Non-Freestyle Swimming
Choose the non-freestyle share around your event goals and how well you swim the other styles: USMS coach Terry Heggy suggests a ballpark 10% for swimmers who race only freestyle, or 20% for primarily freestyle swimmers who occasionally race other strokes. Treat these as starting points to adjust, rather than a percentage every swimmer must meet.
What percentage fits your swimming goals?
Heggy’s USMS article gives four ballpark recommendations based on competitive interests. The higher shares belong to swimmers whose racing includes more non-freestyle events; they are not a progression ladder that a freestyle specialist needs to climb.
Terry Heggy’s USMS starting recommendations
| Competitive focus | Freestyle only | Primarily freestyle | Mixed events | Stroke specialist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-freestyle share | 10% | 20% | 33% | 50% |
| Other-event participation | Never | Occasionally | A good mix | Primary focus |
For a freestyle-focused session, begin with the matching freestyle category. For non-racing swimmers, use the framework as a planning prompt: decide whether today is mainly freestyle practice or deliberate work on another style. The source does not establish an optimal ratio for recreational swimmers or for a particular race distance.
How do you turn a percentage into a useful allocation?
Fix the total swimming distance first, then reserve the main freestyle work before placing the non-freestyle portion. The following is an editorial planning method, using distance so the arithmetic stays visible.
For a strict time limit, the 30-minute swim workout guide helps with session sizing. Keep the percentage calculation separate from pace: a quarter of your distance in a slower style can occupy more than a quarter of your swimming time.
What does a modest non-freestyle portion look like?
This original 1,000m example assigns 100m to backstroke and keeps 900m freestyle, including the full 600m steady main set. It illustrates distance allocation for a swimmer already comfortable with these repeat lengths, not a copied USMS workout or a promise that the session fits 30 minutes.
Freestyle focus with 100m of backstroke
Original allocation example: 900m freestyle, 100m backstroke · 1000m total
- 200m Easy freestyle warm-up — GA1 · Rest 20s after the set
- 4 × 25m Controlled backstroke — TU · Rest 20s between repeats · Rest 20s after the set · Use only if you can already swim backstroke with control. Focus on one familiar cue.
- 6 × 100m Steady freestyle main set — GA1 · Rest 20s between repeats · Rest 20s after the set · Keep the effort steady and the repeats consistent; this is the session’s main purpose.
- 100m Easy freestyle cool-down — GA1
The backstroke sits after the warm-up so it has a clear purpose before the longer freestyle work. To illustrate a 20% allocation at the same total, the backstroke budget would be 200m and the freestyle budget 800m; decide which freestyle distance can be replaced without losing the intended main set before making that change.
What if your other styles are not ready for more volume?
Prioritise coached technique practice before adding substantial non-freestyle distance. Heggy specifically advises extra time with a coach when the movements or timing are not yet mastered, rather than reinforcing incorrect swimming through repetition. He also suggests placing most breaststroke and butterfly work early in practice, after warming up, and allowing longer rests when needed.
The second USMS source, Andrew Sheaff’s backstroke workout collection, separates timing, pulling, kicking, speed and endurance objectives. It supports giving the non-freestyle portion a specific learning goal; it does not supply a universal backstroke percentage for freestyle training.
Choosing your share
Keep the freestyle purpose; make the other distance deliberate.
Use the goal-matched USMS proportion as a starting point only when you can execute that swimming well. If the unfamiliar style becomes an exercise in finishing metres, reduce the volume and get technique feedback before increasing it.
How can you plan the mix in AquaPlan?
Open the example in the builder to retain its named freestyle and backstroke steps, then review the distances and repetitions against your chosen total. The AquaPlan workout builder lets you edit the session; the percentage decision remains yours. If you start from the free swim workout library , choose a session with the right main purpose first and then account for your non-freestyle portion within its total.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 10% non-freestyle enough for a freestyle-focused workout?
Should I split the non-freestyle distance equally between all three styles?
Do the percentages mean distance or minutes?
Sources and editorial process
Sources checked November 4, 2026. Heggy’s October 7, 2019 article supplies the goal-based percentages and competence guidance. Sheaff’s September 14, 2026 collection supplies examples of distinct backstroke training objectives. The 1,000m session and allocation arithmetic above are AquaPlan editorial illustrations, not source-prescribed workouts.
Limitations: these sources provide coaching recommendations, not a controlled comparison establishing an ideal proportion. This guide addresses session planning and does not assess your technique or guarantee a training outcome.
- USMS: How to Balance Freestyle and Stroke in Your Workouts — Terry Heggy
- USMS: The 5 Best Backstroke Swim Workouts — Andrew Sheaff
Automated editorial check (daily-ai-v1): this article was authored using AI and checked through an automated editorial process. No human expert review is claimed.
Article publisher
Published and maintained by AquaPlan. The article above identifies its evidence sources and automated editorial process; no human expert review is claimed.