[Closed] Swimming! FFS - does it actually get any easier?

yes it does but you need to stick at it and do regular swims.

i used to race competitvely until 17 and im ashamed when i see my stamina and speed now!

I'm probably worse, best I can do is poorly coordinated directional floating. If you want to improve then lessons are the only way really. Join the local Tri or swimming club as they often have sessions in the local pool.

For me, pool fitness is always the first to go and the hardest to get back. I presume it's something to do with how you the stroke dictates when you can breathe. It will get easier, try a tri club session. They're generally a bit mellower than masters, and you'll get some technique tips too.

<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-size: 12px;">So I guess it’s lack of swimming fitness is it?</span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-size: 12px;"> 

sounds more like a lack of technique. dare I suggest a skills session. 😉

I can almost guarantee you're so out of puff because you are not breathing at all / properly.

Breath in every second or third stroke and exhale constantly whilst your head is under water. Say "bubble bubble bubble" until your head comes out for more air. You want to have fully exhaled by the time you come back up for air.

Very, very common for new swimmers to breath in, forget to exhale then attempt to breath in again but still having a lungfull of used up air. In effect you are attempting to swim two lengths / a minute whilst holding your breath. That's why you are so puggled.

I'm no expert as I can barely swim myself, but are you just trying to go too hard?

Its bloody hard as chuff. My girlfriend (who is quite unfit) can swim costantly for about an hour whereas i can just manage 1 length. Since trying some of the techniques learnt from my daughters lessons i can go faster but it still takes loads of effort. Plus i'm a 'leg sinker' which means no matter how hard i swim by body is at a constant angle of 45 degrees from the surface.

Its just sh1t.

To be fair, I did also say my technique is shite too. Last time I tried lessons (a few years ago), the instructor seemed not very good. But that was a different pool. 🙂

Ok, I’ll look into their Aquazone lessons for grown-ups. I need to do something - at this rate my 5 year old will be out-swimming me in a few months.

Short answer - yep.

Almost word for word same experience.  Eventually something 'clicked' (watched a few youtube vids on freestyle/crawl technique) and I realised that my lck of technique meant that my exertions were trying to keep me afloat rather than powering me through into a gliding motion.  Fitness is a factor too, but poor technique/breathing will amplify a fitness deficit to varying degrees, from unbearable to merely tolerable.

I really never enjoyed (occasional) swimming until 45ys old, but persisted after that age as wanted to be better/safer in the ocean.  So took to the pool and worked at it.  When it clicks you will progress quite rapidly.  I gave it at least once or twice a week every week for 30 mins, then 45 mins etc. In 3 or 4 months I went from sadly knackered after 2 lengths to happily knackered after 50 lengths.   Eventually settled on once a day for 30 mins.

Definitely question your technique. And I'm not totally up to date with the latest methods but there used to be a couple of schools of thought. Total Immersion and Swim Smooth. I like the Total Immersion style and can heartily recommend it. Out of breath after two lengths sounds like a breathing issue, exhale underwater, take your time as you roll onto your side and breathe. And not just into your mouth, fill your lungs. A lot of people could do with slowing everything down a bit, after you've pulled glide a bit and use this time to get the breath in. Hard to critique without ever actually seeing you though but really have a look for the Total Immersion stuff.

I had lessons when I was a kid then took it up as a fitness thing in my early 30s.

Dunno if knowing how to do the strokes helped, but I found I very quickly got better at it (this was 4 or 5 x30 minute sessions a week). Stopped 10 years ago but my fitness from riding seems to let me just pop back in at about the same level now on my rare trips to the pool.

So maybe focus on learning the strokes and stick at it for a bit? I'm sure it will get easier.

I was much the same, knackered myself with 2 lengths and lots of splashing.

I borrowed a DVD from a mate, "Fish like freestyle" which teaches you to swim properly. After a couple of months I could swim for an hour, faster than before, and get out without tired but not completely knackered.

