I've been teaching swimming for over 30 years and I built Swim Teach so that I can share all my knowledge, wisdom and experience from the thousands of swimming lessons I have had the pleasure of teaching. Take a look back through my previous newsletters and see what you missed.
A Common Front Crawl Leg Kick Mistake and Teaching Resources To Keep Your Lessons Fresh
"If I kick harder then I will stay afloat and swim further." ...a common misconception among beginners learning to swim. Relaxed and smooth is the key to an effective and efficient front crawl leg kick.
Hi, Mark here. I hope all is well with you.
In this edition of Swim Teach News, we are looking at front crawl leg kick technique and a basic exercise to help practice and fine-tune it. If you're a teacher, my resource library is packed with drills and lesson plans to help make your teaching efficient, effective and fresh.
Leg Kick Technique Using a Kickboard.
A great exercise to try out is kicking, holding a float or kickboard in both hands straight out in front.
Aim: to practice and learn the correct kicking technique.
Holding a float or kickboard out in front isolates the legs, encourages correct body position and develops leg strength.
Key Actions
- Kick with pointed toes
- Make a small splash with your toes
- Kick with floppy feet
- Keep leg kicks close together
Technical Focus
- Kick comes from the hip
- Kick is continuous and alternating.
- Legs are close together when they kick
- Ankles are relaxed and the toes are pointed.
- Kick should just break the water surface.
Common Faults
- Knees bend too much
- Feet come out of the water
- Kick comes from the knee
- Legs are too deep in the water
Need More Drills To Improve Front Crawl?
Download a full set of 22 basic drills to improve front crawl, covering body position, leg kick, arm pull, breathing and timing and coordination. 'How To Swim Front Crawl' will have you swimming with smooth and efficient technique. Click here to discover my Freestyle eBook.
Resources for Swimming Teachers
My library of swimming resources for teachers contains everything needed to get the job done efficiently and professionally. Adaptable lesson plans, assessment tools and all the basic drills covering all four basic swimming strokes.
Swimming teacher resources that save time by taking the hard work out of teaching swimming. Click the button below.
| Take me to the Swimming Teachers Resource Library |
That's it for this week. Stay focused, stay in touch and stay safe.
Happy swimming!
Cheers
Mark
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Hi! I'm Mark, creator of Swim Teach
I've been teaching swimming for over 30 years and I built Swim Teach so that I can share all my knowledge, wisdom and experience from the thousands of swimming lessons I have had the pleasure of teaching. Take a look back through my previous newsletters and see what you missed.
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"If I kick harder then I will stay afloat and swim further." ...a common misconception among beginners learning to swim. Hi, Mark here. Hope you're doing well! Have you ever heard a beginner swimmer say: “If I kick harder, I’ll stay afloat and swim further”?It’s one of the most common misconceptions out there. The truth? A relaxed, controlled leg kick is way more effective than a frantic, splashy one. Smooth and steady wins the race—literally. In this edition of Swim Teach News, we're diving...
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