Swimming: Stroke Development Frontcrawl

When you are swimming Frontcrawl, try swimming half a length with closed hands and open your hands for the second half length. You will be made more aware of the feel of the water.

Front crawl Forehead Touch Drill. Touch your
forehead with one hand before it enters the
water. Keep your legs kicking strong as your
arms move slowly forward. This will develop
correct elbow position.

Turns
Tumble Turn. Focus onto the wall five metres away and aware of how many strokes it takes you to reach the wall. On the penultimate stroke the hand is taken down under the body at right angles towards your opposite hip in order to pivot around the wall. Do not execute the frontcrawl tumble turn in a head over heals fashion as you will be left on your back. As the feet are planted on the wall the leading arm finds a straight direction to follow whilst underwater. Once the feet have been firmly placed they drive off the wall with both hands together underwater, push off underwater to create a streamlined position, hold for two seconds after the push off; This will keep the body under the oncoming wave you have created and cut back on resistance; After a short glide start to kick with frontcrawl or dolphin legs underwater for another two seconds, the head then breaks the surface first to resume full stroke.

• Standing up, find a space in the pool and make a 'Star' shape - feet flat on the floor, arms and legs wide apart making an 'X' 
• Tuck noodle under the arms keeping the curve in front and a gap between body and curve.  
• Lean forwards so that chin is on the water and allow feet to rise up behind so that they are lying flat on their stomach. 
• Make the 'Star' shape and hold, arms and legs still. If able to float on their front unaided, progress to pencil floats and mushroom floats. 

• If able to accomplish all of these, ask for sequences i.e: star float to pencil float or mushroom float to star float.