The common name of a rabbit in swimming is a crossword puzzle. Crawl Swimming - Style Description, Technique, Tips

This section contains all the information about the crawl swimming style - what it is, what are the nuances of the technique, how to learn it, what are its benefits and much more.

Crawl is a style of swimming in which:

• hands make alternating strokes (from the side, something similar to a “mill”),
• legs stretched out and take turns making blows (from the side something similar to “scissors”),
• head lowered into the water, for inspiration during the stroke turns sideways.

This technique looks like this:

This style is also clearly shown in this video:

Rabbit types

On chest and back

There is a crawl on the chest and on the back.

Although they are very similar in appearance, Backstroke is different in the technique of stroke, breathing and the muscles involved, therefore it is an independent style of swimming, we consider it in a separate section. Below in the text we are talking about the classic version on the chest.

It should be noted that both of these styles are called “crawl” in Russian, while in the international version only the version of swimming on the chest is called “front crawl”, while the way of moving on the back is called “backstroke”.

Is freestyle the same thing?

The concepts of "Crawl" and "Freestyle" at present considered synonymous, wherein:

• Formally this is not entirely true: in freestyle competition, a swimmer can choose any way of swimming he wants.
• Actually swimmers always choose crawl as the fastest way to move in the water. Therefore, separate crawl competitions are not held - at the Olympics, World Championships, etc. freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke swims are made, while “freestyle” means crawl.

Style Features

• This the fastest way swimming;
• he is considered physically heavier than breaststroke(see a separate article about their ratio:), but at the same time easier than a butterfly;
• promotion comes first by hand work because their technique is the most important;
• unlike breaststroke and butterfly, the body remains horizontal;
• arms and legs work alternately(in breaststroke and butterfly both hands work synchronously, as well as both legs).

How to swim correctly?

The technique of this style is analyzed in detail in our articles at the links below:

Briefly, the technique can be described as follows.

Hand movements

The starting position of the arm is extended forward. From this position, the hand makes a stroke, which can be divided into five phases, shown in the illustration:

1. Capture (hook) of water- the arm bends to catch the water.
2. rowing movement- the arm, being bent, rakes the water under the body, in the end the elbow is brought up, and the palm should be in the reed area
3. Exit- an elbow comes out of the water, followed by a brush
4. Carrying– a relaxed hand sweeps to re-enter the water
5. Inserting, sliding- the hand is put into the water to be in its original position (stretched in front), the body slides after the hand.

Slow motion of the hands can be seen in this video:

Leg movements

The leg technique is quite simple:

• you need to make alternating swings (strike) with them,
• the legs should be straightened, the feet should be extended away from you and slightly directed towards each other,
• important make sure that the legs do not bend too much at the knees: work comes from hip movements rather than by bending the legs.

Here is a good short video on proper footwork:

Breath

Action algorithm:

• During the stroke, the elbow is brought to the side and the chest, as it were, opens up. At this moment, the body after the elbow makes a small turn, and simultaneously with the body - the head.

  The mistake is to raise or turn the head due to the movement of the neck. It turns the chest and the body as a whole rather than a single head.

• As soon as the lips were above the surface of the water, mouth opens and takes a sharp and strong breath, after which the head goes under water - we swim on our stomach with our face lowered into the water.
• done under water exhalation– primarily through the nose, if necessary also through the mouth. Exhalation goes without delay.

How to learn - program for beginners

Crawl is technically not the most difficult style - in terms of technique, breaststroke and butterfly are considered more difficult.

We have a separate training program, following which you can quickly master this way of swimming:

Muscles involved

The crawl primarily engages the deltoid muscles of the shoulders, the latissimus dorsi, quadriceps on the legs and triceps on the arms.

At the same time, the total amount involved over 20 different muscle groups, and swimming in this style is very useful. .

Distances

At the Olympics and World Championships, sets of awards are played for the following distances:

Sprint

• 50 m
• 100 m
• 200 m
• 400 m

Stayer distances

• 800 m - women
• 1500 m - men
• 10 kilometers - in open water (for both men and women)
• Also in the Ironman triathlon, a 3.86 km swim is done, and in its “half” - 1.9 km.

