i recently learned to swim, how can i improve my skills?

Question

i lived in a place with no lakes, ocean, so i've been pretty lazy learning to swim in the past, but i decided to learn it recently. I can do breast stroke and all the beginner stuff, but i would like to learn how to freestyle. are there any tips on how i can improve this, such as drills or such?

Answer 1

I am a swimmer myself, so i hope this helps.

some freestyle drills include :
1) 1 arm, ( swim only with the one arm, then switch)
2)drag (not lifting your arm out of the water,dragging it as you go)
3)just the regular kicking ( veryhelpful if you have strong kick), 4)head up freestyle ( keep your head out of the water and swim) ( can get very tiring if done for a long time, but helpful)
5) 6 kicks 1 pull ( start by kicking on your side, then after 6 kicks do 1 pull and rotate to your other side)

***basically all you have to do is keep practising this lots. you dont always need drills to do good freestyle, i practise sprinting because that is what im good at, so practise freestyle and soon enough your body will become used to swimming and will get good at it too.

also, if you are wanting to get good at the other strokes, one of the main parts is the kicking. practise the kicking as best you can and you will get very good at it, then the arms MAY come naturally to you.

also, here is a site that makes up practises for you, and have some differnent drills as well! www.swimtrim.com...
just fill in the asked infromation correctly and it will come up with a practise at the right level for you.

I really hope this helps.

Answer 2

Like the others said, there's a multitude of good books and websites to improve your technique and speed, but first you have to learn the stroke. To do this, I would recommend a personal coach. You could pay someone, if you really wanted (this would be the most efficient way, because they are generally very good swimmers and/or coaches, but it's expensive), but hopefully you could find someone you know who swims to get you started. There's really no way you can learn it on your own, and the advice of an experienced swimmer for even 30 minutes can do wonders.
A little help to get started: get a pull buoy and a kickboard. These will help you break the stroke down into legs and arms at the beginning. If you try and do it all at once, you will probably get confused, but if you break it down and perfect each part, you should be doing great in no time. Good luck!

Answer 3

My first thought is to take lessons. My adult classes always had a few swimmers in them who were there to learn and improve existing skills. You could also hire a private coach if you want.

Another option is to have a coach or lifeguard or fellow swimmer evaluate your technique. Wihtout seeing you siwm it is hard to make suggestions. However, having someone else watch you and evaluate is never a bad idea, they see things you don't and can make suggestions. Just make sure the person you choose knows what they are talking about.

Also, a small book called "The Fit Swimmer" by Marianne Brems is very helpful. It has over 120 workouts, drills and tips in it. You can get it at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780809254545&itm=1

Good luck!!!

Answer 4

I agree with the YMCA instructor. But, I think you should of learned the freestyle(front crawl), with your beginner stuff. There are drills that you can do online. Go to your local YMCA and ask to speak with their aquatics director. Ask them what drills you can do to improve your technique. Enroll in an adult class. Or you could take private lessons. Just stick with it and practice, practice, practice! Good Luck!

Answer 5

its so easy to find lots of drills for freestyle stroke by search for swimming training sites in the Internet ,its so easy ,good luck

Answer 6

Practice makes perfect.