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Body Parts to think about in Front Crawl
Kris Hildebrand, www.tridevelopment.info
This article discusses different body parts and what they are doing during front crawl. We will look at things you can think about regarding the movement, however, just being aware of how they are moving will improve your front crawl.
This approach is an experiment approach, so their really is no right and wrong, think of it more as better and worse. This will work best for kinesthetic learners, but everyone will likely enjoy learning more about how their body moves in the water.
To practice on each body part, I would recommend doing:
- 25 Front Crawl normally (not really thinking about anything new)
- 25 Front Crawl noticing how that body part is moving
- 25 Front Crawl trying to change how that body part moves
- 25 Front Crawl how you liked it best.
If possible, having a coach or friend watch you really helps. You can ask them how you looked during each 25. Further, keeping track of Stroke Count, Stroke Rate, Effort, and Time will also help you determine if any change was beneficial or not. As a note: often changing the motion of the body part will make things feel really different the observer will not notice anything different.
| Body Part | Ideas for changing | What It Controls | Thoughts on Position |
| Head Position | Swim with your head: Out of the water, partly in the water, completely under the water | The head helps control your body position in the water, effecting your balance. People often say that if their head is too high, they have trouble rolling within the stroke. | Most people find that having their head partially in the water (surface somewhere on the forehead) is best. Though I have seen fast swimmers with their head complete under the water. |
| Eyes | Where are your eyes looking. Move your sight pattern between looking straight ahead and straight down. | This controls the head angle, which in turn effects your balance and body position. | Most people like having your eyes at about 45 degrees (looking down and forward). Though some people will look straight down (body tends to flatten to much). I have seen the odd person who can swim comfortably looking straight head, but that tends to be very rare. |
| Shoulders | Height and movement. Try to change how high your shoulders are relative to the water. Further, try to change how much your shoulders roll during your swim (from very flat to super roll). | Shoulders help control the roll of your body during the stroke. Their height also effects body position and balance during the stroke. | For most people, more roll is better (especially for distance swimmers), however the roll and height will depend on your power and flexibility. |
| Belly Button | Where is your belly button pointing when you swim. | Your belly button greatly effects the amount of roll and power you get from the roll. | People often say that they feel best when their belly button points to one wall then the other during the swim. |
| Hips | Height and Movement. Try to notice how high your hips are relative to the water surface. Also notice the roll movement, try to adjust the height and roll. | Hips drive the roll and provide power during the swim. The hip height relative to the surface effects your body position and balance. | Most swimming books say that you need to drive from the hips. In practice I find most people have trouble knowing what their hips are doing. This will help you learn and improve your sense. |
| Finger Tips | Where are your finger tips pointing during the stroke? Try to change where they point. | The direction of the finger tips control the pitch and angle of your hand. This greatly effects the power of your stroke during the power phase. During the recovery, it effects how relaxed your are. | For the most part, the finger tips point down (during the power and the recovery). When your fully extending your arm, the tips point forward for a bit. And at the finish of your power phase, they point backwards. |
These are just some ideas. Try picking other body parts and figuring out how they move, where they point, and what they do. Your awareness will increase. Further, during long swims, noticing different parts of your body can take your mind off the hurt and focus it on the technique.
Enjoy,
Kris Hildebrand for www.tridevelopment.info
 Visit Swimming Matters for great triathlon stuff. |
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