1. Blow through the nose while in water to prevent increasing heart rate 2. Raise head a bit to turn to the side and breathe easily 3. Stop pushing too hard during the catch phase - it wastes energy and drops legs 4. Increase stroke/kick rate to keep the body horizontal 5. Relax forearm when hands first entering the water, and only start to push after the catch 6. Finger pointing down to prevent upper body going from side to side 7. Hands stay closer to the body after forming the diamond shape

Before watching this video the furthest I had swam was 1km in the pool but it was always exhausting to swim that distance. I’ve been swimming for about 6 years fairly regularly and knew that my breathing was letting me down. This video struck a chord with me. I used that breathing technique today and after my 500m warm of breathing drills I swam 1.8Km without stopping, without feeling like I was gasping for air and without feeling tired! Incredible. And even better, I swam at an average pace of 10 seconds faster per 100m than I have done when I swam 1km. I have been bouncing off the walls all day with excitement as I have spent 6 years trying improve my distance and it has finally happened. this is only the beginning. I now need to focus on getting my average pace of 2:39 down to 2:00 🙏🏽Absolutely love this KZfaq channel!!! Thank you Effortless Swimming👌🏽

Albeit a 2yrs old video, it's still all the more relevant. The way you disect & break down the swimming process is insane. Tnx coach!💯

Now THIS is excellent KZfaq content. Hell yea.

Your logical explanations of the many different component parts of the stroke and how it's detrimental or beneficial is a revelation. Many thanks.

Thanks so much for the video. I can't wait to try some of the tips

Learning not to put too much force into the catch step really helped me swim longer distances. Very good analysis!

Best explanation of the catch I've heard yet!

Great video! That's just AWESOME information...thank you for this.

Nice one Brent... I really appreciate you making such clear videos. Thanks

Great video Brent, thank so much!

Simply brilliant advice mate. Thanks

this is an amazing video...so much valuable info with very obvious examples. the high elbow couldn't be explained any better. i finally understand what it "should" look like.

I have most of the form issues that this swimmer has. Also the same body type. We probably have a similar desk job too (judging by the spine shape). Great analysis.

Wow excellent video love how precise it is

Thank you Brenton for your feedback on my video.

This tip on exhaling through the nose has helped me more than anything. I don't run out of breath as quickly, and it makes it easier to push myself harder. You pointed it out in another video recently, but the way you elaborated here helps.

Awesome mate, everyone else beats around the bush, you get right to the point, thanks for the help

I learn a lot from watching your videos. Thank you for sharing.

Such a very good description of techniques

Thanks to your videos (and some others as well), the thing I observe the most when I see others swimming are the lines that they are taking. (Body position, the lines that the limbs take) And I'm learning! I could identify the misalignments when I started watching this video.

You really clarified my problem in the first 15 seconds and at 6:40 Pressing downward and not pulling to go forward. Awesome. Also, super helpful is and 7:40 where you say he's not applying power at catch, but quickly pulls back with high elbows. Lastly (Sorry) I tried some Lava Pants (5MM) for a little buoyancy and I immediately dropped 20 seconds of my 100m which helped me identify exactly what I've done wrong for years. Thanks for these videos.

Great. Getting ready for season of sprints and olympics. Was wandering where to start my swimming training. Back to basic it is, with form and techniques.

I think this is one of your best videos, it really details I think a set of very common issues with the slower stroke rate. What are your recommendations for increasing stroke rate fitness wise. I can swim this stroke rate all day long, but when I increase it I get fatigued really fast. I am in very good shape, just not swim shape. I do full Ironmans but because of a shoulder injury my swimming is limited to 2 months out from a race.

Great vid - one of your best for giving insights on how to transform my freestyle - thanks

Great comments when struggling to keep/surpass the 2:00 pace !

Hiya, just getting back to swimming after a long break. I will definitely be back to your channel for further tips. Thanks a lot for the video. Will be trying your tips out tomorrow. Best wishes :)

Cool. Good analysis of the swimmers' technique and how to improve it.

Thank you so much for teaching me

Fantastic explanation!

This is an excellent breakdown.

These videos are fantastic. I feel like more swim coaches should be watching and taking notes on your videos. Keep up the good work!

OMG THANK U! I LEARN SO MUCH

Good vid. Learnt a lot from this one.

What a fantastic vid ty

I just started front stroke and this is really helping

See the thing is my swim team has levels, and I guess the level I’m in is too low for me because I’m the fastest one there. Since I’m the fastest, I guess my coach doesn’t care to improve my technique. When I went to swim tryouts for the school team, I couldn’t keep up with the test set, which is 10x100s at the 1:50 interval, and since my coach won’t help me, I’ve taken it upon myself to learn the basics of technique. Wish me luck.

