Swimming perfectly develops almost all the muscles of the body, helps to keep the body in excellent physical tone, improves immunity. The ability to swim quickly brings pleasure to the swimmer, is a matter of pride and arouses respect of others. Typically, beginners first learn to stay in the water like a dog, and then master the brass. But to develop high speed with these styles is difficult. And the question arises: how to swim a crawl? After all, this is the fastest style of existing. But it is worth knowing that truly good results can be achieved only with the technical work of the legs and arms and proper breathing.
Style
It cannot be reliably said when people learned to swim as a crawl. It is believed that this style was owned already in ancient times. In official competitions, the crawl debuted in London in 1884. At an international freestyle swim tournament, the North American Indians made a splash. They sailed in an impetuous style unknown to Europeans and with an unconditional advantage ahead of swimmers swimming in brass. Despite the defeat, the stiff British neglected the rabbit, believing that there was too much splash and noise from it, and this savage style was not worthy of a self-respecting gentleman.
But among the arrogant English there was a man who, having discarded conventions, decided to understand how to swim the crawl correctly. Arthur Tregen played an important role in popularizing the new style. In the eighties of the 19th century, Tregen went on a long trip to Argentina, where he began to study rabbit from local swimmers. Arthur’s athletic performance wasn’t overwhelming; he was disturbed by mistakes while working with his legs. But the determined Englishman achieved another important victory: he made the "savage" style popular among Europeans.
Finally studied and developed the rabbit technique Charles Daniels. An inquisitive American at the beginning of the twentieth century painstakingly studied how to swim a crab. Daniels' legacy was detailed teaching aids in which the technical aspects of swimming with this style were analyzed. And for more than a century, the crawl remains generally unchanged.
How to learn to crawl correctly yourself
It is most reasonable to study under the guidance of an experienced trainer who will immediately put on the correct swimming technique and help to avoid the typical mistakes that await beginners. However, not everyone has the opportunity, time and desire to engage with a specialist. Do not despair. Many people master this style on their own.
There are several ways to learn. You can watch how skilled craftsmen swim in the pool in a crawl and imitate them. Of course, this does not protect against errors, but it helps to understand the technique of the body, legs and arms. A more effective way is to read educational books and articles and watch films in which coaches and athletes tell you how to swim with brass, crawl on your chest and back.
Crawl on the chest
There are two varieties of rabbit: on the chest and on the back. They differ in body position, but their essence is very similar. Hands make powerful and measured strokes, legs - non-stop amplitude movements up and down. The one and fundamental principle: when swimming, the synchronous work of the limbs, the correct position of the body and breathing are important.
The position of the swimmer with a rabbit on his chest. The body is located at the very surface of the water, the face is lowered so that the water level passes approximately along the top of the forehead, the neck muscles are relaxed. During swimming, the torso constantly rotates around the speculative longitudinal axis passing through the body in the direction of movement.
Equipment
How to swim a crawl on your chest? It is necessary to synchronize the work of arms and legs. The legs basically balance the swimmer's body, the main work is done by the hands, providing high speed. For example, amateur hands create traction within 8 kgf, while international-class swimmer’s arms develop traction up to 22 kgf. Moreover, stroke power alone is not enough, because technical flaws or improper breathing can reduce efficiency by 40%.
The work of the hands. Both hands make alternating circular movements, raking water and pushing the body forward. In the initial position, the arms are extended directly above the head. Then, let’s say, the right one begins to make a stroke, bending slightly at the elbow. In this case, the fingers are squeezed together, and the palm is open. The rower ends at the hip, first an elbow emerges from the water, then the entire limb. A hand is carried through the air to its initial position, while its muscles are relaxed and resting. At the moment when the right hand comes out of the water, the left begins its stroke. This algorithm is repeated again and again.
