YouTube - Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen Faster Freestyle
Comments: Great freestyle swimming technique. You can study any aspect of her stroke and try to swim that way!

YouTube - Open Water with Fran Crippen (Go Swim DVD Trailer)
Comments: Fran Crippen was a US 5K and 10K open-water champion. People always ask, how long does a 10K take? Fran's time was usually around 1:50. Watch Fran's:

• Head Position
• Breathing
• Arm Extension
• Catch
• Sighting Practice (in the pool, near the start of the clip)
• One-Arm Drill (helps everything - including breathing technique)

You may never be as fast as Fran, but you will be faster than you are now if you can imitate these aspects of his stroke and do the drills demonstrated on the trailer.

Note: At the age of 26, at the top of his game, Fran Crippen died during a 10K open-water world cup race in the United Arab Emirates. It appears that given the high water temperature, this race never should have happened. It also appears that safety and athlete tracking measures were woefully inadequate. I did not know Fran, but consider him to be a dear friend, as his video - even the short DVD trailer below - has helped me as a coach, and many of my swimmers. I am deeply saddened by his loss, and hope that all open-water coaches and race directors will take note of what has happened.

YouTube - Gary Hall Sr. - Picking the Right Freestyle
Comments: Olympic sprint champion (and father of Olympic sprint champion) explains various styles of freestyle. For triathletes and open water swimmers, the style I prefer is either hip-driven or the shoulder-driven with a two-beat kick. You should not learn and practice just one style of freestyle - because one style is better for going fast for shorter distances, another for longer distances, and another for rough water and swimming in crowds. Note what all of these styles have in common - excellent body position (posture, line and balance).