Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Improving your technique
• Part 2 of 3: Swimming faster during competitions
• Part 3 of 3: Persistence
• Tips
• Necessities

If you want to become the fastest swimmer you can be, you will have to work on your technique and your mental attitude. Practice and persistence are the most important here. However, the most important thing is to master the technique well. Without the right technique it makes no sense to practice. If you want to learn how to shave seconds or maybe even minutes off your best race times, read on to Step 1 to get started.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Improving your technique

1. Reduce the resistance you create. Swimmers often focus on swimming as fast as possible, not swimming with the least amount of resistance. This concerns the resistance that your body experiences in the water. Remember it takes skill and not strength to reduce this resistance. There are many ways to decrease your resistance, such as improving your balance or swimming more extensively - never give up. EXPERT TIP

   Improve your balance. This is a great way to reduce your resistance. To stay balanced, maintain as horizontal a position as possible while sliding through the water. As a result, there will be as little water as possible in the way, which would otherwise slow you down. This is especially important for freestyle practice, where you should avoid lifting your head too much, which will disrupt your balance, and kick harder to counterbalance.

   • This is different from the breaststroke and the butterfly stroke, because your body makes a wavy movement instead of staying perfectly balanced during the swimming strokes.
2. Swim more expansively. Try to make yourself in the water as long as possible. The taller you are, the better and faster you will swim. For example, if you want to swim wider during the freestyle, you will have to put the arm that you are withdrawing into the water sooner, once it is past your head; Extend your shaking arm as far forward as you can before starting the down swing and back paddle.
   • Just think about the following: if your body is fully collapsed instead of stretched out and long, it will be more difficult to slide through the water.
3. Make sure your kick is as efficient as possible. When kicking with your legs you shouldn't rise above the surface of the water or move your legs too low below the line of your body - it's all about keeping the right balance. If you do not observe those rules, you will become unbalanced and create more resistance.
4. Improve your propulsion. This does not mean that you have to use more force, but that you have to work on your technique. Remember that about 10% of the speed comes from your legs and the rest from your arms, so try to make those swimming strokes as neat as possible.
5. You use both sides. While swimming, dare to roll a little more on your side with your arms. This allows you to make better use of those large back muscles and also the strength in your shoulders. You have to train on it for a while, but once you have mastered it, you will have a better control over your strength and your speed.
6. Don't forget the muscles in your core. The core is made up of your back, hip, and abs, and it's especially important when rolling sideways. Using those muscles will help you swim cleaner and faster, although it may feel a bit strange at first to put more emphasis on your core, rather than your arms and legs.
7. Anchor your arms. To maximize your speed, you will need to keep your hand and forearm in a straight line and point them backward. This makes it easier to move your arm back for swimming strokes. You may know this technique as raising the elbow, because you need to keep the elbow high above your head to master this movement.
8. Keep your head in a neutral position. To swim as fast as possible, your head should remain in a neutral position during the swim stroke. Keeping your head in this position reduces the resistance your body experiences and makes your swimming strokes more efficient. If your head is not centered, you will swim more to one side. Improper head positioning may be why you think you are "sinking" because of hips hanging too low, or because your legs are too muscular. You need to look down, not up, to keep your body as horizontal as possible in the freestyle position. To keep your head and eyes down, your neck will have to stay relaxed; This puts your lower body higher in the water.
   • If you are more visual, follow the advice of swimmer Garret McCaffery: 'Imagine that you are a whale, with a blowhole on your neck, and it is necessary that this blowhole is open or you will not get air and die. . If your neck is at an angle, you close the hole and you cannot breathe. You will have to put your head in the right position and with that your neck at the right angle. "
9. Spread your fingers when you swim. By spreading your fingers slightly, instead of holding them tightly together, you create a kind of "invisible web" with which you can develop 53% more power! The ideal distance is 20-40% of the diameter of your finger.

Part 2 of 3: Swimming faster during competitions

1. Avoid mistakes at the turning point. Even if you are just training, it is wise to avoid making mistakes when turning so that you don't make a habit of them. As well as maintaining a neutral head position, doing what you would in a race during training will help you swim faster.
2. Touch the wall as short as possible. Many swimmers see the wall as a snug place to "rest for a while", even if only for a fraction of a second. However, if you want to swim faster, you shouldn't think that way yourself. Touch the wall briefly, with your head pointing down at least two strokes. This applies to all swimming strokes, except the breaststroke. This will help you get the edge you may need to beat your personal record time - and that of the swimmers in the other lanes.
3. Make sure to push off strongly with your legs after turning. When pushing yourself against the wall, do so with a powerful kick so as not to lose the speed you have gained. At the breaststroke, fully stretching out and out can give you an added advantage. Maintain a clean, streamlined shape while doing this, and you'll soon find yourself swimming faster than ever before.
4. Do a dolphin stroke underwater. If you already take off powerfully with your legs, you can go even faster with the dolphin kick from the wall. This stroke can make you go even faster. In addition, a strong underwater stroke can increase your lung capacity.