Forgot to say, I eventually began enjoying swimming more than cycling.  So then cycled to the pool because I felt guilty 🤣

Bravissimo - Its probably technique.

Theres a local lady round here, Sarah, who's got one of those everlasting pool things, and does swimming lessons specifically for adults. Her main customers are people who do triathlons. They're all hyper-fit, put great times on the swimming and running, but are let down by their swimming.

This is because they all think they can swim. They can.... sort of. In that they think this is because they can get from one end of a pool to the other without sinking. But in reality, their technique is absolutely terrible.

So she gives them a few sessions to sort them out a better technique than a cat thats just been thrown in a bath 😀

Very, very common for new swimmers to breath in, forget to exhale then attempt to breath in again but still having a lungfull of used up air. In effect you are attempting to swim two lengths / a minute whilst holding your breath. That’s why you are so puggled.

I reckon you’re right. I do struggle to get a proper breath and that sounds very familiar. I don’t get that “satisfied” feeling one gets when one takes a nice big breath of air. I think, like you say, I’m not getting decent breaths of “fresh” air after the first one I take. I’ll give the “bubble bubble bubble” thing a try - thanks for that. It’ll make a difference from “For ****s sake, this shouldn’t be this ****ing hard!”

As I can't edit... I meant 'They’re all hyper-fit, put great times on the CYCLING and running, but are let down by their swimming.

Some excellent advice here by the way - without too much piss-taking. Thanks everyone! 👍 Feel free to take the loss toonof course.

*feel free to take the [b]piss too[/b] of course!.

Edit not working on iOS.

Some people make it look so blooming easy.
Also a leg sinker, my family think I'm a witch!
Have to stop to 'Clean my goggles' every couple of lengths...

Yes, the goggle cleaning stop is very important you know.

Leg sinking is just poor body position, you're probably breathing out towards the front (instead of correctly to the side) and this raises your trunk and lowers the legs. But it could be poor kicking technique, I see a lot of people kicking occasionally and out to the sides rather than a constant up-and-down movement. Running out of breath could be due to not exhaling enough, but could equally be due to thrashing down the pool (like binner's cat in a bath 🙂 )...

The main problem with swimming is that it's 80% technique / 20% fitness - and to get that technique right you need to get the head right, the arms in the right position, the right amount of rotation, etc. etc. Trying to sort all that out on your own is possible, but it's a lot easier if you t<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">ake classes, either in a group or one-to-one. </span>

My wife is an ex-national level swimmer and having watched her I can confirm that it's all about technique. You can be as fit as you want but poor technique makes it so, so hard.

Best advise I can give is the advise I didn't take, get some lessons and stick to it.

I had never swam properly till a few years ago when I signed up for a tri and had to learn, took me 4/5 trips to get the breathing for freestyle, I used youtube videos and then once I had it I went twice a week and on the 1st session would do intervals and then on the second session look to swim for as far I had covered in the intervals.

In 5/6 weeks I was going a mile in the pool easily (even though I never learnt tumble turns) and bossed the pool section of the Tri I did. I then did swim again till last week. I went down and managed 6 lengths before having to stop, went out for some more lengths and was basically drowning and got out after only 6 more lengths! I'm so ashamed I havent gone back yet!!!!!!!

OP, stick at it, it will come!

Swimming in a pool hard?

DD - get in the ****ing sea!

technique is everything

A while ago I was swimming masters at a swimming club. We had a new coach come in to coach the kids. He was a young lad with no coaching experience but he was straight out of the GB program having competed international level open water. Now this Guy was overweight, and properly so. Obviously he kept eating after stopping the training. Come club champs the cocky fast kids at the club thought they could have him and show him up, so they persuaded him to enter 400m freestyle. So race night he's standing there on the blocks, little short guy, belly flopping over his speedos, obviously not been in the water for some time.

Race starts, and he leaves them in his wake. Just glides through the water with barely a splash. Looks like he is not even trying. Only takes about 4 strokes a length from surfacing the turn. Laps the lot of them. Finishes not even out of breath. They took him alot more seriously after that.

