Freestyle swimming

Freestyle is a category of swimming competition, defined by the rules of World Aquatics, in which competitors are subject to only a few limited restrictions on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races are the most common of all swimming competitions, with distances beginning with 50 meters and reaching 1,500 meters, also known as the mile. The term 'freestyle stroke' is sometimes used as a synonym for 'front crawl', as the front crawl is the fastest surface swimming stroke.

It is now the most common stroke used in freestyle competitions.

Back to Strokes & Technique →

Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0

ISWIMBAND

Swim faster and safer — free calculators for swim pace, SWOLF efficiency, lap distance, calorie burn, and interval sets, plus pool-to-yard conversions and plain-English guides to stroke technique, training, wearables, and water safety.

Get new guides by emailOccasional emails. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

InformationAbout Contact Privacy Policy Terms of Service Disclaimer Affiliate Disclosure Cookie Policy

Every species, image, fact, and figure is drawn from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, used under public-domain and Creative Commons licenses. No content is AI-generated.