Swimming Technique For Non-swimmers - The 3 Keys To Getting Great Swimming Technique

Great swimming technique doesn't come naturally to most people. Most people are doing the incorrect thing because they haven't been taught how to achieve great swimming technique. Do you feel like you're trying much harder than you should be? Do you ever find yourself exhausted after only a few laps? Does it feel like you're fighting against the water?

Here are 3 important tips to remember when it comes to achieving excellent swimming technique which will help you break those bad habits once and for all:

1. Keep your body long - Swimming technique must always be kept long, with the swimmer extending their arms, head and shoulders forward while keeping their legs, feet and hips streamlined behind them. The longer your body is kept throughout the stroke, the faster your body will travel through the water. Picture your body as a thin, long yacht gliding through the water and not a big, wide barge which uses enormous amounts of energy to move forward.

2. Treat the water as your friend, don't fight it - Often swimmers will thrash about in the water in an attempt to pull themselves through it at all costs. They will be splashing, kicking and fighting against the water in an effort to go faster. Good swimmers think of the water as their friend by allowing the natural buoyancy of their body to sit them high and streamlined in the water. Power in swimming comes more from smooth, efficient movements than from pulling hard against the water.

3. Relax your muscles, relax your breathing - A tense swimmer is like a broomstick trying to bend. A big part of swimming is being able to relax your muscles and your breathing throughout the stroke. Our body's natural instinct is to tense up our muscles to pull and kick faster, but in reality this slows us down. Unfortunately this is what slows a swimmer down in the water. Relax your muscles and breathing and allow your body to glide through the water. This is the key to efficient and effective swimming. It becomes much easier once you get it right!

Swimming with great technique shouldn't be a struggle. Reduce your frontal resistance by keeping the body long and streamlined like a torpedo throughout the stroke. Work with the water by using it's buoyancy to your advantage and most importantly relax to go faster, don't tense up. By following these simple tips you will be on your way to swimming with excellent swimming technique.