Sprint Freestyle

Sprint freestyle events are without a doubt the most exciting and demanding events in swimming. It requires explosive power, precision, speed, and endurance. The 100 freestyle is the blue-ribbon event. It’s the one event every swimmer WANTS to win, and the 50 freestyle is the event everyone wishes they COULD swim.

Whether you are a coach looking to improve your swimmers' performance or a high-level swimmer aiming to dominate the competition, this blog post is for you. In this article, we will explore the fundamental techniques and training strategies that can help you master the sprint freestyle.

I’ve always had a deep fascination for the 50m Freestyle. Having raced for Australia in the semi-final in Sydney 2000, and the championship final in Athens 2004, I can honestly say I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to figure it out. It’s the shortest race in the pool, and the easiest to get wrong, without being able to make up for your mistakes. However, what most people don’t fully understand or appreciate is, the best swimmer always wins. That’s the person who makes the least number of mistakes and capitalizes on all the training the most effectively.

Start Strong

The first few strokes of your sprint freestyle can make a significant difference in your overall performance, so getting off the block and into a powerful underwater dolphin kick is crucial. Make sure you maintain a streamlined body position throughout your start to minimize drag and help you conserve energy. Trying to utilize the entire 15m for your underwater is the ultimate aim. Caeleb Dressel and Ben Proud are the current world’s best at this on the men’s side, and Sarah Sjostrom is the Queen on the women’s side.

Master Your Stroke Technique

Sprint freestyle requires a high stroke rate and long, powerful pull. The balance between stroke length and stroke tempo will be very individual for each athlete. This is where training to race comes into play! Focus on keeping your elbows high and rotating your hips to generate more power. Your arms should move in a straight line, entering the water at the top of the stroke, pulling back with your hands just past your hips, and finishing at your thigh. Your kick should be ultra-fast and shallow, with a small knee bend, emphasizing quick and snappy movements.

Build Endurance

To excel at sprint freestyle, you need top-quality endurance. Include speed endurance, lactate tolerance, and race pace training in your workout regimen to help you build endurance while maintaining your speed and stroke technique. Incorporate interval workouts to promote recovery and avoid burnout. Work on Front End Speed (FES - 1st 50 of your 100 speed) and Back End Speed (BES - 2nd 50 of your 100 speed) in practice on a regular basis.

Perfect Your Flip Turn Technique

A poor turn can destroy your speed and lead to a major disadvantage. Aim to execute a fast and efficient flip turn that allows you to maintain your speed in and out of the wall. Position your feet at 45 degrees on the wall and tuck in your chin on approach. Turn fast but land softly, then push-off minimizing the deceleration. Push off in a powerful streamline position, and transition quickly into an underwater dolphin kickoff to make up the time utilized in the turn.

Count Your trokes!

Count or monitor the number of strokes you take per lap to track your progress and gauge your swimming efficiency. Alex Popov was a master at this in my time. Aim to reduce the number of strokes used while still being able to maintain speed and intensity. You can improve your efficiency a n umber of freestyle technique drills to sharpen your catch and reduce drag related to recovery. But nothing will ever be a substitute for practicing racing in the buildup to a taper meet.

Stay In Your Lane

I was reminded of this critical point when I shared a draft of this article to Bruno Fratus, the most consistent sprinter in history, with over 100 swims under 22 seconds LCM. He told me I would fequesntly harp on this point. Stay in your lane Bruno! You can’t swim someone else’s race. Stay focused on you and your swim, the rest will take care of itself!

To conclude, Sprint freestyle is a challenging and exciting race that requires immense skill and endurance. As a coach or high-level swimmer, its key to understand integral techniques and training regimes to improve performance consistently. Emphasis on powerful starts, long and powerful strokes, and flip turn efficiency, when combined with drills and endurance work, will give you an edge over your competitors. Incorporating these tips and techniques into your workout routine will help you dominate your next sprint freestyle race.