Here are some of our favorite Olympic swimmers with amazing freestyle mechanics that create great power and effective propulsion. While not everyone is an Olympian, we can all can achieve a solid technique for durability and speed!
Michael Phelps
Decorated Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has a fantastic streamline off the wall, which showcases his shoulder flexibility. This empowers him throughout the effortless overwater portion of the pull. His powerful kick is assisted by high ankle flexibility and occurs in the shadow of his upper body, which leads to less drag and faster speed.
Allison Schmitt
Olympic record holder Allison Schmitt has a beautiful smooth stroke that shows how much power she is generating with her underwater arm. She doesn’t effortlessly glide out at the front of the stroke; rather she feels for the water and takes her time to get a strong hold of the water, She never looks rushed, even in the final stretches of an event for which she was fighting for a record and a win.
Sun Yang
Chinese Olympiam medalist Sun Yang has a powerful catch, where he anchors his body with his hand and forearm and pulls himself past the anchor point, creating forward propulsion. Note that he chooses a less frequent kick because he is a long distance swimmer. This video is terrific because it shows the stroke from so many helpful angles.
Katie Ledecky
Unarguably the best freestyler today, Katie Ledecky has a solid core connection to her upper body. She engages her whole midsection as she pulls, and has a steady, strong kick throughout her swim. Katie often breathes every stroke, but it doesn’t slow her down because of her incredibly efficient stroke.