Freestyle
The final and most important stroke to master is freestyle. The freestyle stroke consists of utilizing momentum and a good hip drive to generate force in the water.
Similar to backstroke, rotate your arms one at a time and pull the water down past your hip. In the freestyle pull, it’s important not to cross your arms over the other side of your body, this makes your pull less effective. The kick is the same as backstroke, one foot at a time. Your kick generates a lot of force and having strong, steady kicks allows you to swim more effectively as a whole. Sneak your breath in at the end of an arm cycle, rotating your head 90 degrees out of the water to take a sip of air.
Something that’s important to note in freestyle, is your hips. Use your hips to your advantage. With each arm stroke, rock your hips ever so slightly in that direction, this will help you catch more water in your pull and it’ll generate more momentum to drive you forward.
The 4 competitive swimming strokes can take some practice to master, and some are more challenging than others. Maintaining good physical health and incorporating some form of strength-training routine can help you swim for longer periods and with much less strain.
The most important thing you can do to master the 4 strokes is remaining consistent in your training. You won’t become an olympian overnight, but with consistent training and practice you’ll start seeing significant gains.