Beginner Freestyle br This type of Freestyle is different to what you see in the Olympics or would be used to. Catch-up is when the hands meet each other after each stroke, so only one arm is moving at a time. The benefits of teaching Catch-up freestyle before teaching conventional (Olympic) Freestyle are obvious to those who have done so. Young children find Catch-up much easier to comprehend as they are only using one arm at a time. However more importantly, just like Torpedo kicking, Catch-up Freestyle prepares and strengthens a child’s core region so the swimmer can develop a long, powerful Freestyle stroke. When children are taught Olympic Freestyle too early, the arms tend to move to quickly and the correct breathing technique becomes difficult to teach. br *uSwim does not advocate catch-up for elite training or squad classes. br br 4 easy steps to Beginner Freestyle br 1. Standing arms br 2. 2. arms on shoulders br 3. Arms on kickboard br 4.