Front Crawl Arm Technique. Swimming tips to improve freestyle swimming technique.

How to Swim Front Crawl: Arm Technique

Your arms are your power and drive. Poor arm technique will ruin your efficiency.

During front crawl the continuous alternating arm action provides the majority of the power and propulsion of the entire swimming stroke.

Catch

The hand reaches forward under the water without over stretching. Arm fully extends just under the water surface.

front crawl arm technique

Propulsive Phase

Hand sweeps through the water downward, inwards and then upwards. Elbow is high at the end of the down sweep and remains high throughout the in-sweep. Hand pulls through towards the thigh and upwards to the water surface.

Recovery phase

Elbow bends to exit the water first. Hand and fingers fully exit the water and follow a straight line along the body line over the water surface. Elbow is bent and high and the arm is fully relaxed.

Enhanced Technique

Front crawl arm technique can be enhanced and improved with the help of forearm fulcrums (pictured right). These are devices that lock the wrist in place and teach you to pull with the whole forearm. The forearm fulcrum forces you to pull through the water with correct technique using the whole forearm. This generates more power from your own arm pull, through correct technique rather than using other types of hand paddle to help produce the power.

Click here for more information or to purchase Finis Forearm Fulcrums

UK visitors click here for purchase information on Forearm Fulcrums

Click here for simple swimming exercises to help improve your front crawl technique

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