Fast freestyle starts with good body position and timing.
If your freestyle feels like a fight instead of a flow, it’s probably not your fitness — it’s your foundation. In swimming, the basics aren’t “beginner” work; they’re the blueprint for every efficient, powerful stroke you’ll ever swim. Freestyle 1 is where adult swimmers at Chicago Blue Dolphins learn to balance, breathe, and move through the water with calm control. If you are looking for high-quality adult freestyle swim lessons in Chicago, the time-tested method in the Freestyle 1 class will make your improvement inevitable.
This class is the first step in our Adult Stroke Improvement program, and it sets the stage for everything that follows — speed, endurance, and confidence.
Why Start with the Basics
Even adults who have been swimming for years often skip the fundamentals. Without balance, body alignment, and proper breathing, each stroke costs more energy than it should. Freestyle 1 rebuilds your stroke from the ground up, teaching you to:
- Maintain a tall, streamlined body line that reduces drag.
- Discover natural balance and buoyancy so the water supports you.
- Time your breathing with the rotation of your body instead of lifting your head.
- Coordinate arms, legs, and core for smooth momentum instead of choppy effort.
Once these fundamentals feel natural, your swimming immediately becomes easier and more efficient — and your endurance follows.
What You’ll Learn in Freestyle 1
Freestyle 1 is highly structured but approachable. Each session builds one skill on top of another:
- Body Position & Balance: Learn how to align and position your body to swim in a narrow tube and avoid drag.
- Breathing Control: Practice rhythmic breathing on both sides to build symmetry in the stroke.
- Timing & Rotation: Coordinate the movements of the arms, legs, and body to ensure you are moving in harmony with the water.
By the end of the session, you’ll be able to:
- Swim at least 20 strokes of full-stroke freestyle with calm, rhythmic breathing on both sides.
- Hold a long, balanced body position through the entire stroke cycle.
- Integrate timing and breath so your motion feels continuous instead of stop-and-go.
Who Should Join
Freestyle 1 is designed for adults who:
- Can swim at least 50 yards without stopping but know their stroke feels inefficient or tiring.
- Want to replace “muscling through laps” with smoother, smarter technique.
- Are returning to swimming after years away and want a technical reset.
If you can already swim comfortably but feel you’re wasting energy or losing rhythm, this class will transform your experience in the water.
Our classes are transformative — the fun comes with no additional charge!
Coaching That Makes Sense to Adults
Our instructors specialize in adult learning. We don’t just tell you what to do — we explain why it works. Each skill is broken down logically, demonstrated visually, and practiced with immediate feedback from underwater mirrors, video, and in-water coaching. You’ll understand how each drill fits into the bigger picture of swimming efficiently.
And because class sizes stay small (maximum 3:1 ratio), every swimmer receives personalized attention and focused corrections in each lesson.
From Freestyle 1 to the Next Level
Graduates of Freestyle 1 move naturally into Freestyle 2, where they will integrate a relaxed arm recovery and hip drive on top of their solid foundation. Many go on from Freestyle 2 to complete the full stroke-improvement sequence or transition into PACE© Swim Training for structured fitness and triathlon preparation.
Your first 4- or 5-week session is just the beginning of a lifelong skill.
Get Started Now!
If you’re ready to build a stronger, smoother freestyle, start with the adult freestyle swim lessons in Chicago that teach the fundamentals the right way.
👉 Join Freestyle 1 in our Adult Stroke Improvement Program and feel the difference that true technique makes.