Freestyle Swimming Drills

Last weekend at the Bay State Triathlon Team meeting I had the opportunity to listen to Barrett Roberts of Wheaton College discuss freestyle swimming.  I learned a lot including the differences between traditional and non-traditional freestyle.  Some take home points I picked up though included:

• Head Position - when not sighting, should be looking down with the water line halfway up the head
• Breathing - not really important in open water swimming whether you breath bilaterally or unilaterally
• Rotate - almost corkscrewing through the water, keep torso strong and tight to avoid lateral swaying 
• Kick - keep a steady pattern, don’t hesitate every 3rd or 4th stroke causing a loss of momentum
• Avoid “Crossing Over” - hands should enter the water in front of the shoulder
• Avoid “Crossing Under” - don’t allow the pull to cross midline 

Mr. Roberts also went over some drills to include in training in order to improve mechanics; the Head Lead, Hand Lead, Finger Drag, Fist Swimming and Catch Up. Below are some videos of each drill:

Top Video is of the 2008 Ironman Coeur d’Alene swim start