EFFICIENT FREESTYLE SWIMMING

The following nine photographs show the phases of a full freestyle cycle with images and text.
Actually the freestyle cycle shown below is a drill which serves as a basis to learn fluid freestyle swimming in an easy way. This is the technique Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett swim [Analysis of Grant Hackett's and Ian Thorpe's Swimming Technique]. If you want to learn this technique, be patient. If you practise 1-3 times per week you will need a couple of months until you swim it perfectly. Practise swimming on your side very frequently (phases 1-3). Rotate your body slowly from one position to the next (or back again) and try to feel what your body is doing.

The aim is to feel your body gliding and to swim as fast or faster with less strokes per length. Count the number of your strokes.

Perfect Balance in the water: Swim on your left, the trailing right is exposed, only the face looks outside for breathing.the left arm is stretched out in front of you. This is the most slippery body position. Feel weightless.

Next you turn you head sideways. You should see the surface from below. Stay balanced. If you feel uncomfortable turn your face up again. Next step is to look down to the bottom of the pool.

Notice that you look at the bottom without loosing balance. Your body is stretched out horizontally. Your right arm is exposed.
Important: Your head is always hidden in the water

Now you start recovering your right arm. It's the same feeling as if you are taking your hand out of your pocket. Look down to the bottom of the pool, still balancing on your left side.

You are perfectly balanced, long, relaxed, and slippery midway through your recovery.

Think of a log in the water: Use your powerful torso muscles to initiate rolling from your left side to your right side - as soon as you slip your right hand intoo the water. Start pulling with your left arm. Roll your body like a log. At this point you may take interest in the notion front quadrant swimming.
At this stage of the cycle think about the distance chin -left shoulder: The next photo shows how your head starts to rotate along with your body to breathe (if you decide to breathe), and that your chin is locked close to the shoulder.

If you decide not to breathe for one or more arm pulls, the head does not rotate along with the body. Instead you always look straight down until you decide to breathe.
If you decide to breathe, the head does rotate along with the body, as if the chin were fixed to the shoulder with a rubber band.

.... rolling like a log continues - look how your head should rotate with your body.

You finish where you started, but on your right side. Pasue in perfect balance to catch your breath before looking down to the bottom of the poool and restart the cycle going the opposite direction.

If you manage this exercise practise continues. Next try to put together the single phases with smooth transitions without ever loosing your balance and proper body position. And finally: It has to go fast in the end. Go for it!