Want to swim faster than all the other swimmers? Introducing the crawl swimming style, the fastest and easiest to learn.

What is crawl in swimming

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

Crawl 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.
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 go swimming for month.

crawl swimming technique

crawl swimming technique значительно легче техники плавания брассом и заключается в том, что пловец осуществляет попеременное движение руками и ногами.

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.

The first phase is 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.

The second phase is called pull-up and push-off. 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.

The third phase is the release of the hand from under the water. When moving, the elbow first appears, and then the hand comes out.

The fourth phase is the execution of the movement above the 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 hand movements are carried out 6 kicks. 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.

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.

Recommendations for improving crawl swimming technique

First, you should never start the movement with a bent leg. They should always be underwater in a straight line.
Secondly, the head thrown back will not allow breathing movements. The head should be slightly pressed to the chest.
Thirdly, do not strongly bend the body from side to side and lower your arms very deeply.
Fourth, for effectiveness, the arms must be bent at the elbow, and not be straight throughout all phases of the movement.
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.