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Browse through our thousands of Lessons to gain a deeper understanding of swimming. Use our search bar located above or, if you're new to the site, use the Guided View to help narrow down the Lessons presented to you. If you use the Guided View, you’ll also be able to add your Expertise Level as an additional filter.

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Go Swim Freestyle.

For the final section of the video, we feel there’s no better way to learn than just to watch Scott swim. Try to pick out the things we focused on. Are his hands and arms relaxed on the recovery? Is the hand entry clean, with an early catch that he never lets go? How well does he hide the breath? Does he have full-body rotation and a narrow, consistent kick? And does he send all his energy forward? Try to find the things Scott does…that every swimmer can do. And watch how he searches at slow speed… …for the things he wants to have in his stroke when he goes fast. Swimming is all about the search for speed. And as every great swimmer will tell you: Never stop exploring. Use every practice to find the techniques that work best for you.

Jan. 16, 2024 - Lightning Round

This week we feature GoSwim videos that are 42 seconds or less in length. As we challenge Glenn to give a quick analysis and takeaway on each video, see how much you can absorb by watching small details with great intensity! Monday Kelsi (Worrell) Dahlia: Preview What’s the first technique point that comes to your mind as you watch Olympian Kelsi Dahlia? For us, it’s how she undulates just above and below the water line. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2298-preview-kelsi-worrell-butterfly fitness training swimming Tuesday Connor Oslin: PREVIEW – Backstroke Pull What catches our eye in this clip of Connor Oslin is the integrity of the line along his forearm, wrist, and palm as he executes a bent-arm pull. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2304-backstroke-pull fitness training swimming Wednesday Roque Santos: Head-on video When we watch this clip of Olympian Roque Santos, two words come to mind: Hand Speed. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/519-breaststroke-head-on-video fitness training swimming Thursday Brendan Hansen: Breaststroke Turn Brendan Hansen’s turning technique is on full display here, but we also notice the thinking, planning, and adjusting that’s going on each time he sees the wall during the breath. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/925-breaststroke-turn fitness training swimming Friday Brendan Hansen: Breaststroke Timing In two stroke cycles, Brendan Hansen delivers a master class in breaststroke timing. Look for ONE thing and take the image to the pool with you. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/916-breaststroke-timing fitness training swimming Saturday Jason Lezak: Slow Motion Sprinting Here’s slow-motion of Jason Lezak’s sprint freestyle. We notice the commitment to extension even at race pace. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/977-slow-motion-sprinting fitness training swimming Sunday Kaitlin Sandeno: Underwater Dolphin Kick – Back Full-body flow is what comes to mind as we watch Kaitlin Sandeno’s underwater kick. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/555-underwater-dolphin-back fitness training swimming Bonus Ash Delaney: Stable Head Slow Motion This clip is longer than 42 seconds, but we like it because it zeroes in on one aspect of Ash Delaney’s backstroke. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1613-backstroke-stable-head

Grant House - Fast 50 Evaluation

On this 50 grand is going faster. So one of the things to notice what to go back and look at the other one, but his feet placement is, is high on the wall in order to get a little bit of a downward exit to get into some deeper water less underwater dolphins because he wants to get up to speed a little bit quicker. But we do notice that his body is still in this breakout position perfectly horizontal to or parallel to the surface of the water. Great head position down, you see that he's attacking the hands much quicker this time. And so we'll see more of a separation between the two hands. So this does constitute a more forward quadrant or catch up type of stroke. And that this hand is entering before this hand passes the shoulder. That does also lead to better connection through the lats and the way that that body pulls the arm back. Great extension forward to the head position. I'm not sure if he's taken a breath yet. So staying we're stable in this one. There's the breath up a little bit in order to get the breath but then settles back down nicely. Great balance, stronger kick and obviously a higher tempo. Look at how the head buries into the turn. Again, beautiful breakout. Look at that catch. So this is what we're trying to do is get this arm into a position that is leveraging on the water as much as possible will notice a lot of the bigger athletes are going to have more of a straighter arm. Then you'll see on some of the bent arm swimmers or the high elbow swimmers. Again this it takes a lot of strength but it does give a lot of surface area in pushing back. So it is beneficial but again you have to be trained in order to do this and it takes years and making sure that the shoulders are properly conditioned to take advantage of that longer lever that we see here. So you get this balanced breath. So it comes up slightly but we never see that bottom goggle leave the water. Again, beautiful job head down into the finish. And again touching low on the wall, not up on the gutter

