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Fine-Tune Front Crawl Arm Technique? A Basic Drill and Lesson Plan
Front crawl arm technique needs to be smooth, streamlined and continuous. The arms must also move in perfect harmony with the rest of the swimming stroke.
Hi, Mark here. I hope all is well with you.
In this edition of Swim Teach News we are looking at front crawl arm technique and a basic exercise to help practice and fine-tune the movement. If you're a teacher, I have a lesson plan that will help beginners master the basics of the arm action.
Arm pull technique using a kickboard.
A great exercise to try out is a single arm practice holding a kickboard in one hand. This practice allows you to develop arm technique whilst maintaining body position and leg kick. Holding a kickboard with one hand gives you the security of some buoyancy and and allows you to focus on a single arm.
Key Actions
Keep your fingers together
Pull hard under the water
Brush your hand past your thigh
Elbow exits the water first
Reach over the water surface
Finger and thumb enter the water first
Technical Focus
Fingertips enter first with thumb side down
Fingers should be together
Pull should be either an elongated ‘S’ shape
Pull through to the hips
Elbow exits the water first
Fingers clear the water on recovery
Common Faults
Fingers are apart
Pull is short and not to the thigh
Lack of power in the pull
Arm pull is too deep underwater
Arms are too straight on recovery
For a more detailed look at Front Crawl arm action and exactly how it should be performed, click the link below.
Show me MORE about Front Crawl Arm Technique.
Front crawl arms - basic lesson plan
Here I give you a swimming lesson plan dedicated just to the basics of front crawl arms. After the warm-up, the main part of the lesson takes a beginner from the very beginnings of learning the arm pull, through a process of exercises that gradually build on the previous one. The overall lesson duration is around 30 minutes, but you can tailor it to suit your classes and pupils.
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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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