Freestyle
- Like "upside-down" backstroke; dolphin to flutter to pull. You want to take the first pull with the lower hand - and that means the hand attached to the arm attached to the shoulder that was closest to the bottom of the pool when you pushed off of the wall. Here we are looking at the freestyle breakout following an open turn. If you do a flip turn, you should push off more on your back - this can allow you to perform a faster flip turn. since you do not have to rotate as much as you somersault to reverse direction (more on this in some future features).
- Push off on your side and rotate towards your chest as your feet leave the wall.
- Begin dolphin kicking while at an angle, but control the motion; keep your upper body streamlined while your waist and legs undulate.
- Push off slightly down, level off after a few kicks - but before you transition from dolphin kick to flutter kick - then begin to surface as you rotate and continue to flutter kick into the first stroke.
- After several dolphin kicks (experiment at practice, starting with at least two) switch into a small fast flutter kick. You should begin to level out towards the mid-point of the dolphin kicks, then begin to go up as you flutter kick.
- Time the first arm pull to finish so your shoulder is lifting above the surface as you complete the stroke, allowing for a normal recovery.
- As you surface,establish your freestyle head position to lead your body into its position.
- Start your second arm slightly early to add more "oomph" to your breakout - once you are moving from under to up, get there and establish your body position, just like backstroke.
- Use a strong kick from the breakout through the first several strokes to also establish your body position.
More on Swimming Turns:
- Swim Turns, Part 1 - Open Turns
- Swim Turns, Part 2 - More Open Turns
- Swim Turns, Part 3 - Breakouts or Surfacing
- Swim Turns, Part 4 - Freestyle Flip Turn Basics
- Swim Turns, Part 5 - More on Freestyle Flip Turns
- Swim Turns, Part 6 - Backstroke Flip Turn Basics
Swim On!
