Swimming.. tell me it gets easier!

Swimming is fun, eh.  It does get easier but it really helps a lot to have someone watching you and telling you how to modify your stroke.  I started out swimming 50m (there and back) then clinging to the wall in the shallow end for several minutes to catch my breath.  It wasn't until one day I swam with four people in the lane and we were swimming freestyle.  The person ahead of me was swimming a bit slower than I thought we should be but I decided to stay behind.  Forcing myself to swim slower we wound up swimming a continuous 750m and the whole time I was amazed I was still going and breathing fine.

So, first thing is to SLOW down.  If you swim your fastest 25m at the start of a set you'll quickly burn out.  Pace yourself so you are as fast at the end of the set as at the start.  Ignore all other swimmers and swim your own pace.  Also slow your kicking down and don't bend your knees.  Kick from your hips.  If your thighs are burning you're doing it wrong.  Try to get your legs high enough that your heels are breaking the surface of the water.  If your legs are a couple feet below the surface it creates a lot of drag and takes a lot of energy.  It may seem counter intuitive but if you want to swim better/faster slow down.  Later you'll do sprints and build speed.

The video is a great idea.  I thought I was swimming great until I saw a video of myself.  I was dragging my feet quite low and my stroke was really bad.  Everyone thinks their form is fine until they see video.  If you can't afford a few lessons then talk to a friend that is a good swimmer.  You may get some bad advice but it will still help.  I swim with a group and it makes a big difference.

As stated above, breath normally and exhale while your face is in the water.  By exhaling you can inhale easier and more fully.  When you're breathing don't raise your head out of the water (half your goggles should remain in the water at all times.  Raising your head takes a lot of energy to tire you out and it slows you down.  I also breath with every second stroke rather than bilateral breathing.  Once you get comfortable you can work on bilateral breathing later.

Pay attention to your stroke.  Your hands should be vertical as soon as your hand enters the water and you are pulling with your hand and forearm.  Play with it as you swim a length and feel the water.  You should also play with your fingers as you swim.  Some splaying of the fingers will increase your pull but not too wide or you'll lose some pull power.  I find about 1/4" apart works for me.

Swimming is hard because there are so many nuances to it but it sure feels good when it all comes together.  

One last thing - How often are you swimming?  Once a week is way too low.  I swim 3 times per week (consistently for 3.5 years) and only recently found out I should be swimming more often.

It gets easier but you need good form. You can be fit as a fiddle but if your swim form is bad it doesn't really matter! A coach is ideal but these cost money.

It seems like you can do the distance already so you'll be fine, but focusing on a few points mean you'll get out the pool fresher. The ones I am working on at the moment are:

1. Look downwards. You need to be aware of your surroundings so you can look up whenever you want but getting your head in the right position will improve your whole body position.

2. Engage your core. Difficult to explain but the aim is to use your core to drive your leg kick, and leverage the work your upper body is doing.

3. Glide! (This was mentioned earlier) Rather than windmilling your arms, leave your leading arm outstretched for a moment. You wont lose speed.

It gets easier ... but then you're better at it and want to go faster, which means you put more effort in ... so no, I guess not

You're doing great. Spend some time on the http://www.swimsmooth.com site ... simple, outstanding, videos and illustrations, advice for every level that is so easy to do.

Josh, please IM me if you'd be interested in doing a guest blog post?

Cheers

Ha, that's what I was thinking - it doesn't get easier because you work harder to improve and go faster. But it's all good. The stroke does get easier - and there gets to be an 'easy' pace where you can have different effort levels.