Thank U for the tips

This video is excellent!

i still choke after 50 m but exhaling through the nose is improving my choking endurance, very liberating!

thx bro very helpful

Great video mate, like always! Is there some sort of viral misinformation coaching of the downward wrist/hand position on entry? I see so many novice swimmers doing this...usually as I cruise by them

Its amazing how you learn to swim when you are a kid, but you keep improving your whole life. Thanks a lot!

Awesome. Good video.

Excellent video. Sound background visuals foreground.

Now i understand why my head keeps bobbing when i swim. I might have put too much force early on my catch pushing my body upward. Watta waste of energy for nothing. Thank u so much for the breakdown of every steps. This helps alot for swimmers who cant afford to pay for training like me.

Amazing video would recommend to anyone serious about learning form for the crawl freestyle. The hips are sooo important! It’s been so long...

Hi, amazing video. Can you please also make a video with drills for high elbow catch position? Thanks.

Great tips and this explains why my heart ❤️ was beating so fast

i used to be so good at free style and then one day we went to california for a week and after i got back from practice i couldn’t find the strength do go so fast anymore. now i’m like the slowest at free style but when it’s any other stroke i’m better

Hi- great videos! What program do you use to make these, I would love to try this for the riders I coach?

Perfect!!!

Amazing. I'm guessing there has been a video for each part of a stroke - Effortless Swimming Handbook is waiting to be published :)

This is a good video.

I love these vids, which I always look at. Can I ask - would you consider compiling a vid that examines the optimal timing of the leg kick cycle vs the arm stroke cycle? IMO getting the timing right is really important from an efficiency standpoint. Yet the subject is neglected in freestyle instruction vids (and indeed, in much pool training). Thanks

I would love to swim 2:00/100m! Imagine this guy with crossover catch, and his legs 12" underwater..

Only in one arm drill I don't really feel tired or out of breath. I use the drill to practice kicking time too. But when practice normal swimming, I encounter problems in breathing and kicking. That's why I cannot swim longer than 75m. Feeling bored with my progress in freestyle, I usually turn to swim butterfly which I enjoy, although it consumes much energy.

Where do we put our email for the membership waiting list?

i have a weird issue with my breathing. i feel like once i get to the opposite end, im able to keep going, my breathing is fine and it seems rhythmic. but because i literally need to stop to turn around and start another lap i find myself waiting to catch my breath. its really weird and i dont know why this happens

PLS a question: I inhale to the right side and put my head in the water before the right arm goes forward (some say if I see the right arm -then I turn the head into the water too late). The question is: in which phase is my LEFT arm in this moment, that is when I put my head into the water after inhaling and before the right arm goes forward for the catch.

This is my problem I get tired easily I just started swimming Thanks to my splash couches But i can't get the right technique I can only do 25mt and thats it im super tired and out of breath. Thanks for this video i will try on my nxt practice

(Looking at the pro tri athlete), how do you get your body to float near the surface of the water?

6:55 so important point.

MY LEGS GET TIRED AS SOON AS I PUT EFFORT TO IT!

thanks (again) for the video. you mentioned about improving his stroke rate. I'm trying to do the same moving from 50-55 to 60-65. but even if I do it with fins (to focus more on the holding the tempo and fatigue less) I can't hold 65 for more than 100m, the effort is really hard. I feel like i'm going all-out even if I try to not push hard, just to keep the correct stroke rate. do you have any advice for me?

I swim 100 m freestyle in 1:30. I think I make a lot of mistakes as well. I wonder if I could go under 1:10 without better stamina and just by correcting my technique.

Dude that's some deep water

Hey Brendan, as always, great video. I’m coming back from rotator cuff surgery, so I’m only able to swim (“swim”) one or two laps at the moment because of my lack of strength and flexibility. But I’m hoping to rebuild my stroke with better technique. One issue that I have noticed for years and that I already notice in my one little attempt, is that it is hard for me to fill my lungs when I breathe. I’m going to assess my head position as recommended. But is there anything else in body positioning that could be setting me up to find it hard to inhale fully? It feels like there’s a physical barrier to fully inhaling. I don’t have this experience in any other form of cardio exercise. And I am definitely exhaling fully, so there is adequate lung capacity for a full breath.

