5 Freestyle Swimming Tips

Whether you're new to water or are just looking to improve your stroke, these five freestyle swimming tips can help. Freestyle is usually the easiest stroke to learn, but it's also the hardest one to master. Use the following tips to make it easier. Keep in mind that your technique is very important because it will make the difference between how fast or slow you can swim.

1. Practice exhaling. This first freestyle swimming tip is an important one to follow because proper breathing is crucial. A lot of people tend to hold their breath when they are in the water. This isn't the correct method, though. The key to breathing while you are swimming freestyle is to exhale in the water, which will allow you to inhale when you turn your head.
2. Roll your hips and upper body. Many people assume that freestyle swimming is done on your stomach. That's not the case because it's actually done on your sides. To get the best strokes, you should roll your hips and upper body from side to side when you're swimming. This should be done each and every time you're stretching your hands out because it helps you knife the water. Follow this freestyle swimming tip and you will see an improvement in your swimming in no time.
3. Keep your chin tucked. This freestyle swimming tip can really help improve your speed. Rather than lifting your head to see where you're going, you should tuck your chin. Lifting your head will cause you to drag because your hips and feet will begin to sink. Therefore, you should work on keeping your head down so you can swim on top of the water.
4. Break movements down into manageable chunks. If you're new freestyle swimming, one of the best freestyle swimming tips is to break the stroke down into different parts. This way, you can learn the movements as if you are performing a drill. Practice your kicks, arm recovery and breathing. It's much more manageable this way then it is to learn it all at once in the water.
5. Point your toes. If you use this freestyle swimming tip, you will have longer kicks. To keep your kicks long, you must point your toes by flexing your foot and ankle. You kick should involve your entire leg. A common mistake that people make is only using the lower half of their legs.