Swim Tips

Welcome to our swim tips section. Whether you are preparing for the trial or just want to brush up on your strokes the tips below should help.

Click to jump to a section – Breaststroke; Front Crawl; Back Crawl; Butterfly

Breaststroke

Breaststroke is the only competitive stroke where both the arms and the legs are recovered under the water. This makes it the slowest stroke, as there is more resistance to forward movement.

The kick in breaststroke is not a very natural movement; so many beginners learn this stroke last.

Breaststroke is a very technically demanding stroke. It takes a lot of skill to perform this stroke well. Here are some stroke tips which should help improve breaststroke technique.

Checklist - Arms

· Arms stretch forward

· Hands are turned outwards (halfway), so palms face out and down

· Hands pull out with elbows straight

· When hands are outside shoulders, elbows bend

· Hands lead in, sweeping down

· Hands get faster until they come together

· Hands are stretched forward with palms down

Checklist - Kick

· As hands come together, legs begin recovery

· Feet stay close together, heels travel up to hips

· Knees remain where they are

· Toes are curled up

· Feet are turned out

· Feet whip out and round in a circle

· Hips rise to surface

· Legs are fully stretched

· Feet are swept together

Checklist - Body position and breathing

· Hips stay close to the surface

· Recovery is streamlined

· Head breaks the surface

· Head and shoulders come upwards and forwards as hands sweep in

· Breathe in when head comes up (when hands start to come together)

· Breathe out when face is in water (as arms stretch forward)

· Breathe every stroke

Remember, because Breaststroke is such a technical stroke it requires a lot of practice. There will always be sections of the stroke you find difficult, therefore you must try to improve these weaknesses.

Stroke drills provide you with the best opportunity to improve your stroke. There a number of different drills that can be used in training. Pay particular attention to your kick. This is the secret to good breaststroke.

Front Crawl

Front crawl is the most widely used of the four strokes and also the fastest. It is swum in more competitive events than any other stroke — 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m.

The following list contains key points you should remember.

Checklist - Arms

· Fingertips enter first

· Palm turns out (half way)

· Hand enters water between the head and shoulder

· Hand stretches forward under the water

· Wrist bends downwards and backwards

· Hand moves downwards

· Elbow bends and hand pulls to pint under tummy button

· Hand speeds up as it pushes back

· Hand pushes back to thigh, palm faces leg

· Arm is recovered by bending elbow and picking it up

· Body rolls

· Arm is recovered with elbows high, hands close to water

· Arm should be relaxed on recovery

Checklist - Kick

· Kick from hips

· Bend knee slightly on down kick

· Keep knee straight on up kick

· Loose ankles, toes pointed

· Small fast kicks

Checklist - Body position and breathing

· Streamlined

· Keep your body straight

· Keep water at hairline (above goggles)

· Head rolls side to side

· Head turns only a short distance

· Breathing should be controlled

Back Crawl

Backstroke has one big advantage over the other strokes. The breathing is easy, and does not require any special training. As a result, this is one of the first strokes that is taught early on in a swimmers career.

The proper body position is on the back (!), with high hips. Body position is largely determined by the head position. The head should be placed in the water so that the ears are sitting in the water and the water cuts across the top of the head. To obtain this position, try to look at the ceiling of the pool above your feet. Keep your eyes “above your feet” and try not to let the head move from side to side.

Checklist - Arms

· Stroke is like a windmill — it does NOT stop

· Enter hand in line with shoulder, little finger first

· Let hand sink into water

· Pull hand down and out with arm straight

· As hand passes shoulder, elbow begins to bend and hand pushes upwards

· Elbow bend is a maximum of 90 degrees

· Hand pushes downwards and arm straightens.

· Thumb comes out of water first

· Arm and shoulder roll out of water

· Arm is recovered over the shoulder

Checklist - Kick

· Kick from the hips

· Bend knee slightly on the up kick

· Keep knee straight on the down kick

· Foot movement is up and down

· Knees stay close together

· Toes break surface

· Toes turn in

· Use a 6-kick beat

Checklist - Body position

· Hips high

· Waterline cuts middle of head, just below chin

· Eyes look at ceiling above feet

· Head still

· Breathe in on one arm and out on the other

The backstroke kick helps to keep your body in a good position. It is no accident that all good backstroke swimmers have a strong kick. Ankles should be relaxed and kicks should be small and powerful — “Fast Feet”. Your toes should be the only part of your body which breaks the surface of the water.

Butterfly

The Butterfly started out as a type of Breaststroke with an over-the -water recovery, but it is now clearly recognised as a stroke in its own right and with its own set of rules. It is always considered to be a very strenuous stroke, and many swimmers do not like performing it in training. It’s amazing the number of one arm swimmers we have when it comes to swimming “Fly”!

However, everything becomes easier with practice and the only way to improve your Fly in races is to make sure you swim it in training (and swim it well). Here are a few hints to remind you how Fly should be swum.

Checklist - Arms

· Hands enter water at a point between the centre of your head and your shoulders

· Hands are turned out about 45 degrees with thumbs down and elbows slightly bent.

· Following entry, hands begin to sweep out and down

· Hands follow a keyhole shape pull

· As hands pass shoulders, elbows bend and remain high

· Hands begin to sweep in towards stomach

· At tummy button, hands push the water backwards towards the thighs, accelerating as they go

· Hands are turned by thigh so that the palm faces legs and little finger leaves the water on top

· Lift elbows out of water and recover hands over the water in a wide arc.

Checklist - Kick

· Both legs move together like a fishtail

· Kick from the hips with a slight bend in the knees as you kick down

· Toes should be pointed and feet turned towards each other slightly

· s legs reach end of kick downwards, hips should rise and break the surface

· Legs sweep upwards together with knees straight until top of kick where they flex to start the next down kick

Checklist - Body position and breathing

· Remember the “H’s” — Hands enter, Head is down Hips are High

· Kick down as hands enter and kick again as hands sweep backwards before starting the recovery

· Let your body dive into the water as your hands enter and rise up to breathe

· To breathe, lift chin on top of water. This happens as the hands stretch backwards from your tummy button

With the changing body position, timing is crucial in Fly. It is important that you get maximum use out of your kick and pull which helps to conserve energy during a race. Practising with flippers can aid balance and momentum and also increase ankle flexibility.

At the end of the day, Butterfly is like telling a good joke — it requires excellent timing! practice, and practice, and . . .

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