Why You Can't Swim Front Quadrant Freestyle

Front quadrant freestyle is what most elite distance swimmers use. It's a great way for most swimmers who are new to the sport to learn as it helps with balance, breathing and timing. At clinics and camps, we see a number of faults in the stroke that make it difficult to swim front quadrant. In this video we'll show you what they are.
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[@EffortlessSwimming]

Did you find this helpful? Do you think you're front quadrant? Comment below and please share this video!

[@hockinghillsalive3624]

This is a great video to show the essentials of proper form. Very helpful. The steps you give to getting front quadrant are also the same steps to correcting technique. Thank you!

[@mustaphab.1190]

One of the best and most helpful of your videos. Thanks mate, appreciated. I used to be an over glider type trying to ramp the cadence up with more straight arms recovery for open water.

[@AndreasGoelzer]

Effortless Swimming Thank you very much for your videos, Brenton. They‘ve been very helpful in improving my swimming strokes. Do you only teach front crawl swimming? I‘d love to be able to master the 3 other swimming styles as well.

[@UNLVmatrix]

@@AndreasGoelzer Brenton has also been providing technical advice on my butterfly inside the membership. Really excellent coach as he sees things that my former coaches missed.

[@jeffgriffiths5945]

I recently started searching for swimming advice online after being away from competitive swimming for a long time. I'm just a casual swimmer now, but wanted to get my form back reasonably properly. This whole channel is excellent, man. I feel like i'm making out like a bandit with all your free advice. I wish you mucho youtube dollars and success with your channel. You deserve it.

[@thibod07]

Awesome video! So well explained. The only reason I understand it is because I have started doing it. It took me three years of swimming.I came to the conclusion that there is no shortcut. Swimming with intention as often as possible is the only way to acquire that technique.

[@mmverrecchia7840]

Really helpful for a Rookie (64 year old) new to freestyle, and swimming. Great, clear detailed analysis. Best description I've come across so far.

[@maurizio7209]

Grazie Coach! Very helpfull video and explanation.. The swiss swimmer🇨🇭

[@428bsm]

New to swimming as I committed myself to a triathlon recently. I find swimming is like golf. I go to the pool and struggle to go more than 50m without a break. I come home discouraged. I watch KZbin and find these helpful tips. I'm excited to try them out and return to the pool. Said tips are helpful but I continue to struggle. I leave discouraged. The cycle repeats!

[@xLegendaryPictures]

Same, though I do see some improvements. It's a slow process and I've just learned swimming over a month ago. Learning the movements at the moment and do even know proper breathing. I'm with my head outside the water all the time. Next session I wanna focus a little more on breathing. My advice would be to pick small things to work on everytime you go to swim.

[@henrileroy2485]

Comme d'habitude, Brenton nous livre les meilleures informations. As usual, Brenton gives us the best informations. Wonderful.

[@ryanmilton2643]

Just described my swimming! Lots here for me!

[@deepzerocool]

This is exactly what I’m trying to achieve these days. The trick is also about the catch, it seems that there’s a subtle elevation on the hands after entry to align with shoulder; or else the hands will fall and too early for the catch.

[@sardonic12]

Great drills.

[@seiti1]

Good video! It combines many important tips from the previous videos. I've tried to swim front quadrant and I feel like it helped to make swimming more effortless.

[@negin8537]

His swimming while doing drill is faster than me😄

[@pablorivera376]

I like front quadrant swimming but I cannot say that front quadrant swimming is the best or only way to swim freestyle.

[@OVOCNYCHECK]

I'm so front quadrant that my coach says I'm swimming catch-up drill even when sprinting :)

[@marcinpomidor1226]

I've had this problem when I did too many catch up drills. Had to get help from a swim coach to get back to "normal" swimming :D

[@samn8309]

My coach didn't like teaching the catch-up drill because he felt it promoted over-glide. He said if you got to glide, glide with one arm out front and the other pushing out the back. Also, catch-up drill is very tiring but the surge of speed feels nice though.

[@OVOCNYCHECK]

I´m pretty much self thought swimmer. I find gliding opposite to tiring for me it saves a lot of energy and long glide helps me to feel much bigger catch. When I try to increase frequency of stroke in sprint I pretty much fail to catch any water and my times are not rapidly different from my "fast tempo long stroke". With my coach we are trying to get rid of it but unlearning it is gonna take some time

[@safronovtube]

Eye opening explanation, I think it's finally clicked, great video.

[@iljas]

Im always front quadrant except on the breath stroke. That arm that should be in front instead does the stroke too early so I can gain speed and thus take a breath... How could I fix this?

[@impatrick4188]

you're really helping me improve my swimming techniques. Thank you so much

[@alanhood8212]

Thanks for the videos. I started swimming 5 years ago. Only 25 meters huffing & puffing. Now swim a few kilometers but want to get more efficient. I like the explanations with the recorded swimmers. I need to work on the slight rotation of body and extension. Want to swim greater distances without stopping. You have the best info. Thanks.

[@EffortlessSwimming]

Thanks you!

[@stevemckenna9667]

Best stroke mechanics videos anywhere. I've watched many--the good, bad, the ugly. I resumed swimming 6 months ago after a nearly 10 year hiatus (bike racing, where I was avoiding upper body weight.) These vids have really helped me dial back into form, increase speed and efficiency, and most importantly helped me re-love swimming! I've seen real improvement by implementing your advice. Moving through the water a lot faster with less effort. GREAT instruction and visualizations. THANKS!

[@dave597]

Really great tips thanks.

[@dave597]

Earlier hand entry seems to help a lot, you're right it does feel counter-intuitive compared to just extending above the water and moving the hand down, but you end up pushing a lot of water downwards and creating a lot of bubbles. The earlier hand entry, extend underwater minimises the bubbles and is more efficient and streamlined.