BONUS - Starts - Kara Lynn

BONUS - Starts

Freestyle - Flutter Kick Focus

To really sprint in freestyle, you're going to have to develop a strong kick. Focusing on how much you use your legs can really help this. Why do it: Learning to drive your stroke from your kick is one option to really swimming fast. Because many swimmers focus so much on the pull, switching your focus during sprints to the kick can help you develop a new tool. How to do it: 1) Start with a length or two of freestyle using very little kick. 2) Just as with any descending set, as the lengths go by, start to increase the intensity of the legs. 3) Continue to drive the stroke from the legs and allow the arms to match whatever rhythm that develops. 4) On the fastest swim, rather than focusing on the arms, shift your attention to over-kicking to drive you forward. How to do it really well (the fine points): This is really a mental drill as much as a physical drill. Pinpointing all your attention to your legs during fast swimming will help you increase the effectiveness of your kick. If you spend most of your time thinking about your pull, switch the focus to the legs every once in a while to make sure you're leaving nothing to chance.

Start - Martyn

Martyn performs a sprint start shown from above and below the surface.

Sept 6, 2022 - Sprint Freestyle Zoom

Inspired by the setting of a new world record for men’s 100M freestyle, we’ll look at how several elite freestylers train for speed. It’s maybe not what you think. Monday - https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2374-slow-to-fast :15 - the THROW :32 - look at the crossover :36 - hand flattens out and moves forward :40 - hand and arm extension :43 - bodyline :47 - kick :59 - reaching full extension when swimming slowly 1:12 - watch how late he breathes 1:45 - when swimming slow - bent arm recovery 1:58 - driving to extension when swimming slow 2:15 - still swimming with bent arm recovery 2:43 - increasing speed means the arms become more straight 3:12 - straight arm recovery 3:39 - watch the water slow the arm and drive it forward Tuesday - https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/661-learn-to-swim-soft-to-go-fast :13 - very stable head :20 - great balance and stability :25 - the classic picture! :30 - arm in front of the body on recovery - weight shift! :55 - hitting with the inner elbow 1:04 - pinky exit 1:21 - high elbows 1:34 - low breath 1:48 - consistent kick when going slow 1:55 - consistent kick when going fast 2:16 - 2 beat kick 2:40 - feeling the water Wednesday - https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2578-introduction-to-james-s-freestyle :21 - full extension and soft fingers :32 - initial catch :40 - driving forward with fins :49 - arm in front of the body :53 - catch up timing fully connected catch :58 - working core stability 1:09 - swimming slowly, very much catch-up 1:34 - watch the hands 1:42 - using a 2-beat kick at slow speeds 1:43 - frame forward showing head rotating early for breath 1:56 - slightly increased rate, a bit less catch up 2:04 - better view of head rotating to air early 2:27 - slight lope and left hand right at shoulders when right hand enters 2:30 - more catch up 2:47 - breathing every stroke - not a noticeable lope, but it’s there Thursday - https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2243-body-balance-freestyle-arms :08 - arm variations - one down one to the side :13 - pull buoy with strap or the Finis Ankle buoy :19 - right arm sweeping on the surface - left arm pulling down :25 - move the arms so slowly that the body doesn’t move :33 - this is a coordination exercise :44 - also breath control - air is buoyant :59 - there will be some movement, but minimize it 1:15 - developing FEEL Friday - https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/689-bonus-buckets :08 - develop powerful legs - fill the bucket w water vertical kick :14 - you can see the waterline :25 - rest then repeat 1:00 - starting the pull 1:11 - scene from Jaws 1:22 - pull and kick strength 1:41 - see the work without the pace Saturday - https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/354-train-for-speed :16 - swim slow to swim fast :45 - to swim fast you have to train fast - in and out of the pool :50 - dryland, he trains for strength 1:02 - mimic the speed of the sprints during drylands 1:19 - knows his rate is 1.0 stroke cycle for his sprint 1:44 - assisted swimming 2:00 - equipment - look at the snorkel 2:10 - parachute 2:25 - parachute with fists 2:44 - ankle bands 3:00 - stretch cords resistive 3:10 - stretch cords assisted 3:22 - swim fast in practice Sunday - https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2248-freestyle-intro-to-speed :20 - swimmer sees the clock and sends themselves off :35 - swimmer sees the finish time :45 - 16 x 25 on :40 with all swims at :14 1:04 - 16 x 25 on :35 with all swims at :14 - made 6 1:20 - 16 x 25 on :30 with all swims at :14 - made 7 1:54 - change the goal time to :13 Bonus Ideas: Brad Tandy – Slow Motion Freestyle https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2946-slow-motion-freestyle David Curtiss – Body Balance https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3337-03-dc-body-balance Jessica Hardy – Spin Drill https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1287-freestyle-spin-drill Ben Proud https://youtu.be/pssXaZR6fr4?t=16