A bit of style history

It is believed that this style has been known to the American Indians since ancient times, but it not known until the 19th century.

Only at competitions in London in 1844 the Flying Gull and Tobacco Indians, invited by the British Swimming Society, demonstrated this technique - but it was rejected by the British breaststroke swimmers, who considered this method of movement "barbaric" and "un-European".

However, after a trip to Argentina in 1873, a British swimmer began to use this style with certain modifications. John Arthur Trogen, and after him this technique was introduced by an Australian Richmond Cavill.

From that moment on, the crawl began to gain a foothold as the main sport swimming style.

What is crawl in swimming

The word "crawl" comes from the English word "crawl", which means "crawling".

Crawl This is one of the styles of swimming in which the movements of the arms are alternately performed, and the legs actively strike the water, thus allowing the swimmer to move faster.

Swimming crawl - benefits

Swimming is beneficial both for the human nervous system and for muscles, joints and other body systems. Crawl refers to such a style of swimming, in which the maximum load on the body is created with a minimum number of movements. At the same time, in order to feel the full benefits of swimming, it is necessary to correctly carry out the movements.

Those who go in for swimming always have strong muscles, even breathing, a strong cardiovascular system, a well-developed musculoskeletal system and just a good mood.

In fact, swimming is a unique sport that allows you to keep your body fit and healthy. Read more about the benefits of swimming and contraindications in the article at the link.

The effect of crawl swimming on the human body

Crawl swimming has the biggest impact on the back muscles. Swimmers do not have back problems and do not know what joint pain is. Regular swimming lessons relieve pain in the lumbar region, shoulder blades and neck. With proper exercise and regular exercise, you can easily forget about back pain.

For those who have breathing problems, swimming provides an excellent opportunity to restore it. When swimming, breathing plays an important role. If it is not carried out correctly, then very quickly you can go the distance. Therefore, during training, they teach not only to swim, but also to breathe correctly.

The crawl has a positive effect on the musculoskeletal system. Swimming is very useful for people who have injuries of the legs, arms, spine. Swimming provides an opportunity to recover from injuries and improve the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.

There are no contraindications for crawling. You should be very careful about swimming if you have had infectious diseases, colds or digestive disorders. After such diseases, it is not recommended to swim for a month.

crawl swimming technique

The crawl swimming technique is much easier than the breaststroke swimming technique and lies in the fact that the swimmer performs an alternating movement of arms and legs.

Swimming movements begin with a jump into the water and the body in a horizontal position. In water, the shoulders are higher than the hips. This allows the arms to lift out of the water more easily. The feet are lowered into the water by 30-40 cm for effective strikes. When swimming crawl, there is the concept of an angle of attack, which should be from 0 to 10 degrees. Moreover, the smaller the angle of attack, the greater the speed of the swimmer.

Let's start the consideration of crawl swimming technique with the movement of the hands. Hand movement technique consists of several phases.

First phase called water capture. In this first phase, the arm comes forward and descends under the water to perform the second phase (pull-up and push-off). First, the hand goes under the water, then the forearm and at the end the shoulder itself. When performing this movement, the arm is bent at the elbow, and the angle between the shoulder and forearm is 140 degrees. When approaching the main movement, find the elbow above the hand.

Second phase called push and pull. The movement of the hand is carried out underwater and allows the swimmer to move forward. The stroke is carried out with a bent arm and the angle between the forearm and shoulder is 100 degrees. The hand carries out its movement along the body. In this case, the palm does not bend into a fist and is directed back. When performing the stroke, it feels like the palm is pushing the water away, allowing the swimmer to move forward. This part of the movement of the hand ends at the level of the pelvic part of the swimmer's body.

Third phase is to get the hand out of the water. When moving, the elbow first appears, and then the hand comes out.

Fourth phase - performance of movement over water. The swimmer's hand - in a relaxed state, quickly sweeps over the water, accelerating by the time it enters the water. The arm is always bent at the elbow.