I'm another in the aquatically challenged group. Never really learnt to swim as a child and have always been rubbish in the water.

Started to put more effort in about 5 years ago, encouraged and helped by my wife who swims reasonably well. I'm still laughably slow considering I'm pretty fit and reasonably sporty. But after 5 years of steady effort and weekly coached sessions I can at least go up and down the pool for as long as I want without drowning, and usually do about a mile (80 lengths) of various drills and strokes in a typical weekly swim.<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> Most men who do crawl with any enthusiasm go faster, the pool has three lanes and I'm usually in the middle (slow lane is usually drifting OAPs, </span>not that there's anything wrong with that but just to give some context<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">).</span>

TL:DR yes you can get better, you may never be much good however much effort you put in though. My biggest problems are easily identifiable as heavily sinking legs and a shockingly ineffective kick. This can be improved (and has been) to some extent with practice but I'm never going to be good.

I bet I'm worse for all the same reasons. Really must have some lessons.

At my peak of swimming focus & speed, two sessions a week, my wife was still lapping me. Fair enough, but she was 6 months pregnant at the time :-O

On a slight sidenote here, I recently saw a physio and she recommended swimming to assist me with balance issues - swimming requiring good coordination between different bits of the body. I quite fancy breaststroke. Ideally I also want to do this to assist with fitness, is breaststroke a good choice here?

It’s hard work stick at it, get the technique, breathing, arm and legs in coordination

I swim 2 sessions of a km a week 25-35 mins, I damaged my shoulder and I could hardly swim 8 lengths for a long time last year, build it up gradually, even now I feel more exerted after a 1000 metres in the pool over

a quick hour long 25km on a drop handle with 10001500 ft of climbs

<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">You can swim breasstroke badly, same as any other stroke - and all of them require coordination to do correctly. The main problem with breaststroke is that it's fairly easy to get away with poor technique (and you won't necessarily notice), as your head comes out of the water regularly which means you don't run into the out-of-breath problems DD mentioned.</span>

Having trained myself to do an ironman swim I can confirm progress is slow. Very ****ing slow!

As mentioned, concentrate on breathing, forget about distance and speed. don't even bother with bi lateral breathing. do 1 length at a time then recover, try to swim in oxygen debt and it'll just get worse.

See if the local pool does swimfit or other type of group sessions, they will help you out too.

Deadly, you’ve described me a year ago! Out of breath, sinky legs, the lot! A 6-month det to the Falklands with a 33m free-to-use pool 100m from my room did the job though! It was tough at times to get in the pool, but I really enjoy it now and knock out a mile of continuous crawl in 45 mins, so not quick but at least competent!

As others have said, it’s all technique and positioning. Get some lessons for sure, I had no idea of all the (many) things I was doing wrong! Slow down, head up, stretch and glide (fixes the sinking legs!), and you’ll click at some point.

I had it as my goal for the Falklands trip as I wanted a low-impact cardio option as Father Time marches on, also Mrs fancies a triathlon and swimming was my weakest of the 3 by miles.

I went through this.

Swimming is 95% technique.  You're out of breath because you're workign too hard and you're working too hard because your technique is inefficient.

What I did was think about efficiency, watch youtube videos and try and do single lengths with as few strokes as possible.  This made a big difference.  I also breathe every other stroke, rather than every three or four as I was taught as a kid.

Also, when I did 200m running intervals it made it a lot easier to not get out of breath swimming....

I'd say concentrate on getting your legs up i.e. not trailing them, staying low in the water and rolling your body.  If you stay low and just breathe to the side in the wake of your head, you'll be able to do long lazy strokes, do far fewer of them, and therefore not get out of breath.

Oh and kicking doesn't make you go forwards much, it's mostly to keep your legs up.

To get your legs up by the way, you need to get your head down.  And to keep your head down you need to be able to breath to the side in the wake of your head.  This is all on youtube in slowmo.

