BODY POSITION

The key to swimming an efficient freestyle—as for all the strokes—is maintaining the correct body position. That means streamlining. If your body is streamlined, you will feel yourself gliding, almost effortlessly, through the water. If it is not, you will feel as if you are struggling against the water, and the drag you create will slow you down and tire you out.

Your kick can help you maintain a streamlined body position by keeping your hips and legs from sinking. Kick steadily, with only a slight bend at the knees, and do not let your feet go any deeper than about twelve to sixteen inches below the surface of the water. The position of your head is especially important, because it affects the rest of your body. If you hold your head too high, your hips and legs will sag. If you pull your head to one side when you breathe, your hips will swing the other way. All these things will force your body out of alignment and create drag.

The ideal body position for the crawl stroke is simple: you should be horizontal, with your body stretched out in a straight line. Your face should be in the water (except when you breathe, of course), with the water at about your hairline. Look forward and slightly downward. That’s it. That’s all you need to remember.