When the hand touches the water, the movements begin to repeat from the first phase. In order to achieve synchronization of the execution of the movement with both hands, and the swimmer moved quickly and efficiently, it is necessary that when one hand performs the second phase, the other hand performs the first phase.

When the arms are doing the strokes, the legs are hitting underwater. When performing two full cycles of movements with the hands, 6 kicks are carried out. It is rare when 4 or 2 kicks are carried out. The legs move up and down, being slightly bent. Movements are carried out throughout the leg, starting from the hip and ending with the feet.

Breathing while crawling

Breathing movements are performed in conjunction with the movement of the hands. For example, when the movement of the right hand comes to the end of the second phase, the head gradually turns to the right side. When performing the third phase, the head is completely on this side above the water level. This makes it possible to take a breath, which lasts 0.3-0.5 seconds. When the hand passes over the water, the swimmer slowly turns his head into the water and exhales gradually. One cycle of hand movement is one inhalation and exhalation. Sometimes one breath-exhalation is allowed for 2-3 cycles of hand movement. It is necessary to work out the swimming technique in the pool. You can read about the rules for visiting the swimming pool here.

For a better understanding of crawl swimming technique, see photos.

photo number 1. Crawl swimming (swimmer view from above)

photo number 2. Swimming crawl (side view of the swimmer)

photo number 3. Swimming crawl (swimmer rear view)

The technique of performing movements when swimming crawl is not complicated. This technique is used by both professional swimmers and amateurs. But many make mistakes when performing movements.

1. First, you should never start the movement with a bent leg. They should always be underwater in a straight line.
2. Secondly, the head thrown back will not allow breathing movements. The head should be slightly pressed to the chest.
3. Thirdly, do not strongly bend the body from side to side and lower your arms very deeply.
4. Fourth, for effectiveness, the arms must be bent at the elbow, and not be straight throughout all phases of the movement.
5. Fifth, breathing must be coordinated with the movement of the hands. It is very common for swimmers to lose their rhythm while doing their breathing, which slows down their swimming speed.

crawl swimming records

The crawl swimming style is included in the swimming competition called "freestyle". It is held at different levels: national championships, World Championships, Olympic Games, World Cup. During the passage of the relay, one of the stages is the passage of the distance in freestyle.

Records can be set in long water (50m pool) or short water (25m pool). Freestyle swimming competitions (crawl) are held at distances: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m.

Information on crawl swimming world records is presented in the table below.

If you have ever thought about how to make crawl swimming clearer, easier, more beautiful and faster, then we invite you to figure out with us what the crawl swimming technique consists of, what stages and phases it consists of. Knowing the theoretical part is necessary in order to understand what you are doing right and what you should pay more attention to. Next, you will learn how to swim correctly with a crawl, what elements the front crawl consists of, what mistakes can be made and how to correct them.

1. Do not skip any phase of the movement of the hands. Each is important.
2. Don't turn your head for . Look ahead for orientation only.
3. Rotate your body. This lengthens the stroke and allows you to inhale without turning your head.
4. For long swims, use a two-stroke front crawl.
5. Improve ankle flexibility. Flexible ankles improve streamlining.

To learn how to swim properly crawl, you need to make it clear to your brain how and why to perform certain movements. Having analyzed the recommendations made, then we will go through the basics of the technique of this style of swimming.

The front crawl technique consists of

• Hand work
• Head position
• Footwork
• Rotation of the body and pelvis

Newbie note

1. by the most first and an important element of technology is. Do not rush to move far without learning how to breathe correctly.
2. Footwork costs In second place. The reason for this is that if your legs sink, coaches often use the term “heavy legs”, then the effectiveness of all other stages is reduced to almost nothing. Learn to keep your body afloat and only then move on to the next step.
3. Hand work.
4. Head position.
5. Hull rotation.

