Lesser-known facts about the father of modern science
Your legs consume a lot of oxygen and energy while swimming, so they need to be in shape. Try adding a few kickboard drills while warming up to strengthen your kick power.
This one goes out more for those who compete, but everyone can try it too. Practice your last push without breathing.
“When you don’t point, your feet and lower body work against the water, slowing you down,” explains swim coach Maria Compos.
“Your hands should not cross over the center line of your body at any point during the stroke,” says swim coach Amedeo Pablo Olivares.
This is how you should think of your legs while swimming: as if you were flicking something off your toe.
If you want to swim faster, incorporate some sprints into your sessions. Experiment with 10-12 seconds at full speed and take it from there.
Swim coach Gregory Kincheloe explains how to perfect your turns: “When approaching the wall and beginning the flip turn, attack the turn by extending your legs toward the wall. Don’t wait for them to reach the wall from the flip alone.”
Focus on maximizing your stroke length. The longer the stroke, the faster you'll swim and the less energy you'll consume.
"Long arms, long strokes, and long axis rotation should be the focus," says Equinox swim coach Ellis Peters.
You don't need much to swim, but good goggles, for instance, can make all the difference. Try a few out to find the right fit.
You should make sure that the first thing that enters the water with each stroke while swimming crawl, are your fingertips. This will help protect your shoulders from injury.
To allow yourself to breathe better and swim faster, your hips should be high in the water. You achieve this by keeping a straight head, looking down, and leaning "slightly forward into the water by pressing down toward the bottom of the pool with your sternum," advises Olympic gold medalist and swim coach Misty Hyman.
Becoming ambidextrous in swimming is key to improving your performance. To achieve balance, you should learn how to breathe from both sides, and develop the same level of skill with both arms and legs. You can try single-arm swim drills as an exercise.
Your head has one job while swimming, and that is to allow you to breathe. Other than that, keep it straight.
When you're swimming, you can't hear, talk, or look around. So you should be focused on what's important: your breathing and your form.
This is an important part of breathing, and you should actually aim to blow bubbles with your mouth. Do so while your head is submerged in water.
All you need is for your mouth to be out of the water so you can breathe, not your whole face. You should turn your head just enough to do this.
You might not feel like you're sweating because you're in the water, but it's essential that you keep hydrated when you swim.
Another key part of breathing in swimming is to look down. Look at the bottom as you exhale. This will also help you stay in a straight line as you swim.
Avoid using conditioner or any other hair products that might make your hair slippery. You don't want to stop swimming to adjust your swim cap.
“The straighter you are in the water, the less resistance you’ll create, and the easier it will be to pull your weight through the water,” says Amanda Elizabeth Sawyer, swim coach at New York Health and Racquet Club.
Equinox swim coach Ellis Peters gives us a simple cue that we all can use: “Hum underwater as you exhale. The humming is an audio cue—a reminder that you can still exhale more air.”
People have different facial features, and what works for your friend or the swimmer you most admire might not work for you.
While some elements of technique are common to everyone, they will look different on different people. Just like people run differently due to having different bodies, swimming is no different. So, don't worry if you don't swim like the person next to you.
Just make a habit of it. Go to the swimming pool on a regular basis. The more frequently you swim, the more you'll improve. It's better to have three or four shorter sessions a week than one or two very long sessions.
Our bodies tend to follow the direction of our heads, so avoiding excessive movement will help you swim in a straight line.
Flexibility will help you swim better. Make sure you warm up and do some light stretches before you enter the water.
Kicking is not an isolated leg movement: it should come from the hip. Think about kicking from the hip instead of the knees.
Try to hold your breath for the last five yards (4.5 meters), and give it all you've got!
Sources: (Shape)
Swimming is great: it's a full body workout, and it can be done both indoors and outdoors. And whether you swim for fun or want to compete, there is always room for improvement. In this gallery, you'll find some valuable tips from top swim coaches. From how you should position your body, to how you should breathe, we cover all the basics of performance and then some, so you can become a better swimmer.
Ready? Put on your goggles and dive into this gallery.
Top tips to become a better swimmer
Advice from professional swim coaches
LIFESTYLE Sports
Swimming is great: it's a full body workout, and it can be done both indoors and outdoors. And whether you swim for fun or want to compete, there is always room for improvement. In this gallery, you'll find some valuable tips from top swim coaches. From how you should position your body, to how you should breathe, we cover all the basics of performance and then some, so you can become a better swimmer.
Ready? Put on your goggles and dive into this gallery.