The 5 Biggest Mistakes Adult Learned Swimmers Make (And How to Correct Them!)

Swimming is a fundamental skill that some triathletes learn in childhood. However, if you weren’t lucky enough to have your parents force you into a pool, you’re considered an adult learned swimmer. New swimmers often develop certain habits that can impede their progress and efficiency in the water. Identifying and addressing these common mistakes can significantly improve swimming technique and overall performance. Here at Working Triathlete, we notice 5 mistakes most commonly among new swimmers.

1. Crossing Over the Center Line One of the most common issues is crossing over the center line when reaching out in front during the freestyle stroke. This can lead to serpentining, inefficiency and increased drag, making it harder to maintain a straight line in the water as well as wasting energy moving excessively side to side.

Identify and Correct:

• Record Yourself: Film yourself from the top, side, and underwater if you have the ability to. This will allow you to visualize your mistake and really analyze what is going wrong – and where. Many swimmers do not even realize they are crossing center when they reach out ahead.

• Focus on Hand Entry: Concentrate on having your hands enter the water directly in front of your shoulders. You can visualize or practice this on land to build muscle memory, using bands, stretch cords, or a Vasa SwimErg. If you have been crossing over center for a while, you may need to exaggerate this motion and reach out out with your arms spread wider than you think you should.

• Drill Practice: Incorporate drills such as the "zipper drill" wherein you drag your thumb along your side from hip to armpit to promote a hand entry more in line with your shoulder. “Wide hand catch-up” can also help as it emphasizes an almost uncomfortably wide hand entry into your normal catch-up drill.

2. Unengaged Core An unengaged core leads to instability and reduced propulsion. Your core is the powerhouse of your swimming stroke, and neglecting it can lead to inefficient movement, increased drag, and a sense of disconnection or decoupling between your legs, hips, torso, and arms.

Engage Your Core:

• Core Exercises: Integrate core exercises like planks, Russian twists, fluter kicks, and V-ups into your training routine to build core strength.

• Mindful Swimming: Focus on engaging your core while swimming. Imagine pulling your belly button towards your spine to activate your abdominal muscles.

• Body Roll Drills: Practice body roll drills to improve core engagement and overall stroke efficiency. These drills help you learn to use your core for rotation to enhance propulsion. A great drill is the 6-kick-roll-drill, which entails keeping your arms at your side, kicking 6 times with one shoulder facing down, rotating to the other side, and then repeating. You can also add one stroke every 6 kicks once mastered (i.e. the 6:1:6 drill).

3. Poor Breath Timing Timing your breaths incorrectly can disrupt your rhythm and generate fatigue. Many adult swimmers struggle integrating seamless breathing into their stroke, with poor breath technique and timing leading to increased drag.

Improve Breath Timing:

• Bilateral Breathing: Practice breathing on both sides to create a balanced stroke and improve overall rhythm. Being able to hold a rhythm on both sides can reduce any muscular imbalances as well.

• Count Strokes: Counting your strokes per length is a great way to understand how you swim at different speeds. It’s a good way to hold yourself accountable to keeping your stroke ‘long’, as a long stroke will help the smoothness of your breathing and prevent a choppy stroke.

• Focus on Exhalation: Ensure you're exhaling fully underwater before turning your head to breathe. This allows for a quick and efficient inhalation that won’t interrupt your stroke rhythm. Use your nose and mouth to exhale underwater, and breathe in through your mouth.

4. Insufficient Swim Volume As much as triathletes might not want to hear it, to get better at swimming, you have to swim. A feel for the water and swim fitness only improves if you spend time in the water, and is cruical if you want to catch up to those who’ve been swimming for longer. Many high school swimmers put in 15-20 hours per week of pure swimming, and can get away with extremely low volume once they transition to triathlon. Unfortunately, if you are an adult swimmer looking to make the front pack, you likely won’t have this luxury. You’ll have to do the work!

Increase Swim Volume:

• Regular Schedule: Set a consistent swimming schedule, aiming for at least three to four swims per week. Especially for beginner and intermediate swimmers, frequency is helpful. One or two big workouts each week will not be as useful as four or five shorter workouts, as frequency especially will enhance your ‘feel’ for the water.

• Vary Workouts: Incorporate a mix of endurance, speed, and technique-focused workouts to build overall swimming ability. Varying your workouts prevents boredom, reduces the risk of overuse injuries, and ensures a well-rounded skill set. For more information on this, chat with one of our coaches

• Join a Swim Group: Consider joining a master’s swim group or taking lessons to stay motivated and receive structured workouts. Swimming with others provides accountability, encouragement, and opportunities to learn from more experienced swimmers. More on this in the next one…

5. Not Having a Coach on Deck A coach provides critical feedback, identifies flaws, and offers corrective techniques that self-taught swimmers might miss. Without the guidance of a coach, progress will be slower. Engraining proper technique should be the number one goal for new swimmers, and a good coach on deck will facilitate that!

Value of a Coach:

• Expert Feedback: A coach can spot and correct mistakes that you may not even be aware of, helping to refine your technique and improve efficiency. Their trained eye can catch subtle errors that make a big difference in your performance.

• Motivation and Accountability: Having a coach keeps you motivated and accountable, pushing you to achieve your best while maintaining focus and consistency. Challenging workouts or frustrating days are easier to get through when someone is on deck striving to help you improve.

• Online Consultation: If you don’t have access to a coach, consider getting another eye on your stroke from afar. Check out Working Triathlete’s swim consultations here.

One Last Thing…

Improvement takes time and consistent effort. Stay patient and keep working on refining your technique with regular practice and feedback. Trust the process and don’t be discouraged by the occasional valley in your swim fitness – a valley only tells you that the peak is coming soon! Embrace the process, stay consistent, and enjoy the progress you make in the water.