Easily boost your freestyle speed—learn to "step on watermelon rinds" for effortless efficiency and freedom.

Swimming speed depends on two key factors: propulsion and drag. While enhancing propulsion is important, reducing drag is the primary focus for improving swimming speed—after all, minimizing resistance yields a more noticeable boost in pace. Therefore, once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of freestyle technique, you can enjoy swimming effortlessly without pushing yourself too hard. For instance, in a 50-meter pool, someone with a slightly heavier build typically maintains a 100-meter pace around 2 minutes and 30 seconds, while a leaner individual usually clocks in at about 2 minutes per 100 meters. However, if you add a bit more effort—like kicking off the wall without rolling—you can easily push your freestyle speed below 2 minutes for the 100-meter mark, even without relying on advanced techniques like body rotation or powerful wall kicks.

In my opinion, the best way to reduce drag in swimming is to slim down and maintain a lean, streamlined physique—after all, every sport demands a body type that complements its specific demands. For instance, elite marathon runners rarely carry excess weight, while top-tier weightlifters typically aren’t skinny. Even among swimmers, there’s a clear distinction: 100-meter sprinters and 1500-meter distance swimmers have distinctly different body shapes.

Next, let’s talk about freestyle swimming techniques. Many of the key techniques in the Total Immersion Freestyle method revolve around efficient power generation—whether it’s through gravity transfer, wide-arm recovery, or even downhill swimming. In fact, when you put it all together, it essentially comes down to the "stepping on a slippery banana peel" power technique. Below, we’ll explore how to master this skill from three distinct angles.

1. Master the changes in body balance during the side-to-side movement in freestyle swimming

Why practicing unilateral swimming is crucial: it not only helps swimmers feel the effects, intensity, and optimal trajectory of water-pulling and pushing motions but, more importantly, ensures that the body’s center of gravity remains stable. While swimming on one side, the center of gravity stays firmly positioned on the deeper, submerged side—much like how, in rowing, no matter how much power you apply through the oar, your body’s center of gravity stays within the boat itself, never shifting onto the oar. If, instead, you mistakenly transfer your body’s weight directly onto the oar while exerting full-body force during the stroke, you might increase your paddling power—but at the same time, you’ll fundamentally disrupt the left-right balance. This imbalance actually boosts drag significantly, ultimately leading to a far less efficient and effective swimming motion.

It’s like stepping on a watermelon rind: if your entire body weight is pressed directly onto the rind, not only will you slide very little—but you might even end up stuck in place. On the other hand, if you shift your center of gravity off the slippery surface and move in the opposite direction, you’ll glide much farther.

Similarly, when performing the pull-through in freestyle, shift your body's center of gravity to the opposite side of the arm doing the push. Coordinating this weight transfer with a smooth, steady rhythm of pushing force will significantly enhance your forward propulsion. Therefore, instead of simply focusing on generating maximum backward thrust and chasing speed during the push phase, pay close attention to synchronizing your push speed with the timing and pace of your body’s weight shift—this is where the real improvement lies.

2. Enhance the continuity and symmetry of the push-off movements on both sides

It’s impossible to swim the entire target distance by pushing off the water just once or twice. To improve freestyle speed, you need to think about how you distribute your energy across the whole swim—especially when it comes to short, explosive bursts, where conserving stamina for the final third of the race is crucial. Of course, every swimmer’s physical condition varies, leading to a unique energy-decay curve that requires tailored adjustments. For long-distance swimming, most of the time is spent maintaining a steady cruising pace, ensuring you’ve got enough energy reserves both to handle unexpected challenges and to deliver a powerful finish in the last kilometer.

Therefore, evaluating the propulsion efficiency cannot rely solely on unilateral strokes; instead, each complete stroke—defined as one stroke performed on both the left and right sides combined—should be considered. Only then does the resulting propulsion efficiency, along with the distance swum and stroke rhythm, become meaningful for designing effective training plans.

During daily practice, as you near the end of the left-side pull-through, focus on timing your right-side push. Pay close attention to the seamless transition between the left and right pushes, aiming for smooth, fluid movements in both strength and rhythm. If your right arm happens to have slightly stronger muscles, avoid overexerting it during the right-side push—instead, apply a bit more effort during the left-side push. This approach will help enhance overall symmetry in strength between your left and right sides.