. Start With Proper Breathing Techniques
One of the most fundamental tips for swimming is mastering your breathing technique. Proper breathing is crucial because it directly affects your endurance and overall performance in the water.
Beginners often struggle with breath control, leading to panic or fatigue. To avoid this, practise a consistent breathing rhythm, inhaling through your mouth when your head is out of the water and exhaling through your nose or mouth when submerged.
Breathing Tip for Beginners:
Start by practising breathing in a shallow pool where you can stand comfortably. Submerge your face in the water, exhale slowly through your nose, and then lift your head to inhale through your mouth. Repeat this exercise until it becomes second nature.
Breathing Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Focus on bilateral breathing, especially in freestyle, to maintain symmetry in your strokes. Breathing every three strokes can help you avoid over-reliance on one side, leading to better balance and minimising pressure on your neck and shoulders.
2. Get Comfortable With Floating
Before you can excel at swimming, you must be comfortable in the water, and floating is a critical skill to master. Floating allows you to relax and find balance in the water, which is essential for swimming efficiently. Many beginners tense up in the water, which makes floating difficult.
To float correctly, lie on your back and stretch your arms to your sides while keeping your legs straight. Relax your muscles and let the water support you.
Floating Tip for Beginners:
Start in shallow water where you feel safe. Spread your arms and legs across the water’s surface to distribute your weight evenly. If you feel yourself sinking, take deep breaths to help you stay afloat.
Floating Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Practice floating in different positions on your back and stomach to improve your balance and body awareness in the water. This will help you transition smoothly between strokes and improve your swimming technique.
3. Perfect Your Streamline Position
For competitive swimmers, reducing drag is crucial. A properly streamlined position minimises resistance and allows you to glide through the water more efficiently. Streamlining is especially important when pushing off the wall or diving into the pool.
To achieve a good streamline, extend your arms above your head, press your biceps against your ears, and keep your body straight.
Streamline Tip for Beginners:
Practice streamlining after every push-off from the wall, even during warm-ups. Keep your body tight and straight while your toes point. This will help you move smoothly and quickly through the water.
Streamline Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Incorporate streamlined drills into your practice sessions. Start with a push-off and hold the streamlined position for as long as possible before beginning your stroke to build muscle memory and improve your underwater speed.
4. Kick From The Hips, Not The Knees
A common mistake is kicking from the knees rather than the hips, which leads to inefficient propulsion and quick fatigue. The power in your kick should come from your hips, with your legs remaining relatively straight. This technique not only improves your speed but also conserves energy.
Kicking Tip for Beginners:
Practise your kicks with a kickboard to isolate the movement. Focus on generating power from your hips and keeping your legs straight with a slight knee bend. Start with slow, controlled kicks and gradually increase your speed.
Kicking Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Incorporate vertical kicking drills into your routine. Tread water in a vertical position while focusing on powerful hip kicks. This exercise builds leg strength and enhances your overall kick technique, crucial for sprinting and long-distance swimming.
5. Practise Bilateral Breathing
Bilateral breathing, or breathing on both sides, is a valuable technique for freestyle swimmers. It helps balance your stroke and improves your overall efficiency. Bilateral breathing allows you to maintain a more even stroke rhythm and reduces the risk of overuse injuries on one side of your body.
Bilateral Breathing Tip for Beginners:
Start by breathing every three strokes during your freestyle practice. This might initially feel awkward, but it will become more natural with time. Focus on keeping your strokes smooth and even, regardless of which side you’re breathing on.
Bilateral Breathing Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
If you’re already comfortable with bilateral breathing, try increasing the distance between breaths to every five strokes. This will challenge your lung capacity and improve your overall endurance during races.
6. Use Drills To Improve Technique
Drills are an excellent way to target specific aspects of your swimming technique. For instance, the catch-up drill helps you focus on your arm strokes by ensuring one arm remains extended while the other completes the pull. This drill, among others, can help you fine-tune your movements and improve efficiency.
