As a competitive swimmer for over 15 years and now a certified coach, I’ve spent countless hours staring at the black line on the bottom of the pool. The question I get asked more than any other is, “How do I swim faster?” Many swimmers believe the answer lies in just trying harder—more muscle, more splashing, more effort. But the real secret to improving your swimming speed isn’t about brute force; it’s about mastering your technique to become more efficient in the water.
Whether you’re a beginner wondering how to swim faster for the first time, or an experienced athlete chasing personal records, this guide will give you the tools you need. I’m going to walk you through the 10 proven methods I use with my athletes—from foundational body position and breathing to the underwater techniques that elite swimmers swear by.
Quick Reference: How to Swim Faster by Focus Area
| Focus Area | Key Technique | Impact on Speed | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Position | Swim “downhill,” neutral head | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highest | Easy |
| Breathing | Exhale underwater, bilateral | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High | Medium |
| Catch (EVF) | High elbow, vertical forearm | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High | Hard |
| Kick | From hips, flexible ankles | ⭐⭐⭐ Medium | Medium |
| Underwater | Dolphin kick, tight streamline | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highest | Hard |
| Stroke Rate | Balance tempo & distance | ⭐⭐⭐ Medium | Medium |
| Training | Intervals + drills | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ High | Medium |
Foundational Principles To Swim Faster: Reduce Drag and Increase Efficiency
Before we even think about pulling harder, we have to make your body slipperier in the water. The biggest battle you fight in the pool isn’t against the clock; it’s against drag. Water is nearly 800 times denser than air, which means even small inefficiencies create massive resistance. These first tips are the non-negotiable foundation for speed.
Tip 1: Master Your Body Position to Reduce Drag
What: The single most important element for speed is a high, horizontal body position. Think of your body as the hull of a boat. A flat, streamlined hull cuts through the water with minimal resistance, while a tilted one plows through it, creating massive drag.
Why: Olympic swimmers use just under 10% of their energy moving forward—the rest fights water resistance. By keeping your body as flat and close to the surface as possible, you minimize this resistance—the fastest way to swim faster without adding fitness. This is especially important for beginners who often swim with their hips and legs dropping low.
How:
- Swim “Downhill”: Gently press your chest down into the water. This acts like a seesaw, encouraging your hips and legs to rise toward the surface. You should feel your heels just breaking the surface as you kick.
- Neutral Head Position: Keep your head in line with your spine, eyes looking directly at the bottom of the pool. Lifting your head causes your hips to drop—it’s simple physics.
- Tight Streamline: Every time you push off a wall, lock into a perfect streamline: arms squeezed over your head, one hand over the other, biceps pressing against your ears, and core tight. This is your fastest possible position in the water.
Drills to Try: Head-Lead Kick (kick on your stomach with arms at your sides, focusing on pressing your chest down) and Streamline Kicking on your front, back, and side.
Tip 2: Perfect Your Breathing Technique for Better Balance
What: Calm, rhythmic, and effective breathing is essential for both endurance and technique. Many swimmers disrupt their body position every time they take a breath, effectively hitting the brakes with every stroke cycle.
Why: If you can’t get enough oxygen, your muscles will fatigue quickly. Mastering bilateral breathing (breathing to both sides) promotes a symmetrical stroke, prevents muscle imbalances, and keeps your body aligned. This directly helps you swim faster without getting tired.
How:
- Exhale First: The biggest mistake is holding your breath underwater. Exhale the entire time your face is in the water, creating a steady stream of bubbles. When you turn to breathe, your lungs are already empty and ready for a quick, relaxed inhale.
- Rotate, Don’t Lift: Your head should rotate to the side with your body, not lift up. The goal is to keep one goggle in the water and one goggle out.
Drills to Try: Side-Kick Drill and the 3/5/7 Breathing Pattern (swim a length breathing every 3 strokes, then every 5, then every 7).
Tip 3: The High-Elbow Catch for Freestyle Speed
What: The high-elbow catch, also known as Early Vertical Forearm (EVF), is one of the most crucial components if you want to swim faster freestyle. It’s the art of using your entire forearm and hand as a single, powerful paddle.
Why: Instead of just pulling your hand through the water, EVF allows you to “catch” a large volume of water early in your stroke and use it as an anchor. You then pull your body past your anchored hand and forearm. This generates significantly more propulsion and is a key part of developing a true “feel for the water.”
How:
- Fingertips Down, Elbow High: After your hand enters the water and extends forward, point your fingertips toward the bottom while keeping your elbow high and close to the surface. This sets your forearm in a vertical position, ready to press backward.
Drills to Try: Fist Drill (swim freestyle with closed fists to feel your forearm) and Sculling (move hands and forearms in a figure-8 motion, focusing on pressure).
