Level: beginner
When we swim the “freestyle” we simply grasp the water in front of us with our hands and push it behind our body with alternate arm strokes in order to move forward, just as if we were crawling across the water.
Historical Overview
The freestyle is the oldest method of moving forward through the water after styles similar to the breaststroke; Roman warriors used to prepare for battle by performing swimming exercises very similar to the modern-day freestyle stroke: an alternating arm movement accompanied by a constant leg kick.
Body
You must keep your body as straight as possible “with your belly downwards”, so as to create as little drag as possible as you move forward.
Head
The surface of the water should roughly coincide with your hairline, keep your head down looking at the bottom of the pool just a few metres in front of your body. The more often you raise your head to see where you are going, the greater the drag and slower your speed.
Legs
The leg kick helps stabilise your body and ensure good buoyancy rather than forward motion. The legs kick up and down alternately with your knees bent. As you breathe, your legs push sideways to counteract the negative effect on your body alignment of the arm recovery phase….
