Five Keys to Efficient Swimming

Swimming isn't as easy as it looks. For most, swimming is what they see in the Olympics, with well-trained athletes seemingly gliding across the water in an effortless manner. Yet, while it may appear to be flawless, good swimming is pretty tough to do.

For many people, even those who have been swimming for some time, the idea of working as fast and as hard as you can equates with strong, fast swimming. But, in all actuality, the opposite is true. To breeze through the water you must work consistently and know when the body needs to rest...yes, you do rest while you swim!

So, to keep the concept of efficiency in the forefront of your mind, and to enhance your overall performance as a swimmer, consider these five ideals for making your time in the water more efficient.

1. Slower arms: If you swim the freestyle with arms pumping like pistons on a locomotive, then you are expending way too much energy to stay in it for the long haul. The arms should work under the water when you pull beneath your body. Conversely, when the arm emerges from the water, your hand, wrist, and forearm should rest as if goes forward to re-enter in front of you. So, slow your arms down above the water and don't rush. Seek a smooth, fluid motion.

2. Face down: Too many folks swim with their forehead sticking out in front of them above the water line. This throws your entire body out of alignment. Once you have your head angle up, your hips begin to drop, which makes your legs sink a bit and your body drag. Now your body is slanted down through the water, making it more difficult to pull through it. If you allow the water line to split your head on the top, you'll keep the body in line with the top of the water, thus permitting it to glide on one plain rather than on an angle.

3. Hips up: If you catch your hips dipping too low, you'll drag and lose all the power in your kick. If you leave all the work up to your arms and the pull they have to complete, and you eliminate the propulsion provided by the legs, you'll burn too much energy and become incredibly inefficient. Your legs and arms have to work in harmony, yet they can't if your hips begin to sink.

4. Soft kicks: You are not in the World Cup, so there exists no need to kick the water tremendously hard. Easy flutter kicks that are short and consistent will give the body a steady forward motion. Excessive kicking only causes the body to burn needed energy and throws the streamlined idea off balance. It may seem illogical to not kick hard, but if you want to be efficient in the water, slow down your feet.

5. Smaller mouth: Picking your entire head up out of the water to breathe is a mistake, yet so is turning too much of your mouth out. Strong swimmers raise their mouths just out of the water; in fact, many of the world's best have only a small portion of their mouth exposed when taking a breath. Minimizing the head movement will keep your body aligned, so only put as much out as you need. While you might swallow a little water every so often, over time you'll find that this technique will keep you moving far more efficiently than before.