How to Swim Freestyle More Efficiently: 9 Expert Tips for Faster, Easier Swimming

For many triathletes and swimmers, freestyle (front crawl) can feel exhausting. You may find yourself out of breath after only a few lengths, struggling to maintain rhythm, or feeling like everyone else glides through the water while you fight against it.

The good news? Swimming faster does not always mean working harder.

In fact, the best swimmers are usually the most efficient swimmers.

Learning how to swim freestyle more efficiently can help you conserve energy, improve endurance, and make swimming feel significantly easier — whether you're training for your first sprint triathlon or preparing for an Ironman.

At Frederick Webb Triathlon, we believe that small technical changes often create the biggest performance gains. Here are the key areas to focus on if you want to swim freestyle with less effort and more speed.

1. Improve Your Body Position

One of the biggest causes of inefficient freestyle swimming is poor body position.

Think of your body like a boat. The more drag you create, the harder you have to work.

Many swimmers allow their hips and legs to sink, creating resistance and slowing themselves down.

Instead, focus on maintaining a long, flat body position near the surface of the water.

Key tips:

• Keep your head neutral

• Look slightly down rather than forwards

• Engage your core muscles

• Keep hips high in the water

A simple adjustment in posture can instantly make swimming feel smoother and easier.

A useful cue is:

“Swim downhill.”

By keeping your chest slightly pressed into the water, your hips naturally rise and your body becomes more streamlined.

2. Stop Overkicking

Many beginner swimmers believe kicking harder equals swimming faster.

Usually, the opposite happens.

Excessive kicking wastes energy and raises your heart rate — something especially problematic in triathlon where you still have cycling and running ahead.

Efficient freestyle swimming uses a controlled, relaxed kick that supports body balance rather than powering every stroke.

For triathletes, a light 2-beat or 4-beat kick is often far more sustainable than aggressive sprint-style kicking.

Focus on:

• Small kicks

• Relaxed ankles

• Movement initiated from the hips

• Minimal splash

If your legs feel exhausted early in a session, you are likely kicking too hard.

3. Lengthen Your Stroke

One of the quickest ways to improve freestyle efficiency is increasing distance per stroke.

This means travelling further with every arm pull instead of spinning your arms faster.

The goal is not to glide excessively, but to create a long, controlled stroke.

Think about:

• Reaching forwards before beginning the pull

• Rotating through the body

• Finishing the stroke fully past the hip

• Holding water effectively

A great drill to improve this is counting strokes per length.

Try reducing your stroke count while maintaining pace. This teaches efficiency rather than brute force.

4. Learn Proper Breathing Technique

Poor breathing is one of the biggest reasons freestyle feels difficult.

Many swimmers lift their head too high to breathe, causing hips to sink and rhythm to disappear.

Efficient breathing should feel natural and relaxed.

Instead of lifting your head:

Rotate your body and turn your head slightly to the side.

Keep:

• One goggle in the water

• One goggle out

• Chin low

• Body rotating naturally

The biggest breathing mistake?

Holding your breath underwater.

Instead, continuously exhale while your face is submerged. This prevents carbon dioxide build-up and reduces panic or breathlessness.

A relaxed swimmer is always a faster swimmer.

5. Rotate Your Body Properly

Freestyle is not just an arm sport.

Efficient swimmers use the entire body.

Good freestyle technique involves rotating through the hips and torso, allowing stronger muscles to contribute to propulsion.

Without rotation:

• Your shoulders work harder

• Stroke shortens

• Fatigue increases

• Speed decreases

Imagine swimming “side to side” slightly rather than completely flat.

Rotation improves:

• Reach

• Power

• Breathing

• Stroke rhythm

For triathletes, this becomes especially important in open-water swimming where maintaining rhythm matters.

6. Fix Your Catch Position

Your “catch” is the moment your hand enters and begins pulling water.

A common mistake is pressing downward instead of backwards.

This wastes energy and lifts the body instead of moving you forwards.

Instead, aim for an Early Vertical Forearm (EVF) position.

This means:

• Fingertips point downward

• Elbow stays high

• Forearm catches water

• Pressure moves backwards

Think:

“Grab the water and pull yourself past it.”

Efficient swimmers feel pressure on the forearm, not just the hand.

This creates significantly more propulsion with less effort.

7. Relax More Than You Think

Tension kills swim efficiency.

Many swimmers:

• Clench fists

• Tighten shoulders

• Kick aggressively

• Fight the water

Fast swimmers often look effortless because they are relaxed.

Try to:

• Relax shoulders

• Keep hands soft

• Maintain rhythm

• Swim smoothly rather than forcefully

Remember:

Water rewards patience and rhythm — not aggression.

The more relaxed you become, the more efficient your freestyle swimming will feel.

8. Use Swim Drills to Reinforce Technique

Technique does not improve just by swimming laps.

Specific drills help retrain movement patterns.

Some of the best drills for freestyle efficiency include:

Catch-Up Drill

Improves stroke timing and extension.

Fingertip Drag Drill

Encourages high elbow recovery.

Side Kick Drill

Develops balance and body position.

Single Arm Freestyle

Improves catch awareness and coordination.

Pull Buoy Swimming

Helps focus on upper-body mechanics and body alignment.

At Frederick Webb Triathlon, we regularly use targeted drills to help swimmers improve efficiency quickly — particularly those preparing for triathlon or overcoming swim anxiety.

9. Get Your Technique Analysed

The reality is that most swimmers cannot see their own mistakes.

Small technical flaws often feel normal.

This is why professional feedback can accelerate progress dramatically.

A minor correction in:

• breathing

• hand entry

• body position

• kick timing

can instantly improve efficiency and confidence.

For triathletes, efficient freestyle swimming means:

• Lower heart rate

• More energy for the bike and run

• Faster swim splits

• Increased confidence in open water

Whether you're training for your first triathlon or chasing an Ironman personal best, improving freestyle efficiency is one of the highest-return investments you can make.

Final Thoughts

Swimming freestyle efficiently is not about brute strength.

It is about reducing resistance, improving rhythm, and making every stroke count.

Focus on:
✔ Better body position
✔ Controlled breathing
✔ A longer stroke
✔ Relaxed movement
✔ Smart technique drills

The result?

You will swim faster, feel smoother, and use less energy.

At Frederick Webb Triathlon, we help athletes improve swim efficiency through personalised coaching, stroke analysis, and open-water swim preparation for triathlon racing. Whether you're a beginner swimmer or preparing for long-course racing, improving your freestyle technique could be the breakthrough your training needs.

Ready to swim faster with less effort? Get in touch with Frederick Webb Triathlon to improve your freestyle technique and triathlon swim confidence.