Correct Arm Movements for Freestyle Swimming

by Darshana Patil
(Panjim)

Why am I sinking when I start rotating my arms? I think I do not have the correct arm movement for freestyle swimming.

There are a few reasons why you might start to sink as you begin your arm action during freestyle swimming.

The cause could be down to a lack of propulsion, your body position or a combination of both. It could also be that you are not relaxed enough and that your body is too ridged making your swimming stroke tense.

Freestyle swimming technique gets the majority of its propulsion from the arm action. The legs kick mainly to provide balance and support, especially over a long distance. If you fail to pull hard enough to generate enough propulsion then the result will be that sinking feeling.

Body position is crucial to maintaining a streamlined movement through the water. Freestyle body position must be a flat position at the water surface. This flat position is only achieved when the face is submerged – only the face and not the entire head.

The most common mistake is to raise the head to face forwards when breathing or have to face permanently out of the water from the start. Any movement upwards of the head will cause the legs to sink. Breathing technique for freestyle should be a rolling of the head to the side.

Combining correct body position (including the head position when breathing) with enough propulsion from the arm action will result in smooth freestyle swimming technique.

Our eBook 'The Complete Guide to Swimming Front Crawl' contains over 20 separate exercises covering all aspects of the swimming stroke including body position, arm action and breathing. You can download it instantly, print out the exercises you need and take them to your pool to try out. The exercises are very clear and easy to follow and will help your freestyle swimming technique. Click the link below for more information.

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