Swimming is one of ancient species a sport that allows you to get in shape and strengthen muscles, improve blood flow and relax.

There are several sports swimming styles, but the most famous of them is the breaststroke.

They radically differ in execution technology, involve different muscle groups, and are also used for different purposes. What to choose for swimming - crawl or breaststroke?

Consider these techniques and try to answer this question.

Crawl is the fastest way to swim, because due to the technique of its execution, the water resistance is felt by the swimmer to a minimum, and the uniform work of the right and left sides of the body allows you to increase speed as quickly as possible.

Currently, in almost all freestyle competitions, athletes choose crawl.

It is described in detail in a separate article. In a nutshell, it is as follows:

• Man lying on his chest rowing alternately with the right, then with the left hand and at the same time works with his legs, raising and lowering them.
• During swimming, the swimmer's face is turned down, but at the same time as one of the strokes with his hands, he turns his head towards the "working" hand and inhales.
• As for - you always need to release air only into the water, and inhale - at the moment when the hand just starts the stroke, that is, it rises above the surface from the side of the pelvis. You can inhale both at each stroke, and after 1.3, 5, etc. It is important to always start inhaling on one side so as not to disturb the respiratory rhythm.

Outwardly, it looks like this:

There is also such a thing as crawl on the back or swimming on the back - in this case, a person performs all the same movements, but lying on his back, in addition, strokes are carried out straight, and not arms folded, and much less attention is paid to breath control. In this case, the main work is performed pectoral muscles, the latissimus dorsi muscle, deltoid muscle of the shoulder and calf muscles.

Brief description of the technique "Brass"

Breaststroke - a different style sports swimming, when using which the swimmer works with arms and legs parallel to the plane of the water, and does so symmetrically rather than alternately. Breaststroke is also floated on the chest, but it is the slowest style.

The execution technique is as follows:

• The person is on his chest, his hands are lowered into the water, divorced from each other (each in his own direction) and perform simultaneous stroke, after which they bend at the elbows, almost press against the body and return to their original position - in front of them.
• At the moment of leg stroke start to pull up, and then, almost simultaneously with the return of the hands to the position in front of you, make a push.
• When swimming with a breaststroke, you should breathe at the stage of completing the stroke with your hands, when bent elbows move towards the body, at this moment it is most convenient and effective to raise your head and take in air. It is recommended to inhale with each stroke, but you can do it less often, but be sure to maintain the pace (always after 1 stroke, always after 2, etc.).

It looks like this:

What is the difference?

Between these two styles is only one similarity - they are both performed on the stomach, in everything else they are very different, ranging from the technique of execution to the involvement of different muscle groups.

The crawl technique involves the constant work of the muscles in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the water, which allows you to develop the highest possible speeds.

In the breaststroke, on the contrary, almost all movements occur in the water, the swimmer has to constantly overcome the additional resistance of its molecules, which is why he will not be able to move as fast.

You can also notice that those who swim crawl, moving continuously, constantly generating acceleration.

With breaststroke, the cycle of movements takes a certain time, after which the person slides on the surface of the water on the acceleration obtained from the stroke with the hands and the push with the legs. This allows you to compensate for the energy spent on overcoming the resistance of the water, and ultimately the swimmer is not overloaded.

Important difference It also consists in the involved muscle groups: when swimming with a crawl, the main working tool is the muscles of the shoulders, arms and back, and with the breaststroke - the shoulders, chest and legs.

Rabbit Benefits

Front crawl is the fastest swimming style, so if you want to become a professional swimmer, it is definitely better to master it.

Despite the fact that it is more difficult to learn (read more about training), thanks to additional tools (for example, swimming boards), you can quickly understand the process.

Training in this technique is also endurance training., since the cycle of movements is continuous, but also because of this, as well as the peculiarities of its execution, it is very difficult for them to move underwater. allows you to develop muscles shoulder girdle, direct and lateral broad muscles hips.

breaststroke benefits

Breaststroke is considered easier in terms of physical activity style which is suitable for both sports and everyday swimming.

If you don't dream of a career Olympic champion and do not set yourself goals for a while, then this style will be the best choice. Interesting fact is that only breaststroke is intuitive, and even children who are just learning to swim quickly begin to move the way they need to, and therefore get results.

The technical correctness of execution has a slightly less important role here than in crawl - only the correct movements of the neck of the head during breathing are important (it is important to always lower the head back into the water after inhalation, so as not to hold cervical region spine in constant tension).