Drill Tip for Beginners:
Incorporate simple drills into your routine, such as the catch-up or single-arm freestyle. These drills break down the stroke into manageable parts, allowing you to focus on improving specific elements of your technique.
Drill Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Add more advanced drills to your training, such as sculling, which helps you develop a better feel for the water, or the finger drag drill, which promotes high elbows and proper hand entry. These drills can help refine your technique and increase your speed.
7. Focus On A Strong Core
A strong core is essential for stability and power in swimming. Your core muscles help maintain proper body alignment and reduce drag, allowing you to swim more efficiently. Engaging your core also helps prevent lower back injuries, which are common among swimmers.
Core Strength Tip for Beginners:
Incorporate core exercises like planks, leg raises, and Russian twists into your dryland training routine. Strengthening your core outside the pool will translate into better body control and stability in the water.
Core Strength Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Focus on exercises that mimic swimming movements, such as medicine ball rotations or stability ball rollouts. These exercises target the muscles you use while swimming and improve your ability to maintain a streamlined position during your stroke.
8. Master The Art Of Flip Turns
Flip turns are essential for competitive swimmers who want to maintain momentum during laps. A well-executed flip turn allows you to change direction quickly and efficiently, minimising the time spent at the wall.
To perform a flip turn, approach the wall moderately, tuck your chin to your chest, and use your core to flip your body.
Flip Turn Tip for Beginners:
Practise your flip turns in slow motion to get comfortable with the movement. Focus on tucking your body tightly and using your legs to push off the wall in a streamlined position. Slowly build up your speed as you become more confident.
Flip Turn Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Work on your flip turns during every practice session. Time yourself to ensure you’re maintaining speed during the transition, and focus on entering and exiting the turn in a streamlined position. Consistent practice will make your turns faster and more efficient.
9. Pay Attention To Your Head Position
The position of your head plays a crucial role in your overall body alignment. Keeping your head in a neutral position, with your eyes looking down at the pool floor, helps maintain a streamlined body position. Lifting your head too high can cause your hips and legs to drop, creating unnecessary drag.
Head Position Tip for Beginners:
Practice swimming while keeping your head still. Imagine a line from the top of your head to your spine, and try to keep this line straight throughout your stroke. This will help you maintain balance and reduce drag.
Head Position Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Incorporate head position drills into your training, such as swimming with a water bottle on your forehead. This drill forces you to keep your head still and aligned, leading to better body position and reduced drag.
10. Don’t Neglect Your Kicks
Your kick plays a significant role in your propulsion through the water. A strong and controlled kick can significantly improve your speed and endurance. Kicks should be consistent and powerful but consume only a little energy.
Kicking Tip for Beginners:
Practise your kicks with a kickboard, focusing on small, fast movements. Start with short sets and gradually increase the distance as your strength and endurance improve. Ensure your toes are pointed and your legs are straight, with a slight bend at the knees.
Kicking Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Incorporate different types of kicks into your training, such as flutter, dolphin, and breaststroke kicks. Each kick targets various muscle groups and contributes to overall leg strength and endurance.
11. Improve Your Starts And Dives
For competitive swimmers, a strong start can make all the difference. A powerful and well-executed dive can give you an edge over your competitors by maximising your momentum from the beginning of the race. Focus on entering the water in a streamlined position and maintaining that speed as you begin your stroke.
Start and Dive Tip for Beginners:
Start by practising your dives from the side of the pool before moving to the starting blocks. Focus on entering the water with your hands in a streamlined position and your body following in a straight line. This will help you get comfortable with the mechanics of a dive.
Start and Dive Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Work on explosives starts by incorporating plyometric exercises, such as box jumps, into your dryland training. Practise your dives regularly, focusing on a clean entry and quick transition into your stroke. Consistent practice will help you develop a powerful start that can shave precious seconds off your time.
