The Freestyle Secret: Why We Build Your Engine Before Your Arms

When an adult decides to learn freestyle, their focus is almost always on the arms. It’s a natural instinct. The big, powerful arm pull seems like the most important part of the stroke—it's what you see, and it feels like it's what's pulling you through the water. Many beginners (and even some instructors) rush to perfect this part of the technique.

At Dreamers, we believe this is a fundamental mistake.

As a team of coaches grounded in the principles of Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD), we have a clear and non-negotiable philosophy: you must build the engine and the chassis of your freestyle before you ever worry about the steering. For an adult learner, understanding this single concept is the difference between months of frustration and a lifetime of efficient, powerful swimming.

This guide will explain the "why" behind our "body-first" approach and show you how it is the fastest path to a truly great freestyle stroke.

The 80/20 Rule of Swimming

The first thing to understand is that your arm stroke, while important, is not the primary source of your stability or your foundational power. The real work is being done by your lower body and your core.

• Your Kick is Your Engine: A strong, consistent kick provides the propulsion that drives you forward and, more importantly, it provides the propulsive lift that keeps your hips and legs high in the water, reducing drag.

• Your Core is Your Chassis: A tight, stable core connects your arm pulls to your leg kicks. It allows you to rotate your body along a straight line, like a torpedo. Without a strong chassis, your body will wiggle and "snake" through the water, wasting an incredible amount of energy.

Trying to build a powerful arm stroke on top of a weak kick and an unstable core is like trying to put a Ferrari engine on the frame of a bicycle. The foundation simply cannot handle the power, and the entire system collapses into an inefficient, splashy struggle.

The "Foundation-First" Approach in Action

This is why our lessons for adult freestyle beginners look very different from other programs. We are unapologetic about our obsession with the foundation. The first several sessions are often dedicated almost exclusively to two things:

1. Mastering the Kick and Body Line We spend a huge amount of time with a kickboard, but not just for fitness. We are teaching you to master a powerful, hip-driven flutter kick. We focus on a "boiling water" kick—small, fast, and consistent. At the same time, we drill the "superhero glide," teaching you to hold a tight, streamlined body position. This builds the engine and makes your chassis more hydrodynamic.

2. Learning to Rotate from the Core Before we introduce the full arm stroke, we teach you how to rotate your body along its long axis. We do this with drills like "shark fin" swimming (one hand at your side, the other extended) and single-arm pulls. This teaches you that the power of your pull doesn't come from your shoulder; it comes from the rotation of your hips and torso.

Why This is a Faster Way to Learn

It might seem counter-intuitive, but this patient, "body-first" approach is actually the fastest way to a great freestyle.

When you learn this way, you are not just memorizing movements; you are building a deep, intuitive feel for the water. You learn how to balance, how to reduce drag, and how to generate power from your body's largest muscle groups.

Only when this foundation is solid do we begin to layer on the arm stroke. And when we do, the process is remarkably fast and easy. Your body already knows how to stay stable and move through the water, so the arms simply become a final, powerful addition to a system that is already working beautifully.

Conclusion: Build it Right, Build it Once

The temptation to rush to the "exciting" part of swimming—the arm pull—is strong. But a house built without a foundation will always be weak. At Dreamers, we are committed to building your freestyle stroke the right way, from the ground up. It’s a Learn To Swim process built on science, patience, and a deep respect for the craft. And it's a process that is proven to create a powerful, efficient, and beautiful stroke that will last you a lifetime.