How to Swim the Front Crawl Stroke: 5 Freestyle Swimming Tips

The front crawl, or freestyle stroke, is a common swimming stroke. Swimming the crawl is good for whole-body fitness, and at the highest level, athletes compete for Olympic medals with this technique. The front crawl is one of the four swimming strokes in international competition, along with the butterfly stroke, breaststroke, and backstroke.

When swimming the front crawl, your body is facing down in the water. You perform a flutter kick continuously, and your arms alternate reaching in front of your head and then pulling back underwater. The front crawl is usually the fastest of all competitive swimming strokes, and it is of moderate difficulty to learn.

As with other swimming strokes, it can be helpful to break the stroke down into its different components:

• Body position: The front crawl begins in the streamline position with your arms outstretched in front of you, your face down, and your legs behind you. As the stroke progresses, your torso will rotate back and forth because of the alternating arm strokes. With practice, you can achieve the right amount of rotation.
• Arm movement: The arm stroke of the front crawl can be broken down into four movements, which are known as the downsweep, the insweep, the upsweep, and the recovery. From the starting position of arms outstretched, bring one hand down, with your palm tilted so the thumb is leading for the downsweep. Keep your elbow high. At this point in the stroke, avoid using force; you are setting up the insweep. As your forearm gets deeper into the water, pull backward. Now apply propulsive force and move your body through the water. When your hand is about level with your belly, change the motion from pulling to pushing. This is the upsweep and should bring your arm back upward. The recovery occurs when you bring your arm back out in front of you. Relax your forearm and wrist, and drive the motion with your elbow. Alternate both arms. While one is working through the power portions of the cycle, the other is in recovery, gliding forward to begin the cycle from the other side of the body.
• Leg movement: The front crawl leg movement is a standard flutter kick. With your knees slightly bent, point your feet backward and alternate your leg kicks continuously.

Front crawl swimming can be difficult to master, but the basics can be taken one at a time, making it easier to approach. Focusing on small, specific adjustments can help increase your overall efficiency and swimming speed. Consider the following tips:

1. 1. Focus on your breathing. Since you are swimming most of the stroke with your face down, finding the right moment to breathe is essential. Most swimmers pick whatever side they feel most comfortable using. Then, during the recovery phase of the arm on that side, they will turn their head, lifting it just enough to clear the water surface and inhale. Exhaling through the mouth and nose occurs underwater. Some swimmers will use both sides, only breathing in every third stroke. This is known as bilateral breathing.
2. 2. Maintain a stable head and chest position. Your hips and upper body will rotate during the front crawl, but try to keep your chest and belly level. This will reduce drag and will alleviate excess strain on your lower back.
3. 3. Be mindful of your head position. Ideally, the water level will be about halfway between your eyebrows and your hairline. Turn your head only to breathe—just enough to take a good inhalation—and quickly return it to the main position.
4. 4. Practice with a kickboard. A kickboard can be a great aid for learning the technique. Hold it in front of you while you practice your flutter kick. This has the double advantage of working on your leg strokes while keeping your body in the approximate position the stroke demands.
5. 5. Try the “catch up” stroke. The “catch up” stroke, a variation of the front crawl, is a good training drill. In this variation, instead of the arms moving simultaneously, only one works at a time. While one arm does a complete stroke cycle, the other remains outstretched until the cycle is complete and both arms are out front again. Then, use the other arm.

Want to become a better athlete? The MasterClass Annual Membership provides exclusive video lessons from the world’s best athletes, including Serena Williams, Stephen Curry, Tony Hawk, Wayne Gretzky, Misty Copeland, and more.