The breaststroke allows not only to move long distances with minimal effort, but also to swim freely under water. No other style can dive as effectively.

Since this style largely depends on inertial movement after a push with the legs, the main muscles that will work here are the muscles of the legs (straight and quadriceps hips, adductors, gluteal and gastrocnemius muscles). When working with hands are also involved deltoid muscles shoulder girdle and pectoral muscles.

What is more useful?

Medicine and sports science do not have a clear answer to this question.

Medically the same both of these swimming styles are useful, but they can be recommended in accordance with the goals and wishes of the patient, as well as medical diagnoses.

For example, it is important for a person with scoliosis to strengthen the back muscles, which means that he should devote as much time as possible to crawl, backstroke or butterfly.

The crawl is especially good because the almost straight position of the body minimizes stress on the spine, but at the same time allows you to train nearby muscles.

If we consider the breaststroke through the prism of medical opinion, then it is ideal for both beginner swimmers and people with underdeveloped limbs (the elderly or people with disabilities or the consequences of injuries) and pregnant women. Intense leg movements not only develop the muscles of the lower half of the body, but also stimulate the blood supply to the pelvic organs.

Simply put, choosing a priority swimming style directly depends on physical training man and his goals It is impossible to make an unambiguous choice without analyzing the whole situation. But there are a number of expert theories and opinions that the program of any sport should be balanced for the individual.

Thus, there will be less benefit from using only one swimming style than from using several at once in combination.

If we take the muscles of the legs as an example, then for maximum usefulness in everyday life, it is better to develop both the hips and lower legs, this will allow you to walk long distances and perform endurance physical exercises with repetitions.

The same applies to all other muscles - it is always better to develop them together than to perform exercises for only one group. This approach allows you to develop the whole body at the same time, without overloading it. When it comes to swimming, this means that the optimal approach is to alternate swimming styles in each session.

The emphasis on one style can be justified by high sports goals- for example, breaking the world record of the crawl in a hundred meters, but for most people this is not relevant, while training only one style, you can easily overwork or stretch your muscles.

Turning from one style to another

As we have already understood, the maximum effective result it is the alternation of styles that will bring, but few people know that you can change one for another not only starting a new swim from the side.

You can change one style to another right in the middle of the “path” of the pool - this is usually done to relax when the muscles are tired from the same type of work.

How to transition from front crawl to breaststroke: complete the stroke and position yourself so that your body is in a straight line and your arms are in front. From it you can start breaststroke movements - a stroke with your hands and a push with your legs.

If you want, on the contrary, to make a breaststroke turn on the crawl, then after a whole cycle of movements (stroke with your arms, inhale and push with your legs), you need to take the same straight pose with your hands in front of you and begin the transition to the front crawl with a stroke with your arm.

Crawl with breast stroke

There is also a mixed style of swimming in which arms make a stroke breaststroke, a legs work in the crawl style.

This way of swimming is sometimes also called “applied breaststroke”.

This is one of the possible options for teaching children to swim, especially preschool children.

The point is that it is still difficult for young children to master crawl with its difficult breathing, but, on the other hand, it is no less difficult to master breaststroke kicks, which are technically difficult for adults as well.

'Cause the kids first with the swim board teach to work with crawl legs, and then, when the child floats on the water and can swim with an “arrow” due to his legs - his learn to stroke breaststroke.

Swimming training for adults can be built according to a similar scheme.

At the same time, this style should still be considered not as an independent style of swimming, but as intermediate step on the way to full crawl and breaststroke.

Conclusion

Swimming is one of the most comfortable and beneficial species sports, since it stimulates the muscles, normalizes breathing, but at the same time, the probability of being injured or getting a sprain and, moreover, a bruise or fracture, is close to zero here. Thanks to this, swimming is not only a sport, but also an excellent therapy for many diseases of the muscles and joints, as well as problems with blood supply.

Swimming can be equally beneficial for both adults and children, but you need to remember that if you have serious health problems, you should consult a specialist before going to the pool.

If you do not know how to swim and are afraid of water, then in any sports complex have their own personal trainers, which will help you stop being afraid, as well as teach you the basics of swimming, after which you can already practice on your own.

Today there are 4 main swimming style: crawl (freestyle), backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. This article describes each of these styles.

