amy smith swim camps

Amy Smith, a prominent British sprinter in the early 21st century, boasts an impressive record as a multiple European and Commonwealth Games medalist.

 She represented GB in the 2012 Olympics, achieving 5th place in the 100m freestyle relay and 9th place in the 50m freestyle. Today, Amy, along with her partner and fellow Olympian Joe Roebuck, runs Swim Swift Elite, a program dedicated to assisting young and experienced swimmers worldwide in improving their technique, confidence, and overall understanding of the sport.

1. CORRECT YOUR HEAD POSITION

Maintain a neutral head position by directing your gaze downward rather than straight ahead. Visualize wearing headphones, with the waterline aligning with the headband. This posture helps relax your neck and prevents arching your back. Focus on elongating the back of your neck.

2. STABILIZE YOUR BACK AND ENGAGE YOUR CORE MUSCLES

Tilt your hips and activate your deep core muscles, including the pelvic floor, diaphragm, transverse abdominis, and other smaller muscles. This action stabilizes your back and improves your body’s
alignment in the water. Initially, practice this movement on land by lying on your back with your arms extended overhead in a streamlined position. Tilt your hips to make contact between your lower back and the floor while keeping the rest of your body relaxed. Then transfer this motion to the water, lying on your front with a pull buoy between your ankles. Avoid allowing your head to dip and your buttocks to rise, focusing on the hip tilt. Engaging your core while swimming ensures that your upper and lower body work harmoniously as a single unit, preventing unnecessary movements and enhancing your stroke power.

3. INCORPORATE HIP ROTATION

When your arm is at its catch point, raise your opposite hip higher in the water. Drive your opposite hip toward your hand as you execute the pull with a high elbow. This technique generates power in your stroke, leveraging larger, stronger muscles while maximizing the length achieved with each stroke. Aim for a rotation of approximately 90 degrees, transitioning from a flat position to maximum rotation during the stroke.

4. ALIGN YOUR FINGERS AND ELBOW

During the pulling phase, ensure that your fingers point downward toward the floor while maintaining a fixed elbow position. Focus on engaging the water with your forearm and feeling the pressure. This technique is easier to execute if you have achieved the desired rotation mentioned earlier. Avoid any inward or outward movements; instead, concentrate on a straight pull along your body’s centerline.

5. ADOPT TRICKLE BREATHING

Rather than holding your breath, release air slowly before turning your head to take a breath. By doing so, you avoid retaining air in your lungs, which can lead to an accumulation of carbon dioxide. Additionally, trickle breathing enables you to take quicker breaths, preventing a sense of breathlessness compared to explosive breathing techniques.


Implement these five tips to enhance your freestyle technique, improving your efficiency, speed, and overall performance in the water.

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