I've tried numerous times over the years to learn front crawl but I just can't seem do it. I can do breast stroke perfecty fine though and swim a mile 3 times a week. Would love to learn the front crawl to mix things up a bit and be a bit less boring but maybe somethings aren't meant to be.

For me it’s more “delayed drowning” than true swimming.

Well, I’m just about to get in the pool.

Swimming in a pool hard?

DD – get in the **** sea!

😢

Anything’s hard if you’re shit at it Debz. Kinda like you find it trying to be funny. 😉

Hope you drown

Good to see a proper I'm rubbish thread on swimming

The last one some one said they were 55 minutes for 1500m and some one said they were lieing as no one is that slow

I one hit the dizzy heights of 1500m in 35 min

Now I'm pleased with 800m in 20 minutes. I only really swim outdoors. Which means I continue to be crap but really enjoy it

<span style="color: #444444; background-color: #eeeeee;">The last one some one said they were 55 minutes for 1500m and some one said they were lieing as no one is that slow</span>

yep, I was the slow one 🙂

as other say, technique is everything, Swimsmooth and  Art of Swimming youtube pieces help a lot, though nothing compared to a few sessions with a coach.

I have managed 6k this week, 2 x 1500m ones at lunchtimes and a 3k on Sunday when weather was too pish to ride.

You're all wrong, it's 99% technique and 1% fitness*

*says mrsmonkfinger, who is a qualified swim teacher among other things.

jeezus, I cannae work this new fangled site...... 🙁

the technique thing that gives the biggest benefit is the pointing arm

start off with both arms straight forward, biceps by your ears. Pull with one arm but keep the other one pointing forward. DON'T MOVE IT until the pulling arm comes right back round and then swap

as the pulling arm elbow starts to bend to lift back to the top, that's when to breathe

the rest is pacing and practice and good luck 🙂

EDIT: I'm no swimming god though, after a few lengths it all goes to pot cos I don't swim very often and the breathing never seems to work even though I think I'm rotating my head like you're supposed to, I think I probably need refresher lessons again, the last lot were a good decade ago from a club swim coach who came to a scuba club night to help (and take the p1ss)

FWIW if your main problem is sinking then swimming in the sea is piss easy by comparison with a pool. But choose a reasonably calm day/site 🙂

Definitely agree it's 99% technique and very little fitness. I was a club swimmer in my youth and to swim lengths at an ok pace (30 minutes a mile) is about the same effort as walking for me. The problem then is it's hard to increase fitness by swimming on your own in public sessions.

Its technique, my mates a 10km open water swimmer.  Her stroke looks nothing like mine.

*not a swimmer*

I found...crawl for a couple of lengths.. got knackered so switch to breaststroke for a length as a recovery helped. Then just increased number of lengths of crawl(ing) but obviously technique is the waay forward!!

I got back in the pool last week after not really swimming since playing waterpolo 25 years ago. Bashed out 2000m in 38 minutes. I was happy with that and it's proof that technique counts. I wasn't that good a swimmer when I played 'polo, but what little I did learn seems to have stuck. Lots of good advice above like keep your head down and breathe out underwater. As soon as you lift your head up, your legs will sink, so concentrate on the lines on the bottom of the pool and don't be tempted to look up. Most pools have lane swimming first thing in the morning - get stuck in!

Good luck with it.

So I’m not dead, sorry Debz.

I did a few things, tried to rotate more (still untidy but can definitely see why), purposely exhaled lots (bubble bubble bubble) and just relaxed and took my time when breathing in so that I could fill my lungs. And tried to go as slowly as I could.

Don’t get me wrong, I was still hilariously shit but I could string a few lengths together without feeling out of puff. Still hard work but easier than last time.

Long way to go. I don’t want to be fast, just be able.

Re: Leg Sinking.
Thanks for the advice re position, posture and technique, but I do just sink!
Most people I know can lie on their back in a pool and float, I just sink.
I have tried many times, many ways but my feet always sink.