12. Use Swim Gear To Enhance Your Training
Using swim gear like fins, paddles, and snorkels can enhance your training by adding resistance and helping you focus on specific aspects of your stroke. Fins, for example, can help you improve your kick strength and ankle flexibility, while paddles can increase the power of your pull.
Swim Gear Tip for Beginners:
Start with basic gear like a kickboard and fins to help you focus on your kick technique and build leg strength. Add paddles and a snorkel to your training routine to work on your pull and breathing technique as you progress.
Swim Gear Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Incorporate advanced gear into your training, such as resistance bands and drag suits. These tools challenge your workouts, helping you build strength and endurance. Use gear in moderation, as overuse can lead to strain or injury.
13. Focus On Recovery And Rest
Swimming is a challenging sport that demands a balance between intense training and proper recovery. Overtraining can lead to fatigue, injury, and burnout, so listening to your body and allowing adequate rest and recovery is essential.
Recovery Tip for Beginners:
Remember to honour your rest days to give your muscles time to recover and rebuild to recover. These days, they are used for light activities, such as stretching or yoga, to maintain flexibility and prevent stiffness.
Recovery Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Prioritise active recovery, such as low-intensity swimming or cross-training activities like cycling or swimming. Use foam rollers to stretch to help your muscles stay flexible and prevent injury. Also, ensure you get enough sleep and stay hydrated to support your body’s recovery process.
14. Stay Hydrated And Fuel Your Body
Proper hydration and nutrition greatly affects your swimming performance. Dehydration can result in reduced energy levels, muscle cramps, and impaired concentration. Consuming ample amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats will provide the energy you need for both training and competition.
Hydration and Nutrition Tips for Beginners:
Drink water regularly, especially before and after your swim sessions. Focus on eating whole foods that provide sustained energy, such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.
Hydration and Nutrition Tips for Competitive Swimmers:
Consider working with a sports nutritionist to develop a tailored plan for your needs.
Focus on nutrient timing, such as consuming carbohydrates before training for energy and protein afterwards for muscle recovery. Also, electrolyte drinks should be considered during long training sessions to maintain proper hydration.
15. Set Goals And Track Your Progress
Setting specific, measurable, and realistic goals is essential for staying motivated and improving your swimming performance. Whether you aim to swim a certain distance without stopping, improve your technique, or compete in a race, having a clear objective will keep you focused and driven.
Goal-Setting Tip for Beginners:
Start with small, achievable goals, such as swimming a certain number of laps without stopping or mastering a particular stroke. Track your progress by keeping a swim journal where you record your workouts, times, and any improvements you notice.
Goal-Setting Tip for Competitive Swimmers:
Set long-term goals, such as qualifying for a competition or achieving a personal best time, and break them into smaller, manageable milestones. Use a training log or app to track your progress, monitor your performance, and adjust your training plan.
Why Swimming Is An Essential Skill
Swimming goes beyond being a mere recreational activity, it’s also an important survival skill. It not only enhances cardiovascular health but also strengthens muscles while being easy on the joints. Engaging in swimming provides a comprehensive full-body workout that can improve overall fitness.
To maximise the benefits of your time in the pool, it’s important to follow effective swimming tips. Consider taking swimming lessons to master essential techniques and elevate your skills, ensuring you make the most of your swimming experience.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
1. Holding Your Breath
Many beginners struggle with the instinct to hold their breath underwater. This practice can quickly lead to a buildup of carbon dioxide in your lungs, creating discomfort and an urgent need to breathe.
Holding your breath disrupts your rhythm, making swimming more challenging and less enjoyable. It’s important to understand that swimming efficiently involves a steady exhalation while your face is submerged, which helps regulate your breathing and keeps your body relaxed.
2. Crossing Your Arms Over The Centre Line
In freestyle swimming, one of the most common mistakes is crossing your arms over the centre line of your body during the stroke. This error can throw off your balance, causing your body to sway side to side, increasing drag and slowing down.
