by Andrea-Lee Peters

Created on: June 01, 2009

Front crawl, although a popular stroke of choice for a wide majority of people, is often difficult to execute correctly and efficiently. Not only do you need to have a good efficient leg kick, but you must have good pulling motion with your arms, and a good breathing technique. Any one of these performed incorrectly will lessen the efficiency of the stoke, and make it consequently harder.

The Front Crawl Leg Kick.

This part of the stroke is often forgotten. It is not realised by many how important this element is. The front crawl leg kick is what maintains the rhythm and balance of front crawl. Without an efficient leg kick the upper body will struggle so much more to maintain water balance.

The leg kick should be long and ankles flexible. Knees should bend only slightly and a wave of motion should begin at the hips and go fluidly through the legs until it ends with the feet. Keeping the legs too straight, or bending the knees too much will just in turn make the stroke harder to execute. Legs should be close together, both in distance apart, and water depth when kicking. A correct front crawl kick will achieve small bubbles which ripple through the water surface as you swim, NOT huge splashes!

The Front Crawl Arm Pull.

In front crawl both arms are in motion. Whilst one is gliding through the water to the front of the body, the other is completing the pull behind. It is important to ensure that you slide your fingers into the water, finger tips first. This maintains your streamlined position. Placing your hand into the water a different way will most likely cause excess splash by disrupting the fluid body motion. Imagine there is a centre line through your body, either hand when it enters the water wants to be placed at this line for the stretch forward, and then the pull. DO NOT cross this centre line as it WILL cause the body to swerve in the water causing a waste of energy. Ensure your fingers are together at all times. Swimming with open fingers will again make the stroke less efficient and more difficult.

As the hand enters the body it moves in what can be described as an 'S' shape. From the centre line it pushes down to the side 'slightly.' Following this it moves down and in to the body, pushing under the body for forward motion. Then, the hand pushes once again out to the side and then out of the water to lift over the body.

Once the arm is out of the water it moves over and back in front of the head for re-entry. Make sure to bend the elbow for efficiency! Swimming with a straight arm in, or out of the water will just be more difficult!

Breathing.

This is often the part people struggle with the most. Many are under the impression that swimming requires holding your breath, when in fact, there is no holding of the breath involved at all. Every swimming stroke requiring your face to be in the water involves a breath in and one out. In front crawl whenever your face is in the water you blow bubbles out through either, your nose, your mouth, or both. Whenever you need to breathe the head turns on a pivot to the side to turn the mouth out of the water to breathe. Obviously a good technique comes with practice, but try to follow this simple rules from the beginning. Development of a bad stroke is much harder to get out of!

IMPORTANT!

DO NOT lift your head up at the front eyes looking forward, this will cause your legs to sink at the back!

DO NOT lift your head at the side, remember the centre line and turn your head on this to turn the mouth out of the water.

DO NOT breathe out at the side. Breathe out in the water, breathe in at the side when your head is turned. Any other way will actually be harder!

DO NOT expect this to be easy, it's not, everything takes practice!

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