Preparation
Before you get started, you will need to purchase a swimsuit and swim goggles. Consider using a swim cap and soft ear plugs to prevent water from entering the ear which might cause an outer ear infection. If you can look for a pool that uses salt water instead of chlorine. See your doctor if you haven’t exercised for some time and work with a swim teacher to learn the basics properly
Arms - Crawl Stroke
Start Position
Lie in the water facing down. Keep your body long and tall, in line with the water surface, neck relaxed. Reach one arm overhead in line with your shoulder. The hand is pointing forward parallel to the surface. Fingers together but relaxed
Move - Catch
Enter the water with the palms facing down. The fingertips enter first with the wrist slightly higher than the fingertips. Immediately after entering the hand into the water , start to bend your hand and catch the water. Keep the fingers together but relaxed
Move - Pull
Pull the water under your arm down to pull the body forward. Keep the elbow close to the surface while it bends and then extends again during the pull. The upper body rotates to the side of the pulling arm. As the hand moves straight down along your body it should stay rather under your body than to the side of it. Some would say to move the hand in a s-line which goes first a bit out and then comes back to the body again as it approaches the upper thigh. Keep the palm facing backwards to continue catching the water throughout the pull
End Position
Pull all the way down until your arm is straight again and the hand to the side of your upper thigh
Move - Exit & Recover
At the end of the pull the hand exits the water together with the straight arm. Bend the elbow and swing the arm back overhead. Lead from the shoulder or elbow, to relax the rest of the arm during this recovery phase
Alternation
Move both arms together in an alternating pattern. When one arm is in the start position, the other is in the end position
Repetition
Repeat until you reach the planned distance
Legs - Flutter Kick
Start Position
Lie in the water facing down with your body kept in line with the water surface. Keep your body flat and the leg straight with a pointed foot
Move - Back Swing
Starting the movement from the hip swing the leg back a bit. Allow the knee to bend a little bit, and continue this swing down to the pointed foot
End Position
Keep the back swing small to prevent forcing you out of a flat position
Move - Kick
Start a strong and quick kick from the hip, swinging the leg forward to the ground. Straighten the knee and continue the snap through the ankle and pointed foot to the toes
Alternation
Alternate the legs. Make the kicks small and quick. Keep the feet close together
Repetition
Repeat until you reach the planned distance
Head - Turn & Breath In
Start Position
Lie in the water facing down. Keep your body long and tall, in line with the water surface. With a relaxed neck look straight in front of you to the ground
Move - Turn & Breath In
Start turning the head to the side whilst one arm is in the pulling phase. Finish the turn whilst the same arm is in recovery phase
End Position
Turn the head just high enough to enable a short breath in above the waterline. One goggle should be out, the other still in the water. Keep the neck straight and
Move - Turn Back
Turn the head back to the start position before the recovering arm has passed the face
Alternation
Repeat the head turn and breath in with the same arm, either left or right. Hold the breath and look straight ahead during the pull with this arm. Alternatively advanced swimmers will turn the head with alternating arms too. This requires holding the breath longer with a short breath in after two pulls only
Repetition
Repeat until you reach the planned distance or change the breath pattern
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Focus on keeping a flat body position in the water at all time. Arms and legs work together independently but simultaneously. Achieve a quiet but regular rhythm with the goal to maximise forward speed
Breath
Breath in during the head turn without interrupting the movement. Exhale under water while the head looks straight ahead
Purpose
Swim fast. Front crawl is the fastest swim stroke and used as the freestyle swim stroke by competitive swimmers. It is relatively easy to learn and suitable for most fitness or leisure swimmers. Build stamina and endurance, tone and strengthen muscles, improve coordination, posture and flexibility