How to Reduce Drag in Freestyle Swimming?

Question

What can I do to achieve better streamlining and swim with improved efficiency in freestyle?

Answer 1

Focus on pressing your chest and head down into the water to elevate your hips and legs in a horizontal position to reduce drag in freestyle swimming. Keep your head, hips and heels close to the surface to maintain a streamlined position. When performing a stroke, refrain from crossing over the center line with your arms and ensure that your movements are even and controlled. Additionally, pay attention to your head position, looking down or slightly ahead and do not hunch so much at the hips and knees.

Comments

These contents are gold. Really informative and interesting. I've been following the content creator since late 2023 and joined a swimming group in early 2024, my freestyle has improved massively, but still has a long way to go.
Recently I've been experiencing some pain in the shoulder, my instructor read a few lengths and noticed that I wasn't following the advise set out in the 'Train Tracks' section of the content and I was crossing over with one aim. I didn't realise I was doing this so having someone else to point it out was great. The content points out that crossing over the center line would slow the swim down, but would you expect it to led to injury?
To correct this I've moved down into a slower lane and I'm focusing everything on where my hands go until it come naturally and hurts less. I'll be in the pool this week will also be paying some attention to hip rotation and straighter legs.