Breath

Learning to breathe while swimming with a board

When practicing breathing while swimming with a board, the following rules must be observed:

• breathing rhythm "inhale - for one count, exhale - for three."
  It will be harder to act according to this rule at first than when breathing while standing upright. Since when swimming, the human body requires more oxygen than when you just stand, and at first you will want to breathe more often. With training, you will learn to breathe in as much oxygen as you swim, as you will need to complete two, three or five strokes.
• independence of head movement. Try to relax your shoulders while practicing breathing with the board. Save energy and lift your heads out of the water by bending your neck.

What equipment and dostochka are needed, including, we told.

If you are a beginner, practicing technique is first What do you need to start exercising with?

Hand work

Proper hand technique in freestyle swimming consists of the following phases:

• capture or reference phase;
• Pull-ups;
• repulsion;
• Exit;
• carrying;
• influx.

Let's take a closer look at each of the phases of the work of the hands.

Capture phase or reference phase

First of all, let's define the term "capture". A grip is a moment of movement in which you cling to the water with your brush.

The capture phase is very short. It lasts from the moment the stroke starts until, approximately, the moment indicated in the photo below:

The hand in the capture phase passes approximately 25-30 centimeters. Let's analyze the sequence of movements and points that you need to pay attention to:

1. Starting position - the rowing arm lies on the water, representing a straight line of continuation of the body
2. Capture start. The arm begins to bend at the elbow while performing the grip.
3. The hand remains straight throughout the gripping phase and does not bend in relation to the forearm
4. The elbow during the grip, when the forearm is already grabbing, is kept as high as possible to the surface of the water.
5. The hand when gripping is close to the line of the middle of your body

During the gripping phase, the control of a flat hand is important. To strengthen your wrist, you can perform the following exercise:

Pull up phase

This stroke phase begins immediately after a few centimeters of arm movement in the catch phase.

It looks like this: imagine a swimmer lying horizontally in the water with arms extended forward. Now this athlete begins to bend the arm at the elbow, but at the same time without bending the hand (the hand remains an even continuation of the forearm) and, very IMPORTANT without lowering the elbow down and without pressing it to the body.

A slight movement of the hand with the forearm along the line of the middle of the body, turning into the bend of the arm with the shoulder.
Let's analyze the sequence of movements and points that you need to pay attention to in the pull-up phase:

1. Starting position - the rowing arm is bent 25-30 centimeters after the capture phase and is on the line of the middle of the body
2. The hand and forearm move along the line of the middle of the body towards the pelvis. The elbow remains above the hand
3. The angle between the forearm and shoulder is 90 degrees.

Watch the video of the exercise for practicing the grip and pull-up phase with an expander and it will be easier for you to understand exactly what the points above are about (from the beginning to 36 seconds):

A couple of exercises to develop the technique of the pull-up phase.

Exercise with a rubber band expander (as in the video above)

• Fasten the expander in front of you behind the Swedish wall, or behind the door handle or behind the tree. For anything in general.
• Step back to a moderate feeling of tension.
• Lean forward so that your body is in a horizontal position, as if swimming.
• Stretch the hand that holds the expander forward and imitate the capture phase. The expander creates additional resistance that helps the muscles remember the movement better.
  Video exercises:

Wall exercise

• Get your back against the wall
• Raise your hand, the technique of which you will practice
• Press the elbow of that arm against the wall
• Paddle without lifting your elbow from the wall.

Repulsion phase

After pulling up, the arm continues its movement and tends to an even and parallel position relative to the body. What to pay attention to when working out:

• The hand is still straight relative to the forearm
• The brush continues its movement along the line of the middle of the body
• In the final phase of repulsion, the arm is aligned at the elbow

A common mistake is to enter the drift phase early without finishing the take-off phase. Only after the arm is fully extended, when it is parallel to the body, the repulsion phase can be considered completed.

In the Soviet Union, swimmers were specially smeared with brilliant green on their thighs. Those who correctly performed the repulsion phase ran their hand along the thigh to accentuate the end of the movement. By the end of the workout, the lack of brilliant green on the hips of the athletes was proof of the correct movement.