[@RickMartinYouTube]

I'm afraid I will have paralysis by analysis - that's what has happened in skiing, tennis, golf.

[@APRacingEnginesBlidworth]

Hey Guys, I was on a swim analysis yesterday as was told that the worse thing ever is to front quadrant swim and under no circumstances it should be done.

[@stepheninczech]

Whoa look at that massive watch at 2:15! It’s like Apple Watch 0.0!

[@paulofischbr]

I didn't understand why I couldn't let my front hand without pressing down while breathing. The answer is I'm over rotating, and I think I really am. Thank you very much. You are the best.

[@mosca3289]

Off to the pool now, gonna give it a try. Great videos, thanks.

[@joesyogafitness6085]

He rotates a little more on his left side.

[@linzhang3683]

Best swimming youtuber ever!!!!!! so many details are explicit!

[@ROCKNROLLFAN]

how do you breath with your head still in the water.....

[@Bee-ti1rv]

Thanks!

[@EffortlessSwimming]

Welcome! and thank you!

[@j.c.guzman9129]

Thank you

[@zmojofoot76]

So I’m a fairly new swimmer I mean I’ve only recently started to actually practice because I want to be able to do 500 meters in a few months for something I want to do. At the start I’ve always gassed out after just a short distance. I’m on day 7 and breathing feels natural now as opposed to the first time I can last 50 meters but I’m tired. I’m not sure if it’s a combination of my cardio overall not being that great since I haven’t done much in years due to strength training and my technique still be not that great. I’ve had an instructor watch but he says my body position is good my strokes are good at least by his standard for a life guard on the swim team but I do kick a lot which I can’t seem to slow down.

[@ilinageorgieva4976]

Jas skam plivane j fudbal. I toa gledam na mojot telefon za da. Raci i borce. Ki skam samo da. Nucam da plivam. I fudbal

[@TMD3453]

Great! Thank you! I've always wondered about front quadrant swimming! Good to see it's true and that you can have a nice long line at end of each stroke, and a little room to recover there. Must say the footage from the front around 5:40 is really, really good at showing that. It seems to me it shows everything you need to know! if the front quadrant is right, that helps with timing of shoulder and hip rotation (where I seem to have the most trouble). Also, I appreciated the comments about glide and that it's just a nuance to keep in mind. No, it's not glide in the sense of stopping the stroke but it is the perception of slowing the stroke down when extending at the top of it (and not for racing, etc). The 'glide' is the really enjoyable part of it- I think- like in rowing. Glad it's also in swimming- yay! If I"m not swimming in the front quadrant already, I sure will be! Thank you thank you thank you!.

[@jackwhitetron]

Thank you for this video and all your other videos. VERY helpful! Subscribing now.

[@n.c.6157]

Good things to think about to help me not have that treadmill heavy breathing feel. My kids and I will work on our reaching and extending today 🏊 thanks

[@locorunner]

You are the best!

[@henrileroy2485]

There is no front quadrant in backstroke. Why?

[@kennyhickey2417]

Amazing information from a top and talented coach...thank you so much for sharing

[@BenjaminBriu]

🙅🏽‍♂️🙅🏽‍♂️🙅🏽‍♂️

[@jackwhitetron]

I wonder why some distance swimmers aren't front quadrant?

[@markgrenier6787]

Excellent..gonna try it right now actually...thx coach

[@jpulizzano]

looked like a modified catch up drill. BTW, your videos has really improved my stroke....keep em coming.

[@rodolfocaballero5324]

Great tip and advice i practiced that tjanks greettings from México

[@michaelwarder8295]

It is tough to change! But thank you. Will work on it.

[@jacquelinegonzalez7649]

I am trying to create a triangle with the arm (shoulder, elbow, hand) above water so the fingers enter first. But I think I am doing it wrong because after a few weeks, my left shoulder is starting to hurt. Like I am forcing the triangle. Any suggestions?

[@EffortlessSwimming]

you might need to rotate more to do it. Or you might be over-doing it

[@tadown5891]

👍👍👍

[@ronwinter45]

Great video and explanation

[@EffortlessSwimming]

thanks Ron

[@robertandyjustus]

Very detailed.Thank you. I will try these steps and let you know.

[@traveler3482]

As much as I understand We are trying to do ''Quadrant Freestyle'' but also We want to increase the stroke rate how can they be possible together ?

[@Alex-kr7zr]

swimming quadrant == timing, Increasing stroke rate == doing it faster

[@djeeee911]

Where are you swimming ? Is that a montain ?

[@ElectronBasket]

This is so informative. Thank you so much!

[@allezvenga7617]

Thanks for your sharing

[@2rudha]

extremely helpful video, one of the best i have seen

[@wutaowen133]

Thank you very much!! Very helpful !

[@richielavey1565]

I feel like when I leave my arm out like that my breathing side and non-breathing side stroke at different rates, I’ve taken a video and this confirmed what it thought but I’m not quite sure how to fix this

[@seiti1]

In my case, I feel like it's because I start to breath too late and I take a little too long to breath. I need to adjust the timing. Maybe your problem is similar?

[@richielavey1565]

Seiti yes! Exactly that!

[@tazzzaaah]

This is very helpful, thank you! Is that tan lines on your nose?

[@EffortlessSwimming]

yes too much sun while surfing :)

[@СтасСтасов-ю4т]

субтитры пожалуйста

[@bonnymw0311]

Brilliant explanation. Late swimmer , following your videos to improve my freestyle . Indeed there are so many nuances and all of them need to come together . I think I am making improvements slowly but will be there .

[@AndreyShcherbakov1]

Thanks! Very helpful explanation!

[@texplorer1]

What is shoulder depth?

[@EffortlessSwimming]

the depth of your shoulder in the water