I use to swim and dive for my county when  I was young.

was a doddle at the olympic pool even with mild asthma as had broad shoulders and of decentish height 😉

Being on the polo team too was tough up against older lads at school but teaches you skills like keeping a float.

now though mind, I feel like  a drowning whale that has to no option but to beach itself.

But yes if anything it will train your lungs, build stamina, strengthen joints whilst taking undue pressure of certain read all areas of your body.

stick with it, I really want to get back into it but can’t bear the thought of the public rating my moobs.

<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: #eeeeee;">I found…crawl for a couple of lengths.. got knackered so switch to breaststroke for a length as a recovery helped. Then just increased number of lengths of crawl(ing) but obviously technique is the waay forward!!</span>

+1 ^ Found self doing this at the beginning, alternating styles between crawl and breastroke then gradually doing less breaststroke lengths until I ccould do the crawl for the whole session.

<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px;">Re: Leg Sinking.</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px;">Thanks for the advice re position, posture and technique, but I do just sink!</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px;">Most people I know can lie on their back in a pool and float, I just sink</span>

Swimming is not really related to floating, I cannot lie on my back in a pool and float (can just about manage in the sea) but I can swim just fine. Legs sinking is often poor core strength if body position is ok otherwise.

I can swim FC OK, but just get the feeling that due my lack of buoyancy, I am fighting against it and working much harder than I should be..
Lack of core strength? Tick..
Poor technique? Likely
Lack of practice? Once or twice a week, one is after spin so already knackered.
Lack of excuses? Tick

I started swimming 2/3 times a week about a month ago for 30 mins non stop doing breast stroke underwater and have managed to get my distance up to 1100m in that time. I swim in the medium or fast lane now so I thought I better have a go at front crawl as finding the breast stroke unchallenged so I'm guessing it's probably not that great for my fitness? Anyway 2 lengths of crawl I was knackered and out of breath so I will certainly be introducing that when the pool isn't too crowded.

Anyway 2 lengths of crawl I was knackered and out of breath so I will certainly be introducing that when the pool isn’t too crowded.

Try it with just your arms.

lengths? I can barely swim the width of a pool. Contemplating taking lessons as I am utterly atrocious

a story that might help...

a few years back to help out with a local surf club my kid was in I volunteered to do a rlss beach lifeguard course, the first part of the final test being 400m in under 8 mins (7m30 for an RNLI beach lifeguard). I've surfed and mucked about swimming all my life so I thought no prob.

first up I got my wife's godfather to watch me in the pool, he is a retired swim coach, I thought I could swim, he flatly told me I couldn't swim.

next I times myself over 400. I cant remember my exact time but when I looked at the local swim club times in reception I found that I wouldn't even have qualified for the 12 year old girls division.

I asked questions on here, I read books (swim smooth and total immersion), I learnt about technique, and I swam a lot. at my test I did 400 in 6m52s.

swimming is all technique. if you enjoy that you will enjoy swimming but no matter how much time you get on many days the water just feels like treacle.

also look into sea swimming, it is a lot more fun that pool swimming and a lot more to look at as you swim along.

basically though its reach, catch and pull. legs together, keep your body flat and your bum up (push down on your chest). think of a making a small hole and pulling yourself through that.

swim with a plan and stick to it. in the pool I do 400s and variations of that (this week I did 1 x 400/1 x 800/ 8 x 50/ 1x 400), generally 2000m all up in a sesh as that's what I tend to do in the sea come summer.

this clip really helped me...

swimming is intense , such a workout of everything. i only found myself getting better at it by, suprise suprise doing it often. i'm no expert by any means, but just get in and muck about like treading water, doggie paddle , breast stroke. then after a while front crawl and just keep picking up the distance. go 10m ,15m etc. then before going for longer lengths pick up the pace to a point where your doing 25m at a reasonable rate of speed. then up the length again to where your comfortable at say 50m , then up the pace for the 50m .just building up distance and pace over a length of time/years. at the moment id sink, i haven't swam in about 2 years.