Propulsion and Power Techniques
Once you’ve minimized drag, it’s time to maximize power. This is where we focus on turning your arms and legs into effective motors.
Tip 4: Develop a Powerful, Efficient Kick
What: A strong, consistent kick is your engine’s stabilizer and a secondary power source. A powerful kick is vital for maintaining a high body position, driving body rotation, and helping you swim faster when you need that extra gear.
Why: A good kick connects your upper and lower body through your core, creating a powerful kinetic chain. It prevents your legs from dragging and provides the stable platform from which your arms can pull effectively.
How:
- Kick from the Hips: Your kick should originate from your hips, not your knees. Think of your legs as whips—the motion starts at the hip, flows down through a mostly straight leg, and finishes with a relaxed, flexible ankle flick.
- Match Kick to Distance: Use a 2-beat kick for long-distance swimming to conserve energy; use a 6-beat kick for sprints to generate maximum propulsion.
Drills to Try: Focused kick sets (8 x 50 meters alternating easy/moderate/fast) and Vertical Kicking (kick in the deep end with arms crossed to build pure leg power).
Tip 5: Maximize Your Pull with Clean Entry and Hand Position
What: The way your hand enters and holds the water sets up the entire pull. A clean entry and an effective hand position are critical parts of your swimming technique.
Why: A sloppy hand entry can introduce air bubbles, reducing the effectiveness of your catch. Research has shown that slightly spreading your fingers can increase the effective surface area of your hand, creating a larger “paddle.”
How:
- Fingertip-First Entry: Your hand should enter the water directly in front of your shoulder, fingertips first. Imagine sliding your hand into a mail slot.
- Slightly Spread Fingers: Don’t cup your hands or splay fingers wide apart. Find a relaxed, natural position with a small gap between each finger.
Drill to Try: Fingertip Drag Drill—during the recovery phase, drag your fingertips across the surface. This encourages a high-elbow recovery and clean entry.
Tip 6: Balance Stroke Rate and Distance Per Stroke
What: Your swimming speed is a simple equation: Stroke Rate × Distance Per Stroke. Finding the perfect balance between these two is the key to unlocking your top speed to swim faster at any distance.
Why: Many swimmers try to swim faster by spinning their arms, but their stroke becomes short and inefficient. Others take long, gliding strokes but have a tempo that’s too slow for racing. The ideal balance is unique to you and your event distance.
How:
- Use a Tempo Trainer: This small underwater metronome guides your stroke rate. Experiment to find the fastest tempo you can hold while maintaining a long, powerful stroke.
- Track Your SWOLF Score: Swim a 50-meter repeat and add your time (in seconds) to your stroke count. For example, 40 seconds + 35 strokes = 75. Work to lower this number over time.
The Fifth Stroke: Mastering Underwater Speed
Elite swimmers like Michael Phelps and Leon Marchand don’t just swim fast—they dominate underwater. Up to 60% of short-course races happen beneath the surface. If you want to swim faster underwater, this section is critical.
Tip 7: Perfect Your Underwater Dolphin Kick
What: The underwater dolphin kick—often called the “fifth stroke”—is your secret weapon for faster swimming. Top swimmers reach speeds of up to 10 km/h underwater, compared to just 8 km/h on the surface.
Why: The 15-meter rule exists precisely because underwater swimming is so fast. A powerful dolphin kick off every wall can shave seconds off your time without requiring more fitness.
How:
- Initiate from Core, Not Knees: The power comes from your core and hips, not your knees. Think of your body as a wave—the motion starts at your chest and ripples through your hips, knees, and finally your pointed toes.
- Kick in Both Directions: Elite swimmers generate propulsion on both the upbeat and downbeat of the kick. Focus on making both phases equally effective.
- Stay Tight and Aligned: Keep your spine relatively straight. Too much undulation creates drag. Your hands should stay locked—don’t let them move.
- Find Your Optimal Tempo: Research shows that increasing kick frequency doesn’t always increase speed. Use a tempo trainer to find your most efficient rhythm.
Drills to Try: Vertical Dolphin Kick (in the deep end, arms crossed, keep chin above water), fish kicks (on your side), and progressive underwater distance sets (4×25m increasing underwater distance each rep).
Tip 8: Nail Your Streamline and Breakout
What: Your streamline off every wall and your breakout timing are where races are won or lost. Research shows that simply tucking your head down—instead of looking forward—decreases drag by 10%.
Why: The push-off and underwater phase is when you’re traveling at your absolute fastest. Breaking out too early throws away free speed—you can’t swim faster if you’re wasting momentum.
How:
- Lock Your Streamline: Arms squeezed behind your ears, one hand over the other, core engaged. Pretend your hands are locked in concrete—they shouldn’t move.
