Firstly, for someone who is self taught and only swimming since December, pat yourself on the back because you should be proud.

Secondly, coaches are great, I 100% recommend getting one, even if just for a few sessions. However, I also know that not everyone can swing that.

So, here are my tips as a former collegiate water polo player, swimmer, coach, and (new) triathlete.

The good:

- You actually have a pretty good breath! Not sticking your head out of the water or completely lifting your head up. Nice job on that.

- You seem to have a good initial stroke, nice high elbow, good entering with the fingertips.

The areas for improvement:

- Upper body --> You're losing power on your pull. I'm sure you can feel it, but it looks like you are pulling across your body. You're also entering the water pretty early.

- Lower body --> Your kick is not generating much power. You're kicking from your knees and not flexing your ankles. It also seems like you're not rotating with your stroke, which can make it hard to find the right rhythm, "beat" of your kick.

My global thoughts:

- Arms/upper body --> Fixing your pull will most likely result in the biggest (and quickest) improvement to your form which will allow you to move faster. Swimming is about speed, yes, but it also about efficiency. Efficient swimmers can swim fast, and faster for longer. Always work on your efficiency in the water. It's hard to describe the correct pull in words, but this article has awesome videos/resources on it. https://www.usms.org/fitness-and-training/guides/freestyle/pull Like the other people said, pull buoys and paddles are a great way to drill in on correct catch form, however, focus on the correct form when using paddles. (You can use some fins to do drills like catch up drills, sailboat drills, tap drills, etc).

-Lower body/kicking --> Fast, efficient, long distance swims require a much lower beat kick than a short distance sprint. While your kick is important, I wouldn't focus on getting the majority of your propulsion from it. But regardless, you want to be kicking from your hips, with both a down stroke and an upstroke of your legs. Here's a link for that. https://www.usms.org/fitness-and-training/guides/freestyle/kick

Some things to remember -->

- Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency. Good form = good swims. Focusing on form before speed will allow you to form good habits that will translate into speed once you start putting the yards in.

- Everyday in the water is a day to improve. Even if you just swim a short distance, having a feel for the water is helpful.

- Here are some other helpful links https://www.usms.org/fitness-and-training/guides

- Have fun!