Crossing the centre line also makes your stroke less efficient, as it requires more effort to maintain a straight path in the water. Maintaining proper alignment is crucial to swimming smoothly and minimising resistance.
3. Overkicking
Overkicking is a mistake where swimmers kick too much or forcefully, leading to unnecessary exhaustion and inefficiency. While a strong kick is essential for propulsion, excessive kicking can tire out your legs quickly, leaving you drained before you’ve completed your swim.
Overkicking can also disrupt the harmony of your stroke, making your movements less coordinated and less effective. The key to efficient swimming lies in a controlled, rhythmic kick that works in tandem with your arm movements rather than overpowering them.
Conclusion On Mastering Swimming Tips And Tricks
Swimming is a skill that offers countless benefits, from improving physical fitness to boosting mental well-being. Whether you’re just starting or looking to enhance your technique, following these swimming tips and tricks will help you achieve your goals in the pool.
Remember, the key to becoming a better swimmer is consistency, practice, and a willingness to refine your skills. Dive in, stay committed, and enjoy the journey of becoming a more confident and capable swimmer.
For personalised guidance and expert instruction, consider enrolling in private swimming lessons with Swimwerks.
Our experienced instructors are here to help you master your technique and reach your swimming goals. Get in touch with Swimwerks today to start your journey towards becoming a better swimmer!
Frequently Asked Questions On Mastering Swimming
How Do I Prevent Water From Entering My Nose While Swimming?
To avoid water entering your nose while swimming, it’s essential to master a few fundamental techniques. One effective method is to exhale gently through your nose while submerging your face. This creates a seal that helps keep water out.
Consider using a nose clip for additional protection, especially if you’re prone to nasal issues or are just starting. Additionally, improving your breathing rhythm and timing can make a big difference. Practise exhaling continuously as you swim, only inhaling when your face is above water.
What Is The Proper Way To Execute An Open Turn In Swimming?
Executing an open turn efficiently requires a few precise steps. As you approach the wall, perform a final stroke and kick to set up for the turn. Reach out with one arm to touch the wall; as you do so, rotate your body to face it.
Push off the wall with your feet while completing the rotation, and transition smoothly into the new direction. Focus on maintaining a streamlined position immediately after pushing off to reduce drag and ensure a smooth continuation into your next stroke.
How Can I Improve My Underwater Dolphin Kick?
Improving your underwater dolphin kick involves a focus on body position and strength. Keep your body streamlined with a tight core and generate a gentle undulating motion from the hips.
Strengthening your core muscles is crucial, as it helps control the kick and maintain a straight line. Incorporate specific drills into your training, such as vertical dolphin kicks and exercises with a kickboard, to build the strength and technique needed for an effective kick.
What Should I Focus On During My Swimming Warm-Up?
A proper swimming warm-up is vital for preparing your body and preventing injuries. Begin with light aerobic exercises or gentle swimming to increase your heart rate and get your muscles ready.
Incorporate dynamic stretches to loosen up key areas like your shoulders, hips, and legs. Additionally, include technique-specific drills in your warm-up to activate the muscles you’ll use during your main set. This approach helps ensure your body is fully prepared for the swim ahead.
How Do I Maintain A Consistent Pace During Long-Distance Swims?
Maintaining a consistent pace during long-distance swims is crucial for endurance. Use a pace clock or a watch to monitor your speed and adjust as needed throughout your swim.
Develop a pacing strategy by breaking your swim into segments and aiming to keep a steady pace within each segment. Incorporating long, steady swims into your training regimen will help you build stamina and learn to pace effectively over extended distances.
How Can I Reduce Drag While Swimming?
Reducing drag is key to swimming efficiently. Start by focusing on your body position, ensuring you maintain a straight line with minimal movement. Improving your stroke technique can also help, so concentrate on proper hand entry and keeping elbows high.
Additionally, wearing well-fitted swimwear designed to minimise drag, such as a competition suit, can further enhance your efficiency in the water.