1. As with so many sports, when swimming front crawl, keep your head still
(apart from when you’re breathing). To practice this swim as far as you can
comfortably manage without breathing and concentrate on the contrasting
feeling of your hips rocking while your head stays still.
2. Although the exact path of the pull is a lot down to personal
preference, keep the following in mind.
You wouldn’t haul a rope in with your arms out to the side of your body,
you’d do it towards your stomach. So at the beginning of the pull (before
you’ve reached your waist) try to keep your hand somewhere near the center
line of your body.
As you pass your waist and the pull turns more into a push start to move
the hand further out away from the body – you wouldn’t do a push up with
your hands close to your body, you’d keep them shoulder width apart.
Although the arm obviously starts straight, have a
slight bend in your elbow during the main part. Longer levers may well be
more effective but you need to be very strong to control them.
Try imagining that there are a series of poles sticking up out of the
bottom of the pool and that you have to grab hold of them and use them to
pull yourself forwards.
4. The path of the arm recovery over the water is again a lot down to
personal preference and you’ll see all sorts of styles even at top level
swimming, but we would recommend that as your arm recovers you tuck it in
so that your hand passes fairly close to your arm pit.
5. Never slap the water, always slip your hand in.
By concentrating on swimming using these tips you'll soon improve your front crawl stroke and times.
|
