Breathing efficiently can make or break your technique and endurance efficiency. Because the mechanics of the breath itself do not offer propulsion, the rule of the breath is to ensure you take ample air while ensuring your technique does not alter and disturb the pulling phase. Most swimmers make the mistake of altering their technique to take a full breath, leading to inefficient and often shoulder injuries. To effectively breathe while maintaining propulsion, the mechanics of the breathing phase must fit within the existing mechanics of the swimming stroke.

This is the most popular learn-to-swim (LTS) video from our LTS series on YouTube.  In this video we cover the drills Catch Position Roll and adding the freestyle breath. Catch Position Roll layers the key movements in the stroke one-by-one to improve conditioning and maximise swimmers awareness of each layer of the swimming stroke.  In our LTS series, we cover the step-by-step process of building your freestyle stroke whilst learning the fundamental principles of swimming and swimming mechanics.

Tumble turns are a great way to speed up your swimming times or at least take the stop-start out of your lap turnaround. A smooth tumble turn resembles a seamless manoeuvre of turning and rotating simultaneously. However, if you take a closer look, an efficient tumble turn is a series of individual movements layered closely one after the other. Ensure your head leads your turn. The direction of your head sets the direction of your turn. Before you push off the wall, you should be facing the sky. Only turn onto your front as you push off the wall in a streamlined position.