DEVELOPING A MORE EFFICIENT FREESTYLE: swimming in a straight line

This video kicks off the backyard swim lab, hosted by Jenna and Miguel @ Freestyle Tri. Today we had a 60+ year-old swimmer come in looking to improve efficiency with limited mobility (from past shoulder reconstruction). Impressively, the "pre-covid benchmark" for this swimmer is around 1:20-1:30 per 100yd pace, and we chatted about many things we can work on in his stroke to get him back and beyond that pace now that pools and masters teams are opening back up. Here's the summary:
lesson 1: entry and catch
takeaways: arm alignment upon entry (fingers, elbows, and shoulder), and high-elbow catch
-drills: sculling, and side-kicking
lesson 2: kicking
takeaways: small, hip-driven kicks near the surface
drills: superman kick, and kicking with fins
lesson 3: head position and breath
takeaways: rotate around stable head ... minimalist breathing
drills: single-arm freestyle, and side-kicking with breaths