When campers come to The Race Club, aside from teaching the three basic fundamentals of technique that enable one to swim faster, I try to impress upon every camper that there is not one technique in swimming that works best for everyone. In fact, in order for each swimmer to reach his potential in swimming, he or she must learn different techniques for different distances of the same stroke. In other words, each swimmer must have an assortment of techniques to choose from depending on the event. Some swimmers, like Nathan Adrian and Michael Klim, will even change their technique during a race.

When deciding what technique works best for you, you must learn to play your strength, not your weakness. Any coach would love to have his swimmer get the distance per stroke (DPS) that Phelps generates, but unless you have some Mercury motors for legs (as he does) behind you, likely you are never going to get it. Your kick is not that great? Then adapt by developing a shoulder-driven, higher-stroke-rate turnover that will take more advantage of your upper body. Remember the DPS does not always determine who touches the wall first.

Regardless of the technique you decide to use, all three fundamentals will still apply. That is, in order to swim fast, you must learn to reduce drag, use your body effectively and try to sustain a more consistent speed. All of these require that you learn to do certain things, many of which are not obvious. Of my favorite top ten list of things you should do in freestyle, here is my priority:

1. High Elbow (underwater)
2. High Elbow (underwater)
3. High Elbow (underwater)
4. Super tight streamlining off of start and walls
5. Appropriate arm stroke rate for your associated kick and event distance
6. Head down (in alignment with body)
7. Shoulder/Hip/Core rotation
8. Breathing pattern
9. Time spent underwater on turns (# of kicks)
10. Straight vs Bent arm recovery

Why do I put so much emphasis on the high elbow position? One reason is that drag is the number one enemy of swimmers and dropping the elbow increases the drag significantly. The other reason is that very few swimmers understand the importance of the high elbow position, nor use it. Swimming with a high elbow in freestyle is not an obvious, powerful or comfortable place to be. Because it reduces drag so much, one must learn to get more comfortable and more powerful in that position. That takes lots of practice.

Gary Sr.