One of the biggest misunderstandings about swimming pace is that in order to swim, you have to move your arms faster.
The truth is that in order to win, you have to pull more water instead of moving your arms through the water like a windmill. Moving your arms through the water like windmills will not get you to the other end of the pool faster, they will get you there more exhausted and burned out.
There are many ways to improve your technique and learn how to swim faster. A great way to start off is by streamlining your body so that your swim is less affected by water resistance. Practicing these techniques given below can help you swim faster without exhausting yourself fruitlessly.
Top 8 tips to swim faster:
1. Glide
You need to learn how much to glide to save energy when you swim breaststroker, butterfly, and freestyle. Try to exaggerate the glide and shorten it until it feels right.
2. Breathe control
Control your breathing while you swim. Inhale quickly and exhale slowly. Try to breathe out slowly and when you have exhaled fully, take a deep breath in. You should be inhaling throughout the time during which your face is clear of water.
Some swimmers try to hold their breath while they are under the water and then inhale and exhale quickly as soon as their face is out of the water. That’s as inefficient as it is ineffective.
It’s better if you dedicate that time to inhalation because you can safely exhale underwater from your mouth. Holding your breath for a long time can cause serious damage to your brain due to hypoxia. It will tire you quickly, and it can actually lead to the loss of consciousness too.
3. Improve your health
Health plays a vital role in the functioning of your body. Good health
is very important because not only does it have a great influence on how we feel, but it also changes how we go about our everyday lives. Health is also very important for all the physical activities that we start.
It is not just about not being diagnosed with a disease or not having any physical injuries. It includes getting enough sleep, taking good care of your diet, drinking plenty of water and making sure that you are mentally satistied, calm, and relaxed.
With a healthy body on a great diet, you will have more energy, you will be able to stretch further and you will get more force from the kicks. You will also want to get enough sleep before you swim. If you do not get enough sleep, your body won’t be able to perform at its best. Make sure that you sleep right before you hit the water.
4. Feel the water
When you are doing a swimming drill, it is very important to feel the water. The feel for the water is the most immediate and important feedback. It is also one of the best ways to improve your swimming techniques.
5. Cool down
When you are swimming, your muscles tighten and contract and your blood flows rapidly from your heart. If you suddenly stop your workout, your heart suddenly reduces the blood flow and pressure. This sudden change can cause serious damage. A 20-minute cool down can bring your body back to normal, it will give your body a chance to relax and be better prepared for your next swim practice.
6. Keep your kick shallow
You don’t need to kick hard or fast, you just need to kick effectively. This means that adding efficiency to your technique is more important than adding more force.
Allow your feet to point like a ballerina and let them break the upper layer of water. You don’t need to kick too far under the water because it will just create resistance.
7. The catch
Catch is basically the front end of your stroke. A lot of people don’t know about the catch. Just like I said previously, you want to feel the water, you want to catch the water. Efficiency is the main thing so the more water you can catch, the easier you’re going to get through the water and the faster you are going to move through it.
8. Filming
The easiest way to improve your swimming is if you can get your coach to film you whilst you’re swimming. When you’re done swimming and you look back at the footage, you can actually see what you were doing.
It will give you a chance to learn from your mistakes and be better prepared for the next swim. It’s even better if you can access an endless pool with a mirror on the bottom so you can actually see what you’re doing and improve your strokes just by seeing that.