What are the 5 most common mistakes in freestyle swimming?
Mia Smith
Published Feb 09, 2026
What are the 5 most common mistakes in freestyle swimming?
Polish Your Freestyle Swimming Technique – Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes
- Mistake #1: Head position.
- Mistake #2: Arm extension and pull.
- Mistake #3: Body rotation.
- Mistake #4: Kick.
- Mistake #5: Breathing.
What is the common breathing mistakes of swimmers?
Bad Breath Timing Breathing too early during your stroke is one common mistake. It’s easy to start your breath as your arm begins to exit the water. This causes your arm to be in front of your face and increases the chance of swallowing water.
What are some of the most common flaws in freestyle swimming?
Kicking too Much It’s very common to see swimmers kicking way too big — they lift their legs up too high and press down too deep in the water. While your kick may be powerful when done this way, it’s actually slowing you down! Instead, your kick should be driven from the rotation of your hips.
What should you not do while swimming?
Here are 10 of the more common excuses swimmers use to skip out of training:
- I had to…
- I didn’t know we had practice this morning.
- I have a paddle related injury.
- My goggles are broken.
- I have water in my ears.
- I have to go to the bathroom.
- I have foot/ankle/knee/calf/forehead cramps.
- My suit is falling apart.
How does one avoid common mistake in swimming?
Keep your legs straight and try not to bend your knees. Swimming with your legs bent at the knees increases surface resistance, thus, slowing you down. Don’t make the mistake of exhausting all of your body’s energy reserves during the initial first lap.
What is a common mistake of the freestyle stroke?
Your Breathing is Off Learning the mechanics of freestyle breathing is just as important as learning the stroke itself. The most common freestyle breathing mistake is holding the breath. If you do not exhale fully when your face is in the water, you cannot take a full breath when you turn your head out of the water.
What are 3 common mistakes of the back float?
Common Backstroke Mistakes
- Head Position: Tucked Chin. A common mistake that you might come across is tucking your chin while swimming backstroke.
- Body Position: Flat Torso.
- Legs: Bent Knees.
- Arms: Back-hand Entry on the Pull.
- Timing: Slow Arms.
How many strokes does it take to breathe in freestyle?
We suggest breathing after every 3 strokes. It is important to keep a streamlined position on the surface of the water while breathing. If you are breathing too often, you might discover your body rotating too much and breaking that perfect streamline.
Why do swimmers look so good?
The typical physique of a swimmer is muscular. Vigorous swimmers have toned arms, large shoulders and pronounced back muscles from doing strokes. Competitive swimmers have the added benefit of looking long and lean, because tall people tend to perform well in the sport.
What are the disadvantages of swimming?
Pools Have Chlorine. Chlorine is used in pools because it is a powerful disinfectant.
Is your head position too high in freestyle swimming?
When it comes to freestyle swimming technique, head position is almost always too high in my opinion, with anxiety about access to oxygen the likely source of it! To improve head position, use the pool. The open water is too challenging in general and it’s tough for novices when it comes to head position — ultimately ending in frustration.
What are the most common kicking mistakes in freestyle swimming?
The most common kicking mistake I see with the freestyle swimming technique is the ‘over’ kick. This is due to a lack of proper upper-body mechanics. Get a pair of fins made for kick skill development — the long fins (not the short ones) foster healthy kicking mechanics.
Why is feedback important in freestyle swimming?
This feedback allows you to recognize your rotation is complete and the opposite movement should begin. The most common kicking mistake I see with the freestyle swimming technique is the ‘over’ kick. This is due to a lack of proper upper-body mechanics.
How can I get better at freestyle swimming?
Just take a seat and watch swimmers at your local pool for a few minutes — no two swimmers have the same mechanics. Proper guidance from a coach can help combat these bad habits with any stroke, including freestyle swimming.