Front crawl

The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. Because of this, the front crawl stroke is almost always used during a freestyle swimming competition. In fact, when people talk about "freestyle" swimming, they often mean the front crawl.

It is one of two long axis strokes, the other one being the backstroke. Unlike the backstroke, the breaststroke, and the butterfly stroke, the front crawl is not regulated by World Aquatics. This means that in "freestyle" competitive swimming events, swimmers can use any stroke or combination of strokes they prefer.

The face-down swimming position of the front crawl allows for a good range of motion of the arm in the water. This is better than the backstroke, where the hands cannot be moved easily along the back of the spine. The above-water recovery of the stroke also reduces drag, compared to the underwater recovery of the breaststroke. The alternating arms in the front crawl allow some rolling movement of the body, making it easier to recover compared to, for example, the butterfly. Finally, the alternating arm stroke helps swimmers keep a relatively constant speed throughout the cycle.

History

The front crawl swimming style was first seen in the Western world in 1844 at a race in London. Two Ojibwe swimmers, Flying Gull and Tobacco, showed this style during a competition. After them, English swimmer Harold Kenworthy won a later race using a different style called breaststroke.

Around 1873, a British swimmer named John Arthur Trudgen learned a version of the front crawl from indigenous people. He mixed it with another swimming style, creating what was called the Trudgen stroke. This fast style became very popular. Later, Australian swimmer Richmond "Dick" Cavill and a young Solomon Islander named Alick Wickham in Sydney improved it further, leading to the "Australian crawl." An American swimmer, Charles Daniels, also made changes to create the "American crawl."

Technique

The front crawl is a swimming style that changes based on the swimmer's body, fitness, and situation. This situation might include the type of race, water conditions, or the swimmer's goal.

To start the front crawl, swimmers begin in a "streamline" position. This means lying face down with both arms stretched out in front and both legs stretched out behind.

The arm movements are key for moving forward. The arms work in an alternating way: while one arm pulls and pushes through the water, the other arm moves above the water. The arm motion can be split into four parts: the downsweep, the insweep, the upsweep, and the recovery. One full movement of both arms is called a stroke cycle.

The legs also help. The most common leg movement is the flutter kick, where the legs move up and down in turns. The kicks help keep the body balanced. Swimmers usually kick six times for every two arm strokes, but some may kick more or less.

When breathing, swimmers turn their heads to the side of the recovering arm to take a breath. They usually breathe every few strokes, but some swimmers might breathe less often during races.

The body turns slightly with each arm stroke, which helps make swimming easier and reduces drag in the water. Swimmers use a special turn called a tumble turn to quickly change direction at the wall. At the finish, swimmers touch the wall with one or both hands.

Training drills for the front crawl sometimes use one arm at a time or special kicks to help swimmers improve their technique.