Many people do not realize the importance of the correct swim techniques for beginners used while swimming in the water. In swimming, your success can be determined by how efficiently you can move through the water.
Water is nearly 800x more dense than air, meaning that it requires a completely different set of technical skills as opposed to land-based activities. Mastering your swim techniques is the best way to advance in any skill, especially swimming.
If you are consistently working on your swim techniques, in and out of the water, you will significantly improve your confidence, efficiency and speed!
It is a common misconception that your weight determines how fast you can move in the water. This is not completely true, the proper swim technique has been proven to be vital to your speed in the water.
The 5 Best Swim Techniques For Beginners
Regardless of how good of shape you are in, everyone should work on their fundamentals to help improve their swim mechanics. Most swimmers develop the proper swim mechanics at a very young age by consistently taking swim lessons.
When you take private swim lessons, you are able to learn and master multiple swim techniques with one on one training and guidance.
In this blog we will discuss the top 5 swim techniques for beginners and why each technique is extremely important in the learning to swim process.
Breaststroke Kick
As a beginner, it is important to know how to perform the breaststroke kick in the water. Beginners can use this technique to tread water.
The breaststroke kick is often referred to as “the frog kick.” This is because of the similarity between the way a frog moves in the water in conjunction with the way humans look performing this kick. The breaststroke kick may not be the fastest stroke, but it is one of the easiest moves, physically on the body.
During this move, you do not have to put that much effort in, which means it will be easier to swim multiple laps, while maintaining your energy.
Sidestroke
The sidestroke technique is a great way for beginners to become more comfortable in the water. This swimming style occurs on one side as the other side rests.
People who suffer from back or neck pain can also benefit from this stroke, as it doesn’t require a bending kick. The sidestroke is much more relaxed than more advanced moves which makes it an excellent choice for long distance swimming.
Another reason this stroke is one of the top moves to learn is because you can use it while injured. While you are swimming, if you become injured, knowing the sidestroke will likely save your life.
Freestyle
The freestyle swim technique requires more advanced breathing than others, but this stroke can be taught to beginners without worrying about the breathing right away. This stroke is also extremely beneficial for long distance swimming.
During this stroke, beginners can hold their breath and take in air when they come up out of the water. This style relies more on upper body strength rather than your kick.
Front crawl
The front crawl is the most popular swim style that most people want to master. This swim technique is the fastest out of the basic strokes for beginners. During the front crawl, your body must be kept horizontal, stretched and streamlined. Having your body in this position will minimize drag and allow efficient movement throughout the water.
Backstroke
The last stroke that is very important for beginners to learn is the backstroke. Swimming on your back can be one of the most relaxing positions in the water. Once you are able to float on your back at a level of confidence, the backstroke is a simple swim technique all swimmers need in their back pocket!
One of the advantages to this position is that it allows you to breathe during any time. Many people fear this position because they are unable to see where they are going, hate the sun on their face or are afraid of the surprises (water splashes) that can occur.
Once the fear of these is out of mind, learning the backstroke is huge for water safety because you always have a way of staying afloat in the water, for long periods of time.
These are just a few of the swim techniques beginners will learn during swim lessons. Many people are only concerned with making it safely from one end of the pool to the other.
These swim techniques for beginners are important because without it, you will always be held back from improving your speed and capabilities. As a swimmer, if you attempt to put it all together without mastering individual skills, you will have poor technique and less efficiency while swimming.
Swimming requires dedication and putting in the work, without proper swim techniques, swimming becomes twice as hard. At InstaSwim, we teach proper techniques which will expand each swimmers ability beyond their current level.
