How to swim more efficiently

15 May 2025 08:00AM by Virgin Active

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When it comes to swimming, efficiency is key. While many of us take to the water quite naturally, as humans we’re not designed to swim. That doesn’t mean we can’t or won’t have a good time when we do but it does mean that we have to work at it to perfect our technique.

We spoke to one of our swim coaches OJ to find out more about what stroke is the most efficient and how to swim without wasting energy.

What is the most efficient stroke in swimming?

The most efficient swim stroke is front crawl. When done right, it’s the fastest stroke that you can do because of your streamlined position in the water and lack of drag.

OJ says:

“Front crawl involves alternating and continuous arm pulls beneath the body to maintain momentum and provide propulsion. To swim quickly through the water, athletes must maintain balance, breathe slowly, execute steady pulls and kick firmly. Over time, your overall rhythm and feel for the water will improve as your stroke becomes more efficient.”

How to front crawl

To learn front crawl from scratch or for a reminder on how it’s done, one of our swim coaches can help you. Once you’ve got the basics down, there are a few things you can practice on your own to improve your technique.

Starting with your body, keep it as horizontal as possible with the surface of the water. That involves lifting those hips and working to prevent your legs from sinking. You can also work to keep your spine in a neutral position, not lifting your head too much and looking slightly down.

To propel yourself through the water with your arms, keep your elbows slightly bent. When your hand enters the water, try to get your thumb to go in first. When your arm is under the water, focus on keeping your elbow high and fingers together to maximise your pull through the water. Your arms should be making smooth and continuous motions.

Speaking of continuous motion, your legs should never stop kicking. Keep floppy ankles and a slight bend in your knees. Small fast kicks are better than big ones and kick from one leg then the other, not at the same time. A key technique pointer in kicking is making the motion come from your hips, not your knees.

Efficient front crawl swimming technique

You know those people who effortlessly glide through the surface of the water? Well, this is how they do it:

They maintain a streamlined body position, keeping their heads and bodies elevated above the water

They have excellent head control which allows comfortable breathing

Their hip and torso rotation is effective, rolling smoothly to both sides, with a lift in the shoulders

They kick flawlessly and rhythmically

They propel themselves powerfully through the water, ensuring smooth and relaxed arm recovery with their hands travelling close to their bodies

What does breathing have to do with efficient swimming?

In theory (and with a lot of thinking), swimming with perfect technique should be manageable enough. But seeing as we can’t breathe underwater, gasping for air can sometimes be the thing that makes swimming a bit of a struggle.

In front crawl, you’ll want to slowly exhale through pursed lips as your head is underwater. Then, when you turn your head to take a breath, quickly exhale the rest before taking in another breath. With the right technique, the motion of your arm should provide enough of a channel in the water for you to breathe into without lifting your head too much. And we know that’s good for keeping a streamlined position.

OJ adds:

“Breathe in and out bilaterally - to the left and then right, rather than always on one side. Focus on breathing via the diaphragm instead of the chest. This keeps the body relaxed and comfortable in the water.”

When you learn to breathe effectively, you’ll reduce your resistance in the water which will help you achieve that gliding motion.

Give these tips a try and see how your swimming improves. And if you need some extra support, get in touch with the team for adult swimming lessons.

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