5 Essential Tips for Perfecting Your Front Crawl - Body, Head, Arms, Legs and Breathing!

Front crawl is one of the most widely used swimming strokes (aka freestyle). You must be meticulous about every little aspect of your technique if you want to be able to swim front crawl correctly and effortlessly . We will examine the fundamentals of the ideal front crawl. The five main areas we will be looking at will be: body, head, arms, legs and breathing.


BODY
Maintaining your body position parallel to the water's surface will help to keep it as flat as possible. This position will minimize water resistance and you will glide through the water with ease. Encourage your body to rotate lengthwise from side to side while you stroke to further streamline it. Maintaining a streamlined arm position is vital because your arms are essential in facilitating this rotation. With your hands meeting at shoulder height and your gaze slightly forward rather than downward, you should stretch your arms forward while swimming the front crawl.

Body Position Swimming Front Crawl

HEAD
Swimmers frequently make the mistake of lowering their heads too low in the water, which increases resistance and slows down their strokes. Try to maintain your head in a neutral position and your eyes slightly forward and downward while you perform the front crawl. By doing this, you can make sure that your head isn't producing too much drag, and you will go through the water more quickly.

Head Position Swimming Front Crawl


ARM MOVEMENT
The front crawl stroke is propelled by your arms, therefore it's critical to get proficient with their movement for effective swimming. With your fingertips going into the water first, completely extend your leading arm as you reach forward. Maintain your elbow slightly higher than your forearm throughout the pull phase to improve your technique even more. To maximize your streamline, keep your arm pulling through the water in tight alignment with your body's centreline. Make sure your elbow is straight and your hand leaves the water as it crosses your hip at the conclusion of the stroke. To keep a balanced and well-coordinated front crawl, repeat this cycle of extension and retraction with both arms in turn.

Arm movement Swimming Front Crawl

LEG LICK
For the best possible le kick performance, your ankles and feet should be loose and relaxed to allow for a constant, rhythmic leg kick. You should kick your legs alternatively from your hips to generate six kicks for every arm pull. This alternating motion will keep your body balanced and your momentum intact.
Kicking from the knees is a typical error, which impedes your progress and throws off your streamline. Instead, concentrate on launching the kick from your hips while keeping your legs as straight as you can. This synchronized and continuous leg action with your arm strokes can help you go through the water more quickly and improve your front crawl performance.

Leg Kick Swimming Front Crawl


BREATHING
Practice breathing alternately on the sides for optimal body rotation and decreased resistance. Alternate to the other side every three or five strokes to promote a well-coordinated rotation.
Firstly, observe when your hand goes into the water during the beginning of a turn. Turn your head to breathe when it's on the other side. By inhaling at the top of your head rotation, you can reduce the likelihood of fatigue early on and keep your stamina throughout the entire swim.

 

Breathing Swimming Front Crawl