Essential Skills Every Swimmer Needs: Mastering the Basics of Swimming

Leland Sandler Coach

August 26, 2024

Swimming is one of the most rewarding and versatile physical activities. Whether you’re looking to stay fit, compete, or enjoy the water, mastering the basic skills of swimming is essential. Swimming not only provides a full-body workout but also equips you with a life-saving skill. For beginners, understanding and developing the fundamental techniques is crucial to becoming a confident and efficient swimmer. This article explores the essential skills every swimmer needs, offering insights into how to master the basics of swimming.

Breathing Technique

Breathing is one of the most critical aspects of swimming. Unlike many other sports, where breathing comes naturally, swimming requires you to synchronize your breathing with your strokes. Proper breathing techniques ensure that you maintain a steady rhythm, reduce fatigue, and stay relaxed in the water.

• Exhaling Underwater: One of the first skills to learn is exhaling underwater. Instead of holding your breath while swimming, it’s essential to exhale fully through your nose or mouth when your face is in the water. This technique allows you to take a quick breath when your head turns to the side, particularly during freestyle.
• Timing Your Breaths: In strokes like freestyle and butterfly, timing your breaths with your strokes is crucial. In freestyle, for example, you should turn your head to breathe after every few strokes, depending on your comfort level and speed. Consistent practice will help you develop a natural breathing rhythm that aligns with your stroke.
• Breathing Control: In addition to proper timing, controlling your breath is vital. Learning to take deep, efficient breaths will help you swim longer distances without feeling winded. Practicing breath control exercises both in and out of the water can improve your overall swimming efficiency.

Body Positioning

Maintaining the correct body position in the water is critical to swimming efficiently. A streamlined body position reduces drag, allowing you to glide through the water with minimal resistance.

• Horizontal Alignment: Your body should remain as horizontal as possible in the water. This means keeping your head, hips, and legs aligned, with your body flat and parallel to the water’s surface. This position reduces drag and helps you move more smoothly.
• Core Engagement: Engaging your core muscles is crucial for maintaining a stable and efficient body position. A strong core helps keep your body in a straight line and prevents your hips or legs from sinking, which can increase resistance.
• Head Position: Your head position plays a significant role in your body alignment. In freestyle and backstroke, your head should be in a neutral position, looking slightly forward but mostly down, with the waterline between your forehead and the top of your head. This helps maintain a streamlined body position.

Kicking Technique

Effective kicking is essential for propulsion in swimming. While the arms provide much of the forward movement, a solid and well-coordinated kick contributes to your speed and stability in the water.

• Flutter Kick: The flutter kick is commonly used in freestyle and backstroke. It involves alternating up-and-down movements of your legs, with the motion starting from your hips rather than your knees. Your legs should remain relatively straight, with a slight bend at the knees, and your feet should be pointed.
• Breaststroke Kick: The breaststroke kick, also known as the frog kick, is unique to the breaststroke. It involves bending your knees and bringing your heels towards your hips before snapping your legs together in a sweeping motion. This kick provides powerful propulsion and is critical to effective breaststroke swimming.
• Butterfly Kick: The dolphin or butterfly kick is used in the butterfly stroke. It involves moving both legs together in a wave-like motion, starting from the hips and moving down to the feet. This kick requires strong core engagement and flexibility to execute efficiently.

Arm Strokes

The coordination of arm strokes is fundamental to propel yourself forward in the water. Each swimming stroke requires a specific arm movement that must be mastered.

• Freestyle Arm Stroke: In freestyle, the arm stroke involves a continuous, alternating motion where one arm pulls through the water from above your head down to your thigh while the other arm recovers above water to re-enter in front of your head. The key is to keep your arm movements smooth and controlled, ensuring a solid pull phase that propels you forward.
• Breaststroke Arm Stroke: The breaststroke arm movement is a circular motion where both arms move simultaneously. Starting from a glide position with your arms extended forward, you pull your arms back in a circular motion, sweeping them outward and downward before returning to the starting position.
• Butterfly Arm Stroke: In the butterfly stroke, both arms move simultaneously in a circular motion. The arms sweep outwards, downwards, and then back upwards in a smooth, powerful movement. This stroke requires significant upper body strength and coordination to execute correctly.
• Backstroke Arm Stroke: In the backstroke, your arms alternate in a windmill-like motion, with one arm pulling through the water while the other recovers above the water. The arm that is underwater should pull straight down towards your hip, while the recovering arm should be straight and relaxed.

Coordination and Timing

Coordination and timing are essential for swimming efficiently. Each stroke requires a precise combination of arm movements, kicks, and breathing to ensure smooth, continuous motion.

• Stroke Timing: Timing is crucial to maintaining rhythm and efficiency. For example, in freestyle, your breathing, arm strokes, and kicks must be synchronized to avoid disruptions in your flow. Practicing drills that focus on timing can help you develop this coordination.
• Smooth Transitions: Transitions between strokes, breathing, and kicks should be seamless. Any abrupt or jerky movements can slow you down and waste energy. Focus on making each movement fluid and connected to the next.
• Consistency: Consistency in your movements helps conserve energy and maintain speed. Developing a consistent rhythm in your strokes and kicks will make swimming feel more natural and less tiring.

Turning and Finishing

Knowing how to turn and finish effectively can make a significant difference, especially in competitive swimming.

• Flip Turns: In freestyle and backstroke, flip turns allow you to change direction at the end of a lap quickly. This involves performing a somersault in the water as you approach the wall, pushing off the wall with your feet, and resuming your stroke.
• Open Turns: Used in breaststroke and butterfly, open turns involve touching the wall with your hands, tucking your knees to your chest, and quickly pushing off the wall with your feet.
• Finishing Strong: In races, the final few meters are crucial. Maintain your speed and focus on your technique to ensure a strong finish. Touch the wall with full extension to maximize your reach and complete your race effectively.

Mastering the basic skills of swimming is essential for anyone looking to become a confident and efficient swimmer. By focusing on breathing techniques, body positioning, kicking, arm strokes, coordination, and turning, you can build a strong foundation in swimming. Whether you’re swimming for leisure, fitness, or competition, these skills will enhance your performance and make your time in the water more enjoyable. Remember, practice is critical to improvement, so dedicate time to refining these basics, and you’ll see significant progress in your swimming abilities.