Meera Iyer
6 Mar 2026
Why do I get exhausted after just 2 laps of freestyle?
I've been swimming at a pool in Chennai for 2 months. I can do 2 laps (50 metres) of freestyle and then I'm completely out of breath and have to rest for 2 minutes. Meanwhile I see others cruising for 30-40 laps non-stop. I jog 5K regularly so I know my cardio isn't that bad. What am I doing wrong? I think my technique might be off but I'm not sure what specifically. I feel like I'm fighting the water instead of gliding through it.
2 Answers
Ananya Reddy
7 Mar 2026
This is the most common problem for new freestyle swimmers and it's 90% technique, not fitness! You're absolutely right that you're "fighting the water." Here's what's happening and how to fix it: **Problem 1: Breathing (The Biggest Issue)** You're probably lifting your HEAD out of the water to breathe. This sinks your legs and creates massive drag. **Fix:** Turn your head to the side, keeping one goggle in the water and one out. Breathe into the "bow wave" pocket created by your head moving through the water. Your mouth only needs to be above water for a split second. Exhale UNDERWATER through your nose/mouth continuously between breaths. Most beginners hold their breath and then try to exhale AND inhale when they turn – which means you're only inhaling for 0.5 seconds. Not enough! **Drill:** Hold the wall with one hand, face down, kick gently, and practice turning your head to breathe every 3 seconds. Do this for 10 minutes. Get comfortable exhaling underwater. **Problem 2: Body Position** Your legs are probably sinking. This creates drag equivalent to swimming uphill. **Fix:** - Push your chest slightly DOWN into the water (counterintuitive but it lifts your hips and legs) - Look at the pool floor, not forward. Your head position controls your body position. - Tighten your core slightly – imagine trying to make yourself as long and streamlined as possible. **Drill:** Swim with a pull buoy between your legs. This forces your legs up and lets you feel what correct body position feels like. Swim 200m with a pull buoy, then remove it and try to maintain that feeling. **Problem 3: Kicking Too Hard** Beginners often kick furiously, which burns energy fast. Your kick in freestyle should be a gentle flutter from the hips, not big splashy kicks from the knees. **Fix:** Kick should be about 20% of your forward propulsion. If you're splashing wildly, you're wasting energy. Think "small, fast kick from the hips" not "big kick from the knees." **Reality check:** With these fixes, you should be swimming 200m non-stop within 2-3 weeks. Within 2 months, 1000m should be achievable. Swimming efficiency improvements are dramatic – small technique changes yield massive results.
Sneha Desai
8 Mar 2026
Ananya covered the technique beautifully. One more thing that helped me enormously: **Count your strokes per length.** An efficient swimmer does 16-20 strokes per 25m. A beginner might do 30-40+. If you're taking too many strokes, you're slipping through the water without actually moving forward. **Fix:** After each stroke, GLIDE for a moment before starting the next stroke. Extend your hand fully forward underwater and hold that streamlined position for a beat. Think "Reach, Pull, Glide" rather than frantic arm windmilling. **Simple workout to start:** - 4 × 25m with 30-second rest (focus on breathing) - 4 × 25m with pull buoy, 20-second rest - 4 × 25m counting strokes, trying to reduce by 1 each time - Total: 300m. Sounds little but quality beats quantity in swimming. Also, if you can afford one thing, invest in **3-4 sessions with a private coach** (₹500-800 per session in Chennai). They can fix your form issues in one session that might take months to self-correct from YouTube videos. The MRC Swimming pool in Mylapore has excellent private coaching.