Bruno Fratus is a professional swimmer from Brazil. A sprint freestyle specialist, Fratus competed in the 2012 London Olympics and represented Brazil in front of a home crowd at the Rio Olympics. Fratus won several medals at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai and 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara. In 2012, he finished fourth in the 50m freestyle at the London Olympics and won a bronze in the 400m freestyle relay. He also underwent shoulder surgery in 2014 and had a great comeback year. At the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, he won gold in the 50m freestyle and bronze in the 400m freestyle relay. At the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, he won a bronze in the 50m freestyle, and at the 2015 Pan American Games, he won silver in the 50m freestyle and gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. In 2019, Fratus won a silver medal in the 50m freestyle at the World Championships, 2 gold medals at the Pan American Games. At the 2020 Olympic Games he won his first Olympic medal.

Is your 100m stroke so different from a 50m one?

Oh, it is. Believe me. I think with different programs around the world trying to find ways of swimming faster and just to specialize in one single event, and I'm not talking only about the 50 but the 50, the 100, the 2 breast, the 5 IM, the mile and so on. We were able to develop a level of something I like to refer as specificity that just-- you're now able to focus on only one thing and one event and know the science behind it and know the physiology behind it and the mechanics and everything involved in that race. So I do believe that is something that tends to be more and more inside swimming.

Swimming is becoming more specialized with programs dedicated to finding faster ways of swimming and focusing on specific events. This has developed a level of specificity that involves understanding the science, physiology, and mechanics behind each event.

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Cameron McEvoy is an Australian competitive swimmer who represented his country at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. At the 2011 World Junior Championships, he won gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle and bronze in the 200m freestyle. At the 2013 and 2015 World Aquatics Championships, he won four medals, including the silver in the 100m freestyle in 2015. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he won six medals. At the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, he won five medals, including gold in the 100m freestyle. He also won national titles in the 100m and 200m freestyle in 2014 and 2015. At the 2016 National Championships and Olympic trials, he qualified for the Olympics in the 200m freestyle and 100m freestyle, setting a new Australian and Commonwealth record. He also qualified for the 4x100m, 4x200m freestyle relays and 4x100m medley relay. McEvoy is a physics and mathematics student at Griffith University. In May 2021, he offered his house for A$1.5 million or the equivalent in bitcoin.

Your 50 free in 2017 looked like you accelerated in the last 15m. Did your velocity actually increase or did it decrease the least compared to others?

The go should be try, not to lose any speed through all the race, right? So what I try to do, I try to maintain my speed from point, A to point B from the start of the race towards the end of the race. I try not to lose any speed.

I try to maintain my speed throughout the race and not lose any speed.

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What did you do differently to move from 23 to 21, in the 50m. Was it technique change? Strength? Or change in the program/diet?

Wow. That's that was a long path especially because there was a 22 in the middle, but it's it's a technical Improvement. Of course, is a physical Improvement and the 50 freestyle. It's a race of mistakes. So Trying to minimize the mistake to make throughout the race. It goes a long way when you're trying to swim faster.

Technical and physical improvements to the 50 freestyle can help minimize mistakes and make for a faster swim.

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Any tips on improving timing between the pull and kick in freestyle?

It's not about timing. I think it's more about coordination, you know, because if you're pulling at the same time, you're kicking you got to think. What's in the middle? Your core, your core muscles. So make sure you work your core muscles. Make sure you can control your core muscles and then you're going to be able to connect what happens up here. And what happens down here.

Make sure to work on your core muscles in order to coordinate pulling, kicking, and other movements. This will help you control your body and make sure that all movements are connected.

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Is the timing of your kick important in the 50m freestyle?

So this one's pretty simple. The timing of your kick, it's even more important than the tempo and the strength of your kick. It is extremely important to time your kick with both the catch and the end part of your stroke.

Timing your kick is more important than the strength and tempo of it. Be sure to time it with both the catch and end of your stroke.

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Power or technique for the 50 free? That's a question I got asked very often. And I'll reply you with another question. Why do you have to choose between one or the other? Use both.

Use both power and technique for the 50 free.

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Dean Farris is an American record-holder in the 200-yard freestyle. He won the 2019 NCAA Div. I titles in the 100-yard backstroke & freestyle, and at the 2019 World University Games gold medals in the 4x100m free & 4x200m free relays. In 2015 he committed to Harvard University. swim team, where he earned Male Athlete of the Year. At the 2020 US Olympic Trials, he placed 13th in the 100m back, 15th in 100m free, 19th in 100m fly, & 30th in 50m free. 2021-2022 collegiate season he won the 100m butterfly & 200m freestyle, & placed 2nd in the 50m free. At the 2022 Ivy League Championships he won the 50m free & 200m free, & helped win the 4x50m medley & 4x200m freestyle relays. At the 2022 NCAA Championships he placed 7th in the 100m back & b-final of 100m free, & helped the 4x50m medley & 4x100m freestyle relays place 9th. He announced his retirement from competitive swimming after the Championships.

How many kicks do you do in a 50 free off the wall?

So hey, I'm not super good in underwaters, so I try to maximize my strengths at the same time that I minimize my flaws, right? So off the start, I usually take three to four dolphin kicks and off the wall, I take two to three dolphin kicks. Really quick, really powerful, get up and get going swimming. Like boom, boom, boom, and swim.

I maximize my strengths by taking 3-4 dolphin kicks off the start and 2-3 quick, powerful dolphin kicks off the wall.

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What is the right kicking technique when swimming freestyle with fins?

Either with or without fins, I like to kick the same way because I like to wrap reduce the the kick technique. I like to have during my race at my workouts, regardless, if I'm wearing equipment or not. So, my opinion. The right way for you to kick is just really tight. I think kicking inside a box, Don't splash a lot of water. Just really tight. Kick your feet in the water. And try to kick with your legs long. Try to feel your legs as long as they can.

The best way to kick is to keep your legs long and kick tight with minimal splashing.

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What are your best tips for improving freestyle recovery and/or catch

Just drills. Dylan, drills morning, afternoon, evening, drills, and unilateral drills. If you are a freestyler for some of you who are not freestylers, I'll recommend you to send a send a question to Caleb dressel knows. He knows better than I do about all their strokes, but if you are a freestyler pay attention to you. Unilateral drills, make sure to engage your core and to have a really sharp and tight kick on the end.

Work on drills morning, afternoon, and evening, especially unilateral drills that focus on engaging the core and having a sharp and tight kick. For more specific advice, reach out to Caleb Dressel for help with strokes.

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Physical education teacher 
Swim coach 
MSc Sports Nutrition 



Freestyle head position in sprinting events: up or down?  

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Freestyle Tips

Bruno Fratus