Video exercises for practicing the repulsion phase with an expander:

exit phase

The phase begins from the moment the hand appears above the water after the repulsion phase. The task of the exit phase is to prepare the hand for the carry.

The arm rises above the water from the elbow. First, the elbow rises, and then the brush. At this time, the opposite arm lies extended and stretches forward in front of the body, which in turn creates a slight rotation of the body towards the outstretched arm. And so, what to pay attention to:

• First, the elbow comes out of the water, and then the brush
• At the moment the elbow is released, the opposite arm is already stretching forward
• The body rotates towards the outstretched arm

Carrying

The carry is performed at the same time as the other hand is stroking. This is a synchronized movement where the carrying arm increases its speed from slow as the arm exits the water to fast as it enters. The hand in the sweep phase may be relaxed and does not need to be kept level with the forearm.

Key points of the drift phase:

• Performed at the time of the stroke of the other hand
• Arm speed at the start of the sweep is lower than arm speed at the end of the sweep
• The hand is relaxed until the hand enters the water

Surge phase

The influx occurs after the passage and before the start of the capture. In this phase, the swimmer plunges the arm that has carried it into the water. First, the hand is immersed, then the elbow enters. At the moment of immersion, the arm levels out, stretches forward, the hand tenses and becomes an extension of the forearm, preparing to begin the capture phase. At the same time, the opposite hand completes the repulsion phase and the body of the swimmer makes a slight rotation towards the front hand.

Key points of the influx phase:

• First, the hand enters the water, and then the elbow
• The hand stretches as far forward as possible after being completely immersed in water.
• The hand tenses, becomes even in relation to the forearm
• The body makes a slight roll towards the front hand

A beginner who has mastered the technique of breathing and footwork can begin to master the technique of hands.
If you are a beginner swimmer, read also:

Head position

Breathing technique in crawl swimming is as important as during any cyclic exercise. It is necessary to maintain an even pace of breathing. Try not to hold your breath while crawling, inhale quickly and exhale consistently. In the pool, you might hear the phrases “breath on 3” or “breath on 5”. This means that a breath is taken every third or fifth stroke. We talk more about breathing in the article “How to breathe properly when swimming”, but here we want to pay attention to how you need to keep your head while crawl swimming, since both speed and comfort when inhaling depend on it.

The position of the head in all phases of the stroke should be natural. The natural position of the head is when you stand or sit straight, and the head is also straight. In other words, the cervical vertebrae are not curved in relation to the chest. This position can be simulated as follows.

1. Stand with your back to the wall.
2. Press the pelvis, lower back, shoulders and back of the head against the wall so that you look straight ahead
3. Raise one hand straight up to ear level

This is how you should be positioned during the end of the Surge phase and before the Capture phase.

If you want to inhale, then you need to roll a little more to the side, lean more on the opposite hand at the moment of the capture phase. Try not to turn your head in the neck at the moment of inhalation, but to inhale due to the rotation of the body.

In all other stages of swimming, try to keep your head straight without bending at the neck. Throwing your head forward is sometimes a good idea when you need to look at potential obstacles that may be ahead. Swimmers, even in open water, when they need to look around and orient themselves in space, raise their heads out of the water due to the body, and not by bending the neck.

Footwork

The leg work of the front crawl helps to keep the body in a horizontal position (the legs do not sink) and contributes to a significant increase in speed. If you look at the starts of professional athletes in crawl style, you will see how after the start the pros swim like a dolphin under water. This is due to the fact that the movement of the legs is powerful and greatly increases the speed of swimming.

In freestyle swimming, there are two shock, four shock, six shock front crawl. What does two beat or four beat mean? This means that two or four kicks are performed for a full cycle of the work of the hands, one or two kicks with each leg, respectively. If you learn to swim and try to work technically correctly, and at the same time you will make oscillatory movements with your legs to keep them afloat without attaching importance to the number of strokes - most likely you will swim with a six-stroke crawl without even realizing it.

