How to Swim Freestyle and Backstroke Faster
Swimming faster is mostly about wasting less energy, not working harder. These are the changes that make the biggest difference in freestyle and backstroke.
Start with drag
Water is far denser than air, so the shape you make matters more than how hard you pull. A swimmer with a long, flat, steady body line moves faster on the same effort than one whose hips sink or head bobs.
- Freestyle: look down, keep your head still and press your chest gently down so your hips rise.
- Backstroke: keep your head still with ears in the water, eyes up, and hips near the surface.
- Both: rotate from the hips to each side; swimming flat increases drag and strains the shoulders.
Freestyle: get more from each stroke
- Enter in line with your shoulder and reach forward before you pull.
- Catch with a high elbow: tip your fingertips and forearm down to face backwards, then press water back, not down.
- Finish the stroke past your hip.
- Relax the recovery, elbow first.
- Breathe without lifting; see how to breathe while swimming.
More detail in our 11 front crawl tips.
Backstroke: rotate and catch
- Enter little finger first, roughly in line with your shoulder, not behind your head.
- Rotate so each shoulder lifts out of the water as its arm recovers.
- Bend the elbow under water to push water towards your feet, then finish by your thigh.
- Kick steadily with knees under the surface.
- Count strokes from the flags so you can approach the wall at full speed.
Kick efficiently
A small, fast kick from the hips with loose ankles keeps your legs up and adds speed. Big kicks from the knee create drag. Practise with a board and on your side. See how to kick in swimming and swimming with fins.
Use the walls
You move fastest just after pushing off. A tight streamline and a few kicks before your first stroke give you free speed on every length. Competitive swimmers also learn tumble turns in freestyle and flip turns in backstroke; ask a coach to teach these safely.
Train smart
- Intervals: repeats such as 8 x 50 m with short rests let you practise faster swimming with good technique.
- Count strokes: fewer strokes per length at the same speed means a more efficient stroke.
- Rest and recover: include easy days; see how often should I swim?
- Strength on land: core, shoulders and hips help you hold good positions.
Try our swimming drills and beginner workouts. For context on speeds, read what is the fastest swimming stroke?
Get feedback
A coach or a video taken where filming is allowed shows faults you cannot feel. See our private swimming course or kids swimming course.
More in swimming technique
- How fast can a human swim?5 factors that affect swim speed
- Fastest swimmers in the world10 names every fan should know
- The history of swimming strokesFrom survival to sport
- Flip turns in swimmingHow to learn them safely, step by step
Further reading
- World Aquatics, Swimming reference card. The official stroke, start and turn rules used in competition.
- World Health Organization, Physical activity fact sheet. How much activity adults and children need each week.
Want to swim faster?
Tell us the swimmer's age, how they swim now and what they want to improve. We will suggest a suitable course, format and pool. Lessons run at public swimming complexes, private venues and condominium pools across Singapore.