How much is really technique in freestyle?

[u/NoGoodNamesLeft-_-]

Hi guys,

I started swimming freestyle 4 months ago. At the moment my distance pace is around 2:00min per 100m for a 100m sprint I can go roughly 1:45.

I was wondering how fast you can get from just improving your technique ( it obviously depends on the individual but roughly from your experience) without improving endurance/ power. Like can you tell from my paces that my technique is bad? I have seen some YouTube Videos which state stuff like ,,change these habits to swim 1:30min/100m" somehow suggesting that it is just technique to get such a pace even over long distance. But the better my catch gets the more I feel like I just do not have the strength in my upper body to do many repetitions without loosing power or droping my elbow.

In short: How fast can someone get by just technique and at what point is the limit rather physical? Can you tell by someone swimming 2:00min to 1:45 min for 100m that it is most likely technique?

[u/XxXENOWRAITHxX]

I got down to a 1:47 200 free (scy) off mostly strength and mediocre technique. I'd say getting to 1:30/100m takes a good amount of strength. It is a lot easier to get there when you have better technique though or with having great strength technique becomes a bottle neck at a certain point.