This is an excellent overall video, touching on so many important aspects of the freestyle stroke, especially for triathletes. Since I found your videos here, they have helped me immensely. But as someone who competes in open water, I found that I was getting a little too hung-up on achieving the "perfect", in balance pool stroke, which doesn't work that well in open water. This video in particular has really helped me to understand that finding a good rhythm, especially when picking up the tempo, is the real key, even if it is a bit "uneven and scrappy." I have been watching and practicing your video tips for a couple of years now, since returning to triathalon competition as a 55-59 year age-grouper, after a 20+ year hiatus. By incorporating your instructions (especially on body position and catch/pull/rotation) and greatly improving my swim fitness, I've gone from struggling to maintain 2:05/100 to 1:35/100 in under 2 years time. I rather quickly dropped the first 10-15 sec/100 just by using your tips to improve basic technique and position, but by being patient, staying after it, and watching your videos on a regular basis, the next 15-20 sec/100 came, while not as quickly, in very distinct stages. So when I recently swam my first pool 1000 in under 16:00 (w/o flip turns) I was very pleased to say the least. Until now, my strengths in tri's have been the bike and run legs, always having to make up ground after the swim to stay competitive. Now, I'm confident that I'll be exiting the water in a much stronger position, and instead of having to pass guys in my age-group, I'll being pulling even further ahead! Thanks so much Brenton and keep up the great work.

I was innately doing this in tonight’s workout just before I saw this video. I usually breathe every 3 but tonight found myself breathing every two with a uneven stroke...kid ‘be like a “galloping” stroke. Im a new swimmer and had a hard time swimming more than 100m...tonight with the 2 stroke uneven i found that zone and I swam my first half mile unbroken. Thanks for your videos, they’ve had a tremendous impact on my comprehension and practice.

This is a great video, thanks Brenton. Each swimmer has to find his/her perfect balance between speed, efficiency, endurance and beauty.

Always useful info. Thank you!

Fantastic Analogy , much appreciated with the minute in detailed inputs , was searching about the doubts on uneven hand rotation before the dip inns 👍🏊

Greatly appreciate this one about swimming "Ugly".. Your video are the best! My pool swim looks great, open water in the chop, not so much...I seem to transform into a swinger.

"Hip Driven" Incredible how easy it is to forget this discipline. I recently slipped into swimming `flat` on one side, and as such hurt my shoulder. Just two days off, and then concentrating on equal hip rotation has eradicated the painful shoulder. It's faster as well, I can go faster for longer. This has been the best video , from a growing cache of good ones. Thx!!

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Thank you for the open water/triathlon tips

Thanks so much for making this video. Excellent as always!!! Thanks for mentioning us triathletes. 😉 I have a feeling my pool swim style isn’t cutting it in the open water. 😬

Great thanks Brenton.

In the zone... Brenton, you'd be a good motorcycle rider (if you aren't already) - there's so much in common between riding and swimming techniques... :)

Old but still want to swim fast. But main focus is on health, hoping to strengthening the lower back and decompress the spine. So I want "beauty". Tall straight body posture, a sweet extension forwards, rotating hips and shoulders together, kicking leg and rotation side is correct at the beginning of rotation. I feel no twisting in the lower back is better due to my surgery and herniated discs.

I would agree with uneven theory, but I also think it could lead into injury, especially if someone is also running, and cycling with unevenly built shoulders. Your arms won't move symmetrically during running, then you will compensate on your feet as well.

Thanyapura - I thought that pool looked familiar!

Have you ever tried implementing a drill where you swim freestyle with dolphin kick to find the timing between the catch and the down kick? I've been trying it myself and I find good use of it, but I'm having trouble finding a good progression from there for my swimmers. Everything works really well until we start doing flutter kick again, everyone loses their timing. I've seen the drill used before for a fast tempo, and that's definitely a good use as well, but I really think it's useful for timing. Especially with fins, you can really feel the weight transferred to the catch.

Can you make a video on sprints like the 50 and 100 freestyle as I have a meet coming up this month

It looks to me like your right arm is right at the center line, sometimes with a slight crossover. I have a reminisent unsymmetrical style (even if it doesn't feel like it at all). It certainly doesn't seem to slow you down at this speed (nor for Gregorio Paltrinieri ). Should I - still learning - force myself to get rid of this and really forcus on "train tracks", or is it ok and nothing to worry about? Thanks for your excellent videos. I've really learnt a lot from you here.