Don't worry, I'll save you 🙂

Does breast stroke count? I’ve started swimming regularly and am do8ng a kilometre 3 times a week now. It gets much easier with a bit of time in the pool. Relaxing makes it easier if that makes sense and not fighting for breath all the time, slow down and relax and things ge5 smoother and easier.

I used to swim a lot when I was a kid but have barely done any in the last 25 years. Never had the best technique but good enough to be reasonable. Decided to start again on Sunday. Plan was to swim until I couldn't  keep under 30 secs a length. Did 1km Sunday, Monday I did 1.5km and this evening I did 2km. Think I'll stick with this until I can do 4km at that pace and then maybe work to get faster again ( or more likely I'll get bored and start cycling again!)

Keep at it. I work as a swimming teacher and would definitely recommend some lessons at a local pool. Local council run would be best value and like you mention will support them. You also have a "third eye" which will help alot!!

To echo what others have said, its alot about technique and being efficient. In regards to breathing if you're holding your breath at all..think about trying to climb on a bike while holding your breath every time you inhale for a few seconds, you wont last long!!

You need to constantly and consistently breathing in a normally/relaxed in and out. Out of your nose and mouth..in your mouth, you can practice that anywhere you can dunk ya head. Try and get into a rhythm and feel comfortable with it.

Alot to think about overall but for now id get on some lessons or research some bits on the net etc to practice yourself in the pool as much as possible. IMO you need to be practicing good technique rather than cementing bad technique even further....muscle memory and all that!!

Again to echo definitely check out the net and youtube for tutorials etc..."swim smooth" is good.

<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px;">Thanks for the advice re position, posture and technique, but I do just sink!</span>

Doesn't matter.  My legs sink, on account of being heavily muscled from all the cycling.  In the sea as a youth (when I wasn't exactly small) I could float fine, now despite knowing the technique my legs just sink even in the sea.

I can however keep them up in the pool with proper technique.  They are prone to sink, maybe more so than other people, but it's certainly possible with work.  No excuses.

buy a kayak!

Grown-ups’ lessons every Tuesday evening at my local pool - so they’re in the diary for the next few weeks. Will be interesting to see if I can make any improvement. I think I know pretty much what I’m doing wrong - and that’s a lot of things - but it’s changing what I do wrong into right that’s hard. Feeling not quite so blown out yesterday after thinking about a few of the tips from here was encouraging.

I’ve tried to find out about 1-2-1 lessons locally as I’d happily pay a few quid for something more intensive but no website mentions the cost - which always means “probably more than you want to pay” to me. I wish they’d be more upfront about it.

Anyway, sticking with it for now. Baby steps.

DD you may or may not have crap technique but that is not the issue as you describe in OP

as others have mentioned your issue is simple - BREATHING and more specifically breathing OUT

99% of times when otherwise fit people are knackered after a couple of lengths is that they forget to EXHALE

my 400m warm up focuses on one exercise - Bubble, bubble, breathe and nothing else. Start the swim breathing properly and then rest follows much easier.

Forget to exhale and you will for ever be clinging to the rail panting.

It’s teally simple but true - swimsnooth writes a lot about this and it’s their warm up I describe

Im no expert and i really struggle, but Swim Smooth have a fantastic free animated app that lets you really see what is going on. I know its hard to visualise what you are doing to compare, but its really useful.

My big problem was head position, by having it way too high, it pushes your legs down like a brake. I was also windmilling my arms, instead of scooping the water and pulling back on it. There is a great book by Swim Smooth and its def helpful. However time in the pool is good too. Id echo getting a club /coach if you can.

Wait until you're feeling pretty goid about it.

Then jump into a 50m pool.

It'll **** you up.

Wait until you’re feeling pretty goid about it.

Then jump into a 50m pool.

It’ll **** you up.

It’s the encouraging replies like this that keep me coming back to the thread. 😀

Ha

Do you use a float?

