Easy Front Crawl Technique

How to Swim Front Crawl

Make YOUR swimming technique easy and effortless

Ok, so you are in the pool and it is time to try some front crawl. You have watched others effortlessly swimming along making it look so easy so you decide to give it a go.

You set off along the length of the swimming pool with legs kicking furiously and arms reaching out over the surface of the water. You reach the end of the length in no time at all, feeling pretty good about yourself. So, you set off back for another length.

Half way back down the pool on your second length, you discover you are seriously lacking something. Oxygen. You are gasping for breath like you have never done before in the swimming pool.

So now you are thinking how can this be right? How can I be so tired after swimming such a short distance?

Front crawl is the fastest, most efficient stroke of them all. This is largely down to the streamlined body position and continuous propulsion from the arms and legs.

It is this continuous propulsion that makes this swimming stroke aerobically challenging. Combined with the fact that the face is constantly submerged, which requires a specific breathing technique, it is not surprising that some of us find swimming freestyle hard work.

The alternating action of the arms and legs is relatively easy on the joints and the stroke as a whole develops aerobic capacity faster than any other stroke.

Freestyle breathing technique requires the head to be turned so that the mouth clears the water but causes minimal upset to the balance of the body from its normal streamlined position.

Explosive and trickle breathing are the two most common types of freestyle breathing technique, the latter being the easiest and most preferred.

A common mistake made with front crawl breathing technique is holding the breath, which causes carbon dioxide levels in the blood to rise. This results in a sudden and urgent need for oxygen.

Exhaling gradually and gently as you swim makes inhaling and getting more oxygen into the system much easier.

Another common mistake is over use of the leg kick in an attempt to gain more movement through the water. This saps energy and over long distances can be exhausting.

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

The arm action generates almost all of the propulsion and is the most efficient arm action of all strokes. The leg action promotes a horizontal, streamlined body position and balances the arm action but provides little propulsion.

The timing and coordination of the arms and legs occurs most commonly with six leg kicks to one arm cycle. However, front crawl stroke timing can vary, with a four beat cycle and even a two beat cycle, which is most commonly used in long distance swims and endurance events such as triathlons. .

The best-selling book 'The Complete Guide to Swimming Front Crawl' contains over 20 separate swimming exercises to help all parts of freestyle, including breathing. You can download it, print out the parts you need and take them to your pool to try out. Click the link below for more information.

Freestyle Technique Made Easy

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