Even in open water, when you’re looking up to sight every 3 to 5 strokes, it’s important to keep your head down, and this is something I work on every day.

In this clip, block out everything except my head and eyes.  Notice that my eyes are looking directly down and that I’m leading with the top of my head.  

From years of swimming, I know that I’m faster when I keep my head down, and this is something I always work on.  

When I breathe, I try to have a good pocket breath with one eye in and one eye out.  I work on this in the pool, and try to breathe the same way in open water.  

From this angle, you can see that I have my neck straight in the  back.  If you could put a board on my back, it would be able to sit flat because my neck is straight.  My focus is to keep my chin in and have a flat neck.  

When I sight, I still try to keep my chin tucked in and my neck straight.  I come up just enough to get my eyes above the surface, then turn for the breath, and get right back into position with my head down and chin slightly tucked.

Keeping my head down is such a critical focus point for me that I work on it every day on every length.  I think about looking directly down, leading with the top of my head, and keeping one goggle in during the breath.  It helps me maintain good body position and speed.


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Freestyle Technique - Keep Your Head Down