- Start Kicking at the Right Moment: Elite swimmers begin their dolphin kick sequence around 6 meters off the wall. Starting too early wastes the momentum from your push-off.
- Breakout with Purpose: Time your breakout so you surface with speed, transitioning smoothly into your first stroke. Don’t pop up abruptly.
Training Smart for Speed
Technique without smart training is like having a sports car with no fuel. Here’s how to structure your workouts to get faster.
Tip 9: Integrate Interval Training and Drills
What: Interval training alternates between high-intensity swimming and recovery periods. Combined with focused drill work, it’s the most effective method for improving both speed and technique.
Why: Swimming at one slow pace will only make you good at swimming slow. Interval training pushes your body beyond its comfort zone, forcing it to adapt and swim faster over time. Drills isolate and correct specific parts of your stroke—you can’t fix bad habits at full speed.
How:
- Structure Your Sets: Instead of mindless laps, swim structured sets with specific goals. Example sprint set: 10×50m freestyle at 90% effort on 1:30. Example endurance set: 5×200m at a strong, consistent pace with 30 seconds rest.
- Dedicate 15-20% to Drills: Do drills at the beginning of practice when you’re fresh. Focus on perfect execution, not speed. Key drills: Catch-Up Drill (promotes long stroke), Single-Arm Drill (focuses on rotation and pull).
- Work Different Energy Systems: Mix aerobic endurance, threshold, and VO2 max work throughout your training plan. Test yourself at different distances (50, 100, 200, 400, 800) to identify weaknesses.
Tip 10: Build Swim-Specific Strength with Dryland Training
What: What you do out of the water matters as much as what you do in it. Dryland training builds foundational strength and power that translates directly to speed—especially for starts, turns, and underwater phases.
Why: A strong core is the link between the power generated by your arms and legs. Without it, that power is lost. Research also shows that ankle strength and flexibility significantly improve underwater dolphin kick speed.
How:
- Core Exercises: Planks, Russian twists, leg raises, bird-dog. These build the stability needed to maintain your body line.
- Power Exercises: Medicine ball slams, box jumps, kettlebell swings. These develop explosive power for starts and turns.
- Ankle Mobility: Plantar flexion strengthening with resistance bands, calf raises, and plyometric exercises. Critical for dolphin kick power.
- Flexibility: Regular stretching or yoga for shoulder and hip range of motion—essential for a long, powerful stroke.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I swim faster without getting tired?
Focus on efficiency first, fitness second. Master your body position to reduce drag, perfect your breathing rhythm to maintain oxygen flow, and develop a relaxed, sustainable stroke. Many swimmers waste energy fighting the water—the goal is to work with it. Start with a 2-beat kick for longer swims, exhale fully underwater, and track your SWOLF score to measure efficiency improvements.
How do beginners swim faster?
Start with the fundamentals: horizontal body position, relaxed breathing, and a simple flutter kick from the hips. Don’t try to fix everything at once—pick one element per session. Get video feedback if possible, even a smartphone recording from a friend. Consider lessons from a qualified coach to avoid developing bad habits that are harder to fix later. Most importantly, be patient—technique improvements take time but pay off dramatically.
What’s the fastest swimming stroke?
Freestyle (front crawl) is the fastest stroke for most swimmers, which is why it dominates competitive swimming. However, your underwater dolphin kick—the “fifth stroke”—can actually be faster than any surface stroke, which is why the 15-meter rule exists. If you want to swim faster freestyle specifically, focus on your high-elbow catch, body rotation, and powerful underwaters off every wall.
How often should I swim to get faster?
Swimming twice per week maintains your current level; three or more times per week is needed for improvement. Three shorter sessions (2000m each) beat two longer sessions (3000m each) because you’re swimming more frequently and staying fresher to maintain good form. Consistency matters more than volume.
Your Path to Faster Swimming
Becoming a faster swimmer is a journey, not a destination. It’s about consistent commitment to improving your technique and training smart. By focusing on these 10 principles, you’re building a complete system for speed.
Let’s recap the key takeaways:
- Master a horizontal body position to reduce drag
- Perfect your breathing for better balance and endurance
- Develop a high-elbow catch to pull more water
- Build a powerful kick from the hips
- Use a clean fingertip entry to set up your pull
- Balance your stroke rate and distance per stroke
- Master your underwater dolphin kick—the fifth stroke
- Nail your streamline and breakout timing
- Integrate interval training and focused drills
- Build swim-specific strength with dryland work
Start by picking one or two of these tips to focus on during your next few swims. Don’t try to change everything at once. By consistently applying these methods, I guarantee you will swim faster—and understand exactly how to swim faster in any situation.
