The crawl, the front crawl, the Australian crawl, freestyle — these are all names for using a scissor kick and both arms to move yourself through the water when facing down. Swimming the crawl uses your entire body, with your arms and core rotation active above your waist. Your legs use a scissor kick below your waist to move you down the lane. Simple swimming drills enhance the power of your legs, making your swim faster and more efficient.
Basic Kick Drill
A basic kick drill focuses on the legs, removing the upper body from the stroke. It requires the use of a kick board, which makes it a social drill. Chat with your neighbors and breathe freely when kicking. Runners and cyclists may find that limited ankle flexion makes for an inefficient kick, meaning they don't move down the lane very quickly. Work on stretching the ankles behind you by pointing your toes when you kick.
Side Kicking
If your neck hurts when using a kick board, use side kicking. Side kicking lets you breathe freely while doing a kick drill. When side kicking, lie on your side with your lower arm stretched out above your head. To keep your hips and shoulders aligned, press the ribcage on the lower side toward the bottom of the pool. Turn your head to breathe comfortably and kick down the lane.
Advanced Techniques
Using flippers increases the intensity of your kicking, because they increase the resistance against the water. However, flippers require significant ankle flexion. The combination of increased resistance and the need for increased ankle flexion means you need to work up to using them. Start using flippers for one set of kicking, stopping immediately if your calves cramp. Don't work through a cramp, because cramps are dangerous in a pool. They inhibit your ability to swim and may make it too painful to get safely to the side.
Backstroke Drills
The kick for the crawl and the kick for backstroke are very similar. If you're getting bored with kick boards or side kicking, enjoy a view of the sky or the pool facility ceiling by kicking on your back. This drill also enables you to work on your streamline position, the position you maintain when diving or pushing off the wall. To try this drill, lie on your back, with your hands clasped one in the other, arms straight and tight against your head. Push off the wall and kick. Use flippers as possible.
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