FREESTYLE (CROLL)
Here is the definition freestyle All-Russian Federation swimming: " Freestyle means that a swimmer is allowed to swim by any means, arbitrarily changing them at a distance. "Even at the beginning of the 20th century, freestyle was very often used breaststroke, trend style and sidestroke. But already in the 1920s. most athletes began to choose a faster freestyle as a freestyle crawl.

people were swimming crawl from ancient times. However, European civilization at some point, apparently, simply "forgot" about rabbit, and most athletes in Europe and America back in the 19th century preferred breaststroke. Get to know again crawl Europeans were able to in 1844 at competitions in London, where the proud British were quite easily able to overtake the American Indians, who sailed in a strange "barbarian" unknown to whites swimming style. In the 1870s Englishman John Tregen, who traveled in Argentina, learned the crawl technique from local Indians and introduced " new style"in competitions in the UK (John's style was not yet complete crawl- he adopted from the Indians only the movements of the hands, and still worked with his feet only in the horizontal plane). The new technique was soon finalized by the Australians - the brothers Dick and Tooms Cavill - who brought to crawl elements of the swimming technique of the indigenous people of the Solomon Islands. This "Australian rabbit" a little later, it was improved by the American Charles Daniels, who also included six-stroke kicks in it - thus Daniels created "American rabbit" from which the modern style develops.

Crawl(English "crawl" - "crawl") - swimming style on the chest, during the movement of which the athlete makes wide strokes along the body alternately with the right and left hands, and at the same time constantly performs kicks in the vertical plane (up and down). The athlete's face is almost constantly in the water; periodically, during one of the strokes, he turns his head to the side, lifting his face out of the water in order to take a breath.

Video (crawl):


BACKSTROKE
This swimming style look like " rabbit vice versa". Here, as in rabbit, the athlete performs alternate strokes with his hands (but: the arm is extended straight above the water, and not bent, as in the freestyle), and at the same time performs alternate kicks in the vertical plane (up and down). The athlete's face is almost constantly (with the exception of the start and turns) above the water.

An interesting fact: initially, when swimming on their backs, European athletes used a technique that resembled " breaststroke vice versa", but by no means crawl. This is how athletes swam on their backs on Olympic Games 1900 in Paris. But soon everything changed: in 1912, the American Harry Hebner used to backstroke"flipped over" crawl and became the gold medalist of the Stockholm Olympics - almost immediately after that, all athletes began to swim on their backs in this way.

Backstroke- it's not the fastest swimming style, but they can swim faster than, for example, breaststroke. And it's the only one swimming style, in which the start is performed from the water.

Video (backstroke):

BREASTSTROKE
Name of this swimming style comes from the French word "brass" - "hand". Breaststroke- this is swimming style on the chest, during the movement of which the athlete performs simultaneous and symmetrical strokes with his hands, as well as simultaneous and symmetrical kicks with his legs in a horizontal plane under the water surface.

This is the oldest and slowest swimming style. In the Egyptian "Cave of Swimmers" (c. 9000 BC) there are cave paintings depicting swimming people who, apparently, moved in the water in much the same way as they swim breaststroke modern athletes.

At the beginning of the 20th century, even professional athletes swam breaststroke keeping your head above the water. Only in the 1930s. many swimmers (including representatives Soviet school) began to lower their heads into the water while stretching their arms forward. Since then in this swimming style Many more improvements have been made.

Let it go breaststroke not too fast, but it has many advantages that make it simply an indispensable style for applied swimming: breaststroke allows you to move silently in the water; when moving with this style, you can perfectly view the surface space; and also it is swimming in the breaststroke that you can overcome considerable distances.

Video (breaststroke):

BUTTERFLY
Name of this swimming style translated from English as "butterfly" (colloquial name in Russia - "dolphin"). When swimming butterfly the athlete performs simultaneous and symmetrical movements of the left and right parts body. The swimmer makes a powerful wide stroke with his hands (at the same time top part his body rises above the water), while simultaneously performing symmetrical wave-like kicks "from the pelvis". Butterfly is the most energy intensive swimming style, it requires maximum endurance and perfect mastery of technique.

This swimming style- the youngest. Butterfly"came into the world" in 1935, and at that time it was considered simply the newest variety breaststroke. Only almost 20 years later, in 1953, butterfly officially recognized as independent swimming style.

Video (butterfly):

Swimming is considered one of the healthiest sports areas, which promotes healing, helps to lose weight and has a positive effect on coordination. known different styles swimming, which have their own technique and unique differences.

