The freestyle stroke is used by a whole lot of people. It seems that it is one of the most preferred swimming strokes. Whether you go to a pool, lake or triathlon, you’ll see people doing it.
While it is an easy stroke to learn, the breathing part is what stops most people in their tracks. I mean, if you can only take two strokes and then need to stop, you’re not really swimming, nor do you know how to swim.
Freestyle is certainly a fast stroke, but with speed comes a little more work. I notice that when I swim the freestyle stroke, I feel like I’m working a lot harder than when I do the Combat Side Stroke(CSS) and it’s because I am.
When I take a look at most people swimming laps at the pool, they will swim laps using freestyle. When they get to the other end of the pool, they need to take a break and catch their breath.
I feel the same way, and I make sure and breath on the same side every time. For speed I definitely like this stroke, but for distance or time, I’ll stick to the CSS.
If you go though my Learn to Swim pages in order, you should have relatively little trouble learning the freestyle stroke. Everything that you’ve learned up until this point, should help you get it quickly.
The way your body handles itself in the water should already be second nature. Now its just a matter of adding the arms and rotation, with breathing.
The following video is a great tutorial. He breaks it down, making it sound so simple. Watch the video, and then get some practice in.
How to swim the freestyle stroke