SWIMMING2nd of Bachillerato

IES Saavedra FajardoPE teacher: Narciso Marín Marín

FRONT CRAWLFront crawl is the fastest stroke and

gives you the feeling of being powerful in the water.

It is often hard to get the hang of at first because fitting in the breathing can be difficult.

To get the hang of: acostumbrarse a

Front crawl: step one

Swim with all of your body close to the surface of the water, keeping your hips and legs behind your shoulders.

Imagine you are trying to swim through a narrow tube without touching the sides.

A good way of doing this is to put your face in the water and keep your legs kicking all of the time.

Front crawl: step two

Try to use long fast kicks, making sure all of your leg is moving up and down.

Your knees should bend a little bit and your feet should make a small splash. Try counting to six quickly and kicking your legs in time with this.

Front crawl: step three

Your arms provide the power for the stroke, so one arm should follow the other through the water and over the top.

Try putting your hand into the water in front of your head and stretch it forwards as far as it will go, slicing it into the water with your thumb first - the less splash the better.

Front crawl: step four

Increase your speed by bending your elbow and pushing your hand towards your feet, keeping it going until it reaches the top of your leg.

Lift your arm out of the water and try to control it as it goes back to the starting point.

Front crawl: step five

Breathe regularly. Your face is in the water so you need to remember to turn your head when you want to take a breath.

Try to turn your head smoothly, leaving the side of your head resting in the water.

BackstrokeThe back crawl is different to most

strokes because you cannot see where you are going.

It is a good idea to count how many strokes it takes you to swim a length so you will know when you are getting close to the end of the pool.

Try and swim with all of your body close to the surface of the water, almost like you are lying on your back in bed with your head on a pillow.

Backstroke: step one

It is difficult to keep your body travelling in a straight line if you don't kick your legs.

Use long fast kicks, making sure your legs are moving up and down.

Keep your knees underwater and bent a little, and your toes should make a small splash when you kick.

Backstroke: step two

The arms provide the power in back crawl, making a circling action as they move in and out of the water.

You start by putting one arm in the water in a straight line above your shoulder.

Once your hand is in the water it should push down and towards your feet. Bend your elbow slightly and pull your arm by your side to your thigh.

Backstroke: step three

Keep your legs close together throughout the stroke using the long shallow kick described in the basic back crawl.

If you imagine being able to feel your knees and big toes touching as they kick, this should help.

Backstroke: step four

The way you use your arms will make a real difference to the power of your back crawl.

Use the alternating action, bending your elbow and pushing your hand towards your feet.

You can improve this action by bending the elbow more so that the hand is close to the side of the body.

Pointing your elbow down towards the bottom of the pool will ensure your hand is doing most of the work and give you a stronger pull.

Backstroke: step five

Lifting your hand out of the water, with your palm facing your leg (thumb first), turn it so the little finger will go into the water first.

Keep the legs moving all the time and the arms following each other. Breathe in every time your left or right arm goes over the water.