Swimming for Success

Basic Swim Technique for the beginner/intermediate


The swim leg is critical to have an efficient stroke, as wasting energy out of the water while your arm isn’t doing anything is stupid. The basic run down of a good stroke is as follows:

  1. Enter the water with a flat palm, 10 - 20 cm from your head. Emphasise on gently placing your hand in the water with little splash. Reach as far forward as possible (not down), rolling your shoulders while doing so.
  2. Pull your arm backwards in an ‘S’ pattern (out to the side, and back in towards your hips), making a slight cup with your hands, fingers slightly apart, but straight. This is the best technique for pushing ‘still water’, unlike a normal stroke where the water which is being pushed, is all turbulent, making the stroke harder for your arms. Your arm must be straight when pulling yourself through the water.
  3. When your arm reaches the end of the stroke/pull, push the palm of your hand back as far as possible. This will utilise the full power in your underwater stroke.
  4. Lift your arm out of the water, leading with your elbow, not your hand, while doing so, keep the elbow high with your hand close to your body. Just let your lower arm drag above the water and follow through, throwing your arm as far forward as possible. You must RELAX your arm out of the water, most important.
  5. Back to step 1.

If you are after some Swimming Sets to do down at your local pool rather than seeing a coach who charges an arm and a leg, check out this page.
Click here to go back to Web Coach.