You’re probably working way too hard. I see it every single day at the local pool—someone huffing and puffing, arms flailing, heart rate hitting the ceiling, and they’ve barely cleared twenty-five yards. It’s exhausting just watching it. The reality of learning how to improve swimming technique isn't about getting stronger or "trying harder." In fact, trying harder is usually what kills your speed. Swimming is a sport of physics, not just fitness. You are moving through a medium that is roughly 800 times denser than air. If your body position is even slightly off, you’re basically trying to push a plywood board through the water broadside.
Stop thinking about swimming as a series of pulls and kicks. It’s actually a game of drag reduction.
The "Sink Leg" Epidemic and How to Fix It
Most swimmers struggle because their hips and legs are dragging along the bottom like an anchor. You can have the strongest lats in the world, but if your lower half is at a 45-degree angle, you aren't going anywhere fast. This is usually caused by two things: head position and a lack of core engagement.
Look at the floor. No, seriously. Most people look forward when they swim because they want to see where they’re going or they’re afraid of hitting the wall. When you lift your head, your hips drop. It’s a seesaw effect. To fix this, you need to tuck your chin slightly and look at the black line on the bottom of the pool. The water should hit right at the crown of your head.
Pressing the Buoy
There is a concept in swim coaching called "pressing the buoy." Your lungs are filled with air, making your chest float. Your legs, however, are mostly bone and muscle, which makes them sink. If you consciously "press" your chest down into the water, your hips will naturally pop up. It feels counterintuitive—like you're trying to drown yourself—but it’s the secret to a flat, hydrodynamic profile.
Sheila Taormina, an Olympic gold medalist in swimming (and also a world champion in triathlon), often talks about this "balanced" feeling. She emphasizes that until you find your balance, every ounce of energy spent on your stroke is essentially wasted. You’re just generating more turbulence instead of more forward motion.
The Catch: Why "Pulling" is a Misnomer
We call it the "pull," but expert coaches like those at Total Immersion or Swim Smooth prefer the term "the catch." You aren't pulling your hand through the water. You’re actually trying to "grab" a handful of water and move your body past it. Think of it like a ladder. You reach up, grab a rung, and pull your body up. You don't pull the rung down to your waist.
A common mistake is the "dropped elbow." This happens when your hand leads the movement and your elbow follows. It results in a very weak, slipping sensation. Instead, you want an Early Vertical Forearm (EVF).
- Reach: Extend your arm forward, but don't cross the midline of your body.
- The Tip: Flick your wrist down so your fingers point toward the bottom.
- The Anchor: Keep your elbow high and "wrap" your arm around a giant barrel.
By keeping a high elbow, you use the entire surface area of your hand and forearm as a paddle. This increases the amount of water you can displace. If you're wondering how to improve swimming technique in terms of raw speed, this is the single biggest mechanical change you can make. It takes a ton of practice and focus, but the payoff is massive.
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Breathing Without Sabotaging Your Stroke
Breathing is where everything usually falls apart. You’re cruising along, feeling like Michael Phelps, and then you need air. You twist your whole body, your lead arm drops, your legs splay out to balance you, and suddenly you’ve lost all your momentum.
Exhale underwater. Honestly, this is the most basic thing, but so many people hold their breath until their face breaks the surface. This leads to CO2 buildup, which triggers that "panic" feeling in your lungs. You should be blowing a steady stream of bubbles through your nose or mouth the entire time your face is in the water.
When it’s time to inhale, don't lift your head. Rotate it. You should keep one eye (or at least half a goggle) in the water. This is often called "the bow wave" breath. As your head moves through the water, it creates a small trough or pocket of air right next to your face. You can breathe in that pocket without needing to crane your neck.
The Role of the Kick: It’s Not for Power
Unless you’re sprinting a 50-meter fly, your kick isn't there to provide 100% of your power. For long-distance or fitness swimming, the kick serves two primary purposes: stabilization and lift.
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A massive, wide kick creates huge amounts of drag. Your feet should stay within the "shadow" of your body. Think of it like a flutter—small, fast, and driven from the hips, not the knees. If your knees are bending too much, you’re basically cycling in the water, which creates a wall of resistance.
Try a two-beat kick for endurance. This means one kick for every arm stroke. It’s efficient, keeps your heart rate down, and helps time your hip rotation. Hip rotation is vital. You should be swimming on your "sides" more than your belly. Think of your body like a roasting spit; you rotate from one side to the other, powered by the core.
Real-World Drills to Refine the Process
You can't just swim laps and expect to get better. You need purposeful practice. Take a look at these specific drills that actually work:
1. Fist Swimming: Try swimming a whole lap with your hands clenched into fists. It’s frustrating. You’ll feel like you’re doing nothing. But it forces you to feel the water with your forearms. When you open your hands back up, you’ll suddenly feel like you have giant paddles attached to your wrists.
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2. Finger-Tip Drag: During the recovery phase (when your arm is out of the water), drag your fingertips along the surface of the pool. This encourages a high-elbow recovery and prevents you from "swinging" your arm out wide, which can throw off your alignment.
3. The 6-3-6 Drill: Six kicks on your right side (arm extended), three full strokes, then six kicks on your left side. This builds "comfort" in that side-lying position and reinforces the idea that swimming happens on the edges of the body, not just flat on the chest.
What People Get Wrong About Fitness
People think they need to be "in shape" to swim well. It’s actually the opposite: you need technique to get the fitness benefits without injuring your shoulders. Swimmer’s shoulder (impingement) is a real thing, and it usually comes from "reaching" too far across the midline or having a flat, non-rotating stroke.
If you're looking for a specific resource, the book Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin changed how millions of people approach the water. He focused on "slippery" swimming. He argued that the best swimmers aren't the ones who can push the most water, but the ones who can move through it with the least amount of fuss.
Actionable Steps to Improve Your Technique Right Now
Start small. Don't try to change five things at once. Pick one focus for each session and stick to it until it feels like muscle memory.
- Record yourself. You think you look like a pro, but you probably look like a drowning moth. Seeing your "sink legs" or your "crossed-over entry" on video is the fastest way to fix it. Use a waterproof phone case or have a friend film a single lap.
- Count your strokes. Try to get from one end of the pool to the other in fewer strokes. This forces you to focus on glide and distance-per-stroke (DPS). If you usually take 22 strokes for 25 yards, try to get it down to 18.
- Invest in a snorkel. A center-mount swim snorkel is a godsend. It removes the breathing element entirely, allowing you to focus 100% on your hand entry and body position without twisting your head.
- Check your entry point. Your hand should enter the water at about "11 o'clock" and "1 o'clock" positions. Entering right in front of your head (12 o'clock) causes you to snake through the water, adding unnecessary distance and drag.
- Focus on the finish. Many swimmers pull their hand out of the water too early. Push all the way past your hip. It’s the last bit of "flick" that provides that final burst of propulsion.
Improving your swimming technique is a slow process. It’s more like learning a musical instrument than it is like running on a treadmill. You have to be patient. You have to be willing to go slow to go fast. But once you feel that "click"—the moment where you start gliding effortlessly through the water instead of fighting it—you’ll never want to go back to your old ways.
Stop fighting the water. Start working with it. Relax your neck, keep your hips high, and focus on the "catch." The speed will follow.