Nov. 22, 2022 - Straight-Arm Sprint Freestyle

Sprint Free Straight-Arm Recovery While most swimmers are taught to swim freestyle with a bent-arm recovery, more and more SPRINT freestylers are turning to a straight-arm recovery. If you’ve never experimented with straight-arm recovery, it’s worth trying! This week we look at six sprint freestylers and how they train for a straight-arm recovery. https://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/2012/06/20/johns_hopkins_study_says_straight_arm_front_crawl_a_faster_stroke_for_swimmers.html Monday https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2374-slow-to-fast From beginning - the throw :32 - left arm straighter than right :34 - fingers slightly ahead of the rest of the arm :36 - heavy arm slows and drives slightly forward 1:00 - swimming slower than race pace 1:45 - slow - bent elbow recovery 2:07 - slow - bent elbow recovery 2:42 - starting to throw 3:09 - full straight-arm throw Tuesday https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1405-freestyle-extension 08 - Straight arm recovery :19 - avoids underwater extension for sprinting :24 - step through to finger first :26 - wrist articulation in recovery :44 - wrist articulation on entry :49 - wrist articulation on entry :53 - wrist articulation on entry Wednesday https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1294-freestyle-fist-drill :09 - fist drill :20 - modified fist :23 - forearm catch :31 - very straight arm recovery :43 - pivoting the arm into catch :57 - full arm catch Thursday https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/681-relaxed-recovery :11 - fast lap - play through Then back up showing wrist articulation :26 - fingers in first :38 - straight but hooked :50 - look at how rotated the shoulder is 1:02 - wrist 1:45 - talking about the weight of the arm 2:01 - timing shifts when rate increases 2:27 - the throw 2:44 - the fingers 2:52 - the fingers 2:57 - the breath Friday https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3170-andi-direct-catch From beginning… look at the high recovery and rotation 1:12 - working on the left hand during the breath 1:17 - left hand internally rotated during the breath 1:31 - leverage 1:33 - leverage 1:39 - leverage Saturday https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1771-matt-targett-fast-free-from-above From beginning - throwing the arms :20 - arms opposing - wrist articulated :34 - throws slightly more to the side than the top :44 - arms land in front of shoulder :51 - fingers slightly lead the way :59 - sprinter breath 1:11 - sprinter breath Sunday https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2280-freestyle-with-a-stick :08 - lift the back first :22 - catch driven by the core :36 - long straight arm like in the first link :40 - start with the recovery :43 - start with the recovery :47 - kayak 1:00 - recovery starts first 1:08 - stays on side until the transition to the other side 1:20 - straight arm above 1:24 - straight arm above 1:53 - straight arm under Bonus: Freestyle Drill: Vary Your Recovery https://www.goswim.tv/app/lessons/633fb611efb683328357d1d9

05 - DC - TENNIS BALL DROP

From the working title, David Curtiss Freestyle 2021. These raw video files are what we’re using to produce David’s final video series.

Fast Freestyle focus on Kick

Dominik picks up the pace as we focus on his kick. Watch how long the feet are and how pointed his toes are.

Starts - Cord Breakouts

Want really fast breakouts from your starts? Here's a quick drill that will help. Why do it: Maintaining your speed from the blocks is probably one of the most important aspects of fast swimming. Slow down too soon and you may have already lost the race. How to do it: 1) Take a normal stretch cord, and shorten it by looping it around the back of the blocks. This length can be varied depending on the strength of the swimmer, and what part of the breakout you want to work on. 2) Have the swimmers do a start to test the resistance of the cord. You want the cord to either work on the initial dolphin, or the breakout. Today, we're working on the breakout, so the cord is a bit longer. 3) Do a bunch of starts, with the swimmers taking a couple strokes through the breakout, and this should be against very strong resistance. How to do it really well (the fine points): You can time them, or vary which stroke you use on your breakout. Where is your shoulder when you breakout, and are you popping up or creating a smooth transition to the surface? When doing this correctly, with full explosion and intensity, you should only do 5 - 10 of these. Don't keep doing them if you're not able to maintain full speed through the entire exercise. For safety, whenever a cord is wrapped or used with part of it out of the water, use a cord with a safety strap INSIDE the cord, or double check that nobody is behind the block. Swimmers rarely get hurt if a cord breaks as the water disapates the energy of the snap. Bystanders or people behind the cord are generally the ones who get hurt. Be very careful.

Freestyle Body Driven

Video from directly above Bobby showing his body movement during "body-driven" freestyle.