Lovely

The best clip I have seen for my swimming by far👍 I tried bringing my legs up but this shows exactly what happens when you put your head too far down, and I tried high elbow which made me press down on the water too much and my arm is too far away from my body because I’m concentrating on high elbows? 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

new swimmer here. Well I'm not sure i can call myself a swimmer. I went from sticking to the sides in a 4 foot deep pool to swimming while holding my breath in for about 15 feet in that same pool. Proud of that. But here's the problem. I never learnt to breath in and breathe out properly. I cannot exhale in water, and when I do do it, I feel havy and feel i;m sinking and have to immediately stand up. Once I exhaled and pulled up my face to breathe in but my mouth doesnt come ouut of the water completely and I end up just taking in the pool water in through the mouth. I'm not sure if it's my nect not turning enough or my shoulders not turning enough. Are there any videos that show how to breathe for a very very basic/new swimmer? Any advice is appreciated. thanks

Great video master! From the frontal view of a swimmer what would be the optimal shoulders oscillation degree? Thank you

this is a very good video but i did these and none of it really worked. i remember when i was one of the fastest on the team i wouldn’t ever get tired because when i did i would usually speed up and i wouldn’t get tired because i was thinking of something else- but now i’m the slowest and i have no idea why

i used to be really good at freestyle but i don’t understand what happened can you explain to me please why i’m the best at all strokes but in freestyle i’m the worst at it

i also do 2:26 for per 100m . my hand recovery is totally wrong

who is this triathlete? Are there more videos of his swimming?

I am forced to keep the head low as this because of my bad natural balance (long legs, light upper body (small shoulders)). isn't it actualy better anyways than having part of the head creating waves on the surface?

Ok my problem is I have been swimming for 1,5 years now and can't go past 2x25m laps. I just get too tired, heart rate goes to 140 and I feel the need to sto pand rest for 1-2 minutes. Is it the breathing? is it the too tense catch? I don't really know.

I’m a rower, why am I here.

My only problem is my feets gets too tired easily ☹️

Often times we hear all the things that we should do e.g. high elbow position, catch, pull etc. but this video does an excellent breakdown with graphics on how it should look like. I’m learning swimming at 36 years of age and this really helped!

Hello, I’m a swimmer, I am really fast for the group I’m in, for my group I with a lot of the faster kids that sprint a lot during practice, so most of the intervals I have to make are very fast and almost race pace every time, it gets really hard for me sometimes because sprinting all the time is hard! During practice I like to go a decent pace maybe 70-80% but I’m getting tired a lot I was wondering if there is something you can do while going fast to not get too tired. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I’m just getting to tired during the practice. I feel like it’s too rushed.

do you have to look down when you are swimming freestyle, my couches say look at the floor below you and it makes me panic when I'm under the water and they get mad at me when I look up a little bit just to see where i"m going

This past season I started my 50 free at 27.70 my last event with a tech suit was 24.75 what advise do you have to help start sprinting a lower 20 next season?

Hi, can someone please tell me why my catch hand/arm drops early when I breathe? Thanks

Underwater video is so damned important. I wish it was available in my area of the USA. We have so many swimmers who would pay good money for it.

holy shit that pool looks deep af

But if you exhale completely, the short gasp for air you get won't be enough??

nice

What about when alligators are present?

Hello im trying to improve my technique? but kind a confused if im gunna hold my breath after breathing or should i keep on exhaling while waiting to catch a breath again? TIA

Very beautiful, can u put arabic translation in video

Begin accelerate body forward when you approximately 1/3 underwater armstroke

Thanks for these. Are you still accepting videos for analysis from non members ? I am trying to get permission to film my stroke in my pool and would be very interested in your feedback.

That swimmer looks to have the same issues as I have and swims at about the same rate! You said in the last part of the video to enter an email but I couldn't see where to put it. Can you clarify please? Thanks, Graham

❤️

The breathing thing plagues me too, I start exhaling through the nose but after a while when I get tired I instinctively hold my breath :/ Any tricks to get rid of that?

Thoroughly enjoyed the informative and honest take on keto dieat and your experience backed by data. As a "has been" age group competitor in my 60's I find it hard to loose the extra 20lbs to be totally effective even with training daily. Could it be the IPA beers, pizza, carbs? - nah! Like you state everyone is unique and some are 6 sigma out of the norm in the ole bell curve. For me I notice if I consume a somewhat healthy protein/fat breakfast it sticks with me all day and no cravings. If not, which I found out with Grape Nuts which I thought was good-higher fiber cereal, I bonk w/i 1.5hrs even to the point of getting dizzy and jittery. I do remember reading the label and seeing like 35 carbs per serving-doh! I might try the Keto given this but focus on healthy items. Also as you mentioned I'll focus on LSD (not the Timothy Leary/Grateful Dead kind) training to adjust the body to burn fat vs. carbs. I get caught up in timing everything and expecting a new performance PR even in daily training which is stupid. When I kick back and do endurance for form and function all other things come into place. Thanks for your humor and excellent videos, love the pups, and good luck training and in future races.

I'd like to sign up. Where do I put my email address?

Do you have a video on diving off the block? I try to push using my left foot, but end up belly flopping, or going too deep.