Posture Focus

Shape your core like a torpedo (not like a banana):

Suck in your belly. Do not bend at the waist.
Fully extend your neck, pressing your chin back towards your spine, head neutral.

Technique Focus Points

Head neutral, eyes down. Look straight down at the bottom of the pool.
Long neck. Keep your neck fully extended, chin in.
Flat back. Suck in your belly!
Legs straight. Do let your legs sink below the column your core is swimming through.

Posture Focus Workouts

More Information

Video Clips. In the Natalie Coughlin video clips on the following webpage, she really empahsizes body position. Watch how she maintains perfect posture, line and balance right at the surface, and notice how little her breathing disrupts her stroke:

Video Clips - Natalie Coughlin

None of the clips on the pages below deal specifically with posture, line and balance, but look at the better swimmers carefully as they swim freestyle and perform various drills. Their posture, line and balance are most often very good. That is what separates the really good swimmers from the less disciplined swimmers.

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