Part 3 of 3: Persistence

1. Develop a structured exercise routine. If you are part of a team, the trainer / coach will provide a structured training schedule. But it is always good to have your own schedule for your personal training. Incorporating cardio into your workout (meaning you can swim longer) in addition to moderate endurance (medium-distance and medium-fast swimming) can help you get faster. Your workout should consist of multiple parts, but the bulk should be focused on endurance, speed and muscle fitness. Here's an example of a structured workout you can try:
   • Spend 10-15% on a gentle warm-up (4 x 100 gentle swim with 20 seconds rest between each distance)
   • Spend 10-20% on exercises and kick strokes (8 x 50 seconds as an alternate exercise, with 1 kick and 15 seconds rest)
   • Spend 40-70% on the main set (6 x 200 with 30 seconds rest or 12 x 100 with 15 seconds rest)
   • Spend 5-10% cooling down (a few quiet laps of 100 meters).
2. Join a swim team. Look for swim teams in your area and collect information such as how much it costs to join, when they train and what equipment you need. If you are not yet a member of a team, joining a team can certainly help you learn to swim faster, not only because it motivates you to train every day, but also because you get more practice by competing. and works with a coach who can help you master the correct technique.
   • If you do join a team, you cannot avoid training every day.
   • Find your own limits while training. Swim in intervals (send-off) with 5-7 seconds rest. Once you've mastered that, move on to 10 seconds, 15 seconds, etc.
3. Participate in swimming competitions. If you are a member of a swimming team, you will regularly participate in competitions. Don't get nervous; it's not about finishing first, it's about breaking your personal record times. Most swimmers swim faster in competitions than in training because you create more adrenaline and there is more at stake. You can "fool" your body and make it swim faster just by competing in competitions.
4. Participate in a swimming clinic. Swimming clinics can teach you how to improve your swimming stroke technique, give you tips on how to achieve more, help you dive and turn, and simply provide you with an unforgettable experience. You will be motivated by meeting other people who love swimming as much as you are. Some swimming clinics even have Olympic athletes as trainers. These clinics can be expensive, but many swimmers find it well worth it.
   • In fact, you may be able to find a clinic or coach to record video while you swim, which can provide valuable feedback on how to improve your technique. It is difficult to figure out what you can improve on your own technique when no one is watching you while you swim.
5. Learn about swimming itself. Watch videos and read books about swimming techniques to get a better understanding of what it takes to swim faster. There are many videos on YouTube about improving your swimming strokes. There are also many books on improving your swimming technique. Try to find those books, or books about the success of other swimmers, such as Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Missy Franklin, to motivate yourself. While it's important to use your body to swim faster, it doesn't hurt to use your brain as well.
6. Go to the gym. While swimming training in itself is of course very important, you can also work on your speed by getting stronger. Do some fitness training by working with weights, and do sit-ups to strengthen your core. Strong abs and arms can help move you through the water faster. In addition, such a workout is a refreshing change from all the time you spend in the water.
7. Let other people encourage you. If your friend is faster than you and your goal is to turn the tables, remember that during each workout to encourage yourself to work harder. Swimming with faster swimmers will motivate you and help you swim faster. However, make sure that the person in the job next to you is not so is much faster than you are that you become discouraged in your efforts.
8. Prepare yourself mentally and physically. All that physical work doesn't mean anything if you're too nervous or simply not motivated enough. Stay focused on your goal and motivated during practice and be excited to be there on match day. Don't dread competitions, but see them more as an opportunity to give it your all. Remember, it's not about being the best swimmer on your team or the competition, it's about breaking your personal bests. This alone should be enough to motivate you to swim faster.

Tips

• Wearing a swim cap to tie your hair together can take seconds off your swim times. This reduces the resistance you experience while swimming.
• Do not give up! When you first start your swim workout, you will feel exhausted and exhausted at the end of the workout, because swimming is so good for you and you are not used to intense exercise. Be patient. It can take up to 6 months for training to feel really great, but you will have to give it some time.

Necessities

• Swimwear
• Swimming goggles
• Bathing cap
• Swimming board / kickboard
• Pullbuoy
• Paddles
• Swimming fins