Snappy Hips Focus

The endurance swimming freestyle stroke is usually called hip-driven freestyle. It's important to keep the phrase hip-driven in mind, because when we slow down just a bit to endurance pace, we tend to relax our kick and at the same time relax our hip rotation. The flatter onto your belly you get, the slower you become.

Technique Focus Points

Belly button wall to wall. Or as close as you can get it.
Rotational kick snaps hip. Start your rotation with a rotational kick.
Hip snap drives recovering arm. Drive your recovering arm into the water with your hip.
Hip snap gets you past your anchored arm. You don't just yank your body past that anchor.

What to Watch For

Sore shoulders. If your shoulders get sore at longer distances, you may have stopped rotating your hips. If so, you have increased drag and are asking too much of your arms.

Snappy Hips Focus Workouts

More Information

Video Clips - See the Hips video clips page.

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