Your best advice regarding open water swim ...so far. There is only one issue I have found swimming single side breathing for most of 30 yrs... in hundreds of triathlons at all distances. That problem is injuries. I found I am more injury prone when I stroke unevenly or breath to one side. Other than that, this discussion is right on.

@Effortless Swimming, What is the ideal number of stroke cycles per 50m(free style)?

Speed is a relation beteween your swim stroke and your distance per stroke (which is defined by your technique). I like to think of swimming technique (same goes for running technique) as gears on my bike. A perfect swimming technique is like getting in a 53t (or more) chainring with a 9t cassette. Shure, it will get you lots o meters per cycle and you may eventually get up to 100km/h, but do you have the power to bring it up to 120 rpm (didn't do the exact math) on a flat road and hold that for 180k? Probably not. If you want to go as fast as you can go for any given distance, you have to adapt the technique. Choose a lower gear. I sometimes use a Tempo Trainer and I know I can only hold 100spm (1 stroke = 1 arm) for 50m. That'll be about 28'' and I HAVE to allow myself to "skid". Use a "not so pretty technique". I cannot pull all the water. I do not have the strength and the power (well, get to the gym, then!). If I were to choose a better technique, with a necessarily lower cadence, I wouldn't go as fast. I've tried it. I've done some tests. Better technique will always take me to the 30'' mark. If I want to go faster... skid and rotate. Spin to win. I know that if I would do my best technique, I could only hold it up to 70spm for about a minute (then it all comes crumbling down). That same technique, at 58spm can take me on a cruising speed of about 1:23/100m for about half an hour. So, it's all about having different techniques (gears), and diferent cadences.

And who here HASN'T been trying to "Do The Dan Smith"?? :)

Nice

When every I try the 2 quick strokes and breath too one side, my lungs always start to hurt.

It's silly to try to compare myself to you, but to hear "I can comfortably hold a 1:09 pace ..." when I can barely sprint a 1:20 is a bummer. :-)

Maybe metronome instead of pendulum?

Been trying to find the presentation you refer to in the video ? Iam a member of Effortless swimming but cant seem to find it on the website ?

Can I send you a video to analyze?

I’ve been swimming for 2 weeks and I’m still exhausted after 50 meters but I can jog a 5k and cycling is my main sport. Am I just really bad or does endurance progression from scratch take a few months. I have a coach and she says my stoke is getting better and was never really bad to start but it’s not getting easier. Also are you left handed? You left elbow get so high and I see it’s a higher postion than the right. I’m opposite my right elbow comes up great but my left elbow needs so much work Edit: was watching the video while tying and just see you talked about it

Are you wearing a drag suit? where can I get that model? love it! :D

i am here struggling to hold 140 in half ironman. sad!

i have a doubt? does Sun Yang's technique is efficient in open water races?

12:30 someone clean that pool!

Do you have to rotate a lot while getting your arm out the water before the catch? Like here in 7:35 he rotates almost 180 degrees but only to breath, should you rotate during the stroke as well? in this case when he is swinging his arm and catching the water with the left arm.

Are you crossing over here (train tracks)

does the 1 inhale per stroke slows you down?

I prefer beautiful to quick. Just a personal preference.

The best crappy but faster swimmer in my opinion is Greg Paltrineiri

No disrespect to the work on this channel. Good overall content, but I think this video is leading people on in the wrong direction. To be fair, even the top Iron Man swimmers, are still bad swimmers by swimming standards. In my view, you should not strive to swim like one of them. They are neither swimmers, nor open water swimmers. The current swim record in Kona is held by an amateur, a former professionell swimmer in his mid 40s, that says it all. One should rather look at swimmers like Florian Wellbrock, current World Champion in the Pool over 1500m and Open Water 10km. His stroke shows no variation. Swimming is very paradox, when it comes to swimming fast and clean, rather then messy but still fast. Becoming fast on a perfect technique takes much longer, than just going for it. Because it will require much more core and overall strenght. The propelltion from the legs, is another key factor in stabilising your stroke. To be fair many triathletes are at a huge disadvantage, due to their bodytypes and low body fat. But I think especially for Amateuers, it is worth going the extra mile and rather start of slower, but have a much bigger room for improving and staying injury free. Because a messy technique, will result in injuries, once volume is increased in training.

I have observed that being very muscular; like bosybuilder like muscular makes distance swimming difficult. I tend to drain out of energy quickly, the even fat (no offence to them) tend to have significantly better stamina thanme. I think an adequate musculature like yours is perfect for swimming.