Frequent footwork, such as in the six-hit freestyle, is more important for sprint distances. When you need to give your best in a short period of distance or time. The legs have large muscles that require a lot of energy. Therefore, at long distances (from one kilometer or more), athletes often use a two-stroke crawl. Two kicks during a full cycle of arm movement helps to keep your legs afloat in a horizontal position and saves strength and energy that you need to spread out over hours of distance.

Three facts about crawl footwork:

1. For professional athletes, footwork provides 10-15% efficiency. The remaining 85-90% of the speed is developed by the strength and technique of the hands.
2. Elite athletes also have more flexibility in their ankles, knees, and hips. Due to this flexibility, athletes manage to achieve such an angle of water attack with their foot, which, when kicked, incredibly effectively propels the athlete's body forward. Most adult athletes will not be able to achieve such flexibility, since joint flexibility must be worked on from early childhood for such results. By the way, it is still worth working on ankle flexibility, as this will allow you to reduce the likelihood of injury in the ankle area. Especially if you do triathlon and run a lot.
3. Amateur athletes manage to achieve about 5% of the efficiency of moving forward through footwork. Long-distance swimmers and triathletes prioritize more arm strokes than the energy expenditure of frequent legwork.

Let's analyze the main points that need to be emphasized in footwork:

1. Hip kick.
   The impact of the foot on the water should be carried out not due to flexion and extension of the leg at the knee, but due to the movement of an almost even leg in the thigh. In this case, the knee should not be tense, but relaxed and slightly bent during the impact.
   A common mistake triathletes make when working with their feet is knee flexion. Perhaps this is due to the work of the legs while running and occurs on an intuitive level. But with this technique, a lot of energy is spent on the extra movement of flexion and extension of the knee joint by the quadriceps femoris, and the resistance with water increases by reducing the streamlining of the legs.
2. Fingers inside
   For accentuated, biting and effective leg movements, it is necessary to slightly turn the feet inward. A common mistake is the reverse position, when a beginner athlete turns his feet outward. You just need to remember this moment, and over time, the accustomed body will do this automatically. Remember that when you are tired and continue to swim, this is where the deterioration of technique occurs. Do not “turn off your brain” when you are tired, but on the contrary, try to perform each movement consciously.
3. Ankle Flexibility
   Even if you are resigned to the fact that you will not achieve a significant increase in speed due to footwork, this does not mean that you can score on them. The reason is simple. If you score, the wrong foot technique will even start to slow down! An unretracted foot in the water creates resistance. Include in a simple exercise on the mat every workout:

• Sit on a soft mat
• Put your feet under your butt
• Put your feet so that you sit on them with the weight of your body

Perform the exercise for one minute 3-4 sets before each workout.

Rotation of the body and pelvis

Body rotation is achieved by stretching forward the front arm that has just completed the inflow phase and by hitting the water with the opposite leg. The kick of the right foot on the water is made at the moment when the right hand performs the pull-up phase.

And so step by step:

1. The left hand has just completed the surge phase and is preparing for the capture phase.
2. Body roll to the left
3. The right hand has completed the repulsion phase
4. Legs are straight
5. The left hand starts the capture phase
6. The right hand starts the exit phase
7. The left hand begins the pull-up phase
8. Left foot hits the water
9. Body roll to the right
10. The right hand starts the flow phase
11. The left hand ends the repulsion phase

The sequence seems complicated to the unprepared swimmer, but if you try to read and imitate each stage, then you will succeed.

Watch also the video, where, from the front view, you can observe the same stages that we described:

If you are new to swimming, then you need to move on to working on rotation of the body in the water after mastering the technique, footwork, handwork and head position.

If you are a beginner swimmer read also:

Starting or continuing to swim, athletes tirelessly work on the strength, endurance and technique of the movements performed. Freestyle or crawl is the most popular among all swimming styles. The crawl swimming technique is a cyclical sequence of movements that allows you to achieve minimal water resistance and maximum efficiency of each movement.

Crawl is the fastest swimming style. But also high-tech style. Technique needs to be developed every day. Only movements brought to automaticity will allow you to think less during their execution.