Handy to work out whats knackering you if you isolate the different parts maybe?

No, the only ones they had were kiddy sized ones so not a great deal of buoyancy - I did find that my legs weren’t doing s great deal when I used one for a few lengths. Just another of the 37 things I need to work on so, y’know, nearly there. 🙂

I had lessons at the beginning of last year in preparation for a sprint tri in May.... ended up swimming that breast stroke which I'm reasonably quick at but as that's 80% legs 20% arms was shot when it came to the bike and especially the run.

Entered the same tri again this year and really trying to nail FC and facing all the issues above - knackered after 40/50m because my legs were going like roadrunner to try and keep me afloat, holding my breath and then gasping for breath at the end of each length... generally poor position.  I'm still miles away from being able to swim 750m but what I have found has helped is to swim length after length with a pull buoy between my knees - helps to remove one aspect of the stroke and lets you concentrate on the arms and breathing and slow the whole thing down.

So some people say it's breathing, but you won't be able to breathe if your position in the water is lousy and you're not rotating enough. Concentrate too much on breathing and you can bet your technique is lousy and inefficient.

Others say their legs sink. Well so do mine and most other lean runner cyclist types. I sink and sit on th ebottom unlees I breathe in more than normal. But my legs don't sink when I swim because the leg kick and arm movement both lift my legs.

Others say your hands should meet in front. You can do this as a drill if yoou want but if you look at good swimmers they start the catch as the other arm comes past their head and they're pulling as the recovering hand eneters the water.

Others say don't kick your legs to save energy and breath, lots of triathletes who spend hours with a pull bouy for example. Well if you don't kick as you start to pull your legs will sink - even if you find a two-beat kick enough, you still need to kick on the same side as you pull as you start to pull. Not kicking is a false economy as the kick improves position, reduces drag and stabilises which means your arms have less work to do or will make you go faster for the same work.

By all means do drills to work on aspects of your swimming but the aim is to get everything working together in perfect coordination to get the most propulsion with the least drag.

I'l take the liberty of adding a drill which is contrary to much of the above. Forget breathing! Swim as far as you can confortably swim without breathing concentrating on these aspects, not all at the same time obviously and try not to unlearn one thing when working on the next:

Pulling along your body, not pushing down on the water (which you might be doing to lift your head to try and find air)
Kicking as you go from catch to pull (that vid up there is two beat - I use four beat but concentrate on the kicks I pull on)
Rotation - because you'll find breathing easier if you have sufficent rotation and don't feel the need to lift your head.
A short stretched out glide period as your hand recovers - you can use this period to remind yourself to get your leg ready to kick as you pull. Slowly reduce the glide so you catch as the arm recovers.
As you pulling hand comes past you head you'll have to change wrist position so you lift your legs rather than mullin them down

When you run out of air roll over and finish the length doing back stroke.

<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12.8px;">Not kicking is a false economy as the kick improves position, reduces drag and stabilises which means your arms have less work to do or will make you go faster for the same work.</span>

Yes and no... if you're a triathlete it makes perfect sense to get to T1 with knackered arms, you won't need them again for the rest of the race. From a pure swimming perspective it's a different matter.

Swimming's a funny one eh. If I go to the pool I'm generally the fastest there or thereabouts. Not a humblebrag, because I'M ACTUALLY RUBBISH! Put me in with a club or someone with actual decent technique and they're going half as fast again. My sister used to race - 25+ years later she's an out of condition mum of several who basically doesn't exercise. Still fast over a couple of lengths.

It's the wetsuit that means triathletes don't need to kick much, but stil need to kick. The float with a 5mm suit is similar to swimming with one and a half pull bouys, I still kick because the pull doesn't provide the same forward drive without the corresponding leg kick.

I used to train in the suit in a 50m pool, both the pace clock and and heart rate said that a leg kick even if reduced was procutive in both speed (short distance events) and lmiting fatigue (long distance events)