Footwork. The legs are close, the distance between the feet is not more than 40 centimeters. Socks are constantly elongated. Work starts from the hip and ends with a biting movement of the lower leg. In this case, do not bend your knees much or do very powerful swings. Legs rhythmically move up and down with an amplitude of about a quarter of the height of a floating person. For one cycle of working with hands, legs can make two, four or six strokes. The more frequent the movement of the legs, the higher the speed, but also the faster the forces are spent. Therefore, it is advisable to use six strokes at short distances, and two strokes at long distances.
Breath
Even if the swimmer thoroughly understood technically how to swim the crawl correctly, breathing can become his stumbling block. Not only a child or a woman, but also a physically strong man, with a lack of oxygen, quickly exhales, losing speed and strength. And vice versa - regular and measured breathing helps to travel long distances at the same pace, intelligently distributing strength.
When inhaling, the swimmer’s head turns after the body along the longitudinal axis of the body. The face is above the water, the air is inhaled sharply by the mouth. Then the face returns to the water, and exhalation begins immediately. Air is exhaled simultaneously through the mouth and nose, at first slowly, and before inhalation faster. There should be no pauses or delays between exhalation and inhalation; the swimmer’s breathing is non-stop and rhythmic.
There are two types of breathing: bilateral and unilateral. At the first - the head turns in turn in both directions. In the second - only in one certain direction. Beginners are usually given easier one-way breathing, but with it a stoop may develop, the so-called "swimmer's shoulder." Therefore, it is better to initially start breathing in two directions. With him, a breath is usually taken after three, five or seven strokes. However, there are more complex personal schemes, for example, two breaths in one direction, and then two breaths in the other.
How to swim on your back?
How to swim a crawl on your back? How is it different and what is it like with a rabbit on the chest? Differences in respiration and body position. Legs and hands work roughly the same in both styles. The crawl on the back allows you to develop a very high speed, faster than him, only the crawl on his chest and butterfly.
Body position. The swimmer lies on the water almost horizontally face up, his shoulders are raised, his chin drops slightly to his chest, the water line runs just above the ears. During swimming, the torso makes turns around the longitudinal axis passing through the body.
Equipment
The work of the hands. In the initial phase, both arms are extended forward in a movement above the head. Then one hand begins to make a stroke, moving slightly away from the body. The fingers are squeezed together, the palm is open. The comb goes to the thigh, after which the hand is taken out of the water and returns through the air to its original position. Hands work synchronously: while one makes a rowing motion, the second is in the air.
Footwork. The legs move with the same rhythm as with a rabbit on the chest.
Breath
When swimming on the back, the face is always above the water, so breathing is independent of the environment and is consistent with the work of the hands. Inhalation is performed by the mouth at the moment of stroke with one hand, air is exhaled powerfully, simultaneously with the mouth and nose. There should be no pauses between exhalation and inhalation; the swimmer’s breathing occurs rhythmically and evenly.
Mistakes
It’s hard to figure out how to crawl correctly, not taking into account the typical mistakes that beginners make. Any sensible trainer will immediately identify them and tell the ward how to fix them. But with self-study, oversights can become a stable habit, and getting rid of them is often more difficult than learning from scratch. So, here are the most common mistakes people learn to crawl:
- A tense hand in the phase of its transfer through the air. An extra waste of energy that wears the shoulder.
- Belated breath. The swimmer takes in air too late, and as a result quickly expires.
- Often a delayed breath is due to another mistake: insufficient body rotation. Poor body work not only limits breathing, but also knocks the swimmer out of rhythm.
- Too low or inactive legs. The legs should work constantly and synchronously, and not hang ballast or move intermittently.
- Face above the water. A common mistake of beginners who do not lower their faces into the water. As a result: rapid fatigue and muscle tension in the neck.
- Excessive head turns. To take in more air, the swimmer, when inhaling, strongly turns his neck, tiring it and knocking down the general rhythm of movement. With the right technique, the head turns slightly after the rotation of the entire body.
- Breath holding. After inhalation, air is held in the chest, breathing becomes inconsistent, forces melt away. Proper breathing is characterized by uniformity and the absence of delays.