Basic swimming styles

The main classification divides the existing directions into two groups: training and amateur. The first includes the following styles:

1. Sports. The direction implies overcoming the distance in a certain time. There are four styles of sports swimming: front crawl and back crawl, breaststroke, butterfly.
2. Applied. This style is used by people whose activities are connected with water, for example, lifeguards.
3. Game. Such swimming is associated with holding different games on the water, so, this includes water polo.
4. Figured. Direction is used to . It is also called artistic and synchronous.
5. Wellness. These include swimming styles used by people to improve health, and the healing style is aimed at restoring the body.

Swimming style breaststroke

Type of swimming on the stomach, performed in the "frog" technique. It is considered the most energy intensive. All types of swimming, the breaststroke style among them, have features, so, in this direction, movement is provided lower limbs, and hands set the rhythm and pace. During swimming, a person spreads his arms symmetrically along the line from his chest, and pushes are made with his legs in a plane parallel to the water. While swimming, the swimmer plunges his face into the water, periodically lifting it up to take in air.

All styles of swimming have their own characteristics, and breaststroke requires the simultaneous work of the upper and lower limbs, which cannot be brought to the surface. There is a certain subspecies - breaststroke on the back, which is not included in, but at the same time it is of great practical importance, that is, it is used in the field, which involves providing assistance on the water.

Tips for breaststroke swimmers:

1. Experts recommend starting to move your arms not too fast, and then increase your speed. The movement of the upper limbs should end when they glide through the water.
2. For one raising of the head, it is important to have time to inhale and exhale. Inhalation is done quickly through the mouth, and exhalation is done a little more slowly through both the mouth and nose.
3. To speed up, you can not come up with each stroke, but according to correct technique the head should be raised with each stroke cycle.

Crawl swimming style

Freestyle involves swimming on the chest, in which you can develop great speed. It is used to overcome long distances in a short time. Freestyle swimming involves making alternate wide strokes with half-bent arms. In this case, alternate raising and lowering of the lower limbs in the vertical axis occurs. The movement of the legs is identical to scissors. During swimming, the face is lowered into the water, and in order to inhale, the swimmer turns his head towards the hand that is brought above the water, and at the beginning of the swing.

Tips for crawl swimmers:

1. Improve rhythmic footwork by practicing it by swimming with the board. At the same time, inhalation should be done for every sixth beat. Swim at least 200 meters per set.
2. Bring your hand into the water, moving parallel to the line of motion, which will make the stroke more efficient and the glide better. Hands should work parallel to each other and not go into the center.
3. To make stronger and long stroke, make sure that the body performs rotations - rolls from one side to the other.

Swimming style back crawl

This direction is the opposite of the traditional crawl and visually the technique is similar. The backstroke style is characterized by the fact that the swimmer's face will be constantly directed upwards, and it will be under water for only a few seconds at the start and during turns. This ensures freer breathing, so you should inhale while carrying one hand, and exhale with the other. The backstroke technique implies that the elbows should not bend during the main part of the stroke, but turn slightly when moving back and down.

Tips for backstroke swimmers:

1. Try to stretch the body as much as possible, taking a horizontal position so that the shoulders are not higher than the pelvis.
2. The head should be an extension of the body, so do not throw it back or forward.
3. In order for the kick to be strong, the bend in the knee area should not be allowed. The limbs should be straight and only slightly bent, making wave-like movements.

Swimming style butterfly

The direction, which is also called the "butterfly", is complex and requires. The swimming style is performed on the stomach. To learn how to swim in the butterfly style without problems, you need to achieve perfect synchronization of the actions of both parts of the body. The technique involves making wide and strong strokes with the hands while performing wave-like movements with the lower limbs and pelvis.

All styles of swimming are based on correct breathing, and it must be adjusted to the movement of the arms: inhale as they float above the water, and exhale as the limbs pass the line of the shoulders. The dolphin swimming style is considered to be a modernized counterpart that differs in the movement of the legs. In the classic butterfly they move using the breaststroke technique, and in the dolphin, like a tail fin: up and down the vertical plane, which helps to speed up the movement.

Tips for butterfly swimmers:

1. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart, without moving them away or bringing them closer to each other. You can not close the limbs to the body and lower the shoulders deeply.
2. Be careful not to get your arms out of the water early as this results in more body flex and less stroke.
3. All movements must be performed simultaneously and at the right pace, otherwise the speed will slow down.

fastest swimming style

According to research and according to swimmers themselves, the crawl is the fastest style. At the next level, there are two types that are approximately equal in speed - crawl on the back and butterfly. When describing which of the swimming styles is considered the fastest, it is worth understanding why the front crawl is the leader, so the whole point is that the hand returns to its starting position in the air, which helps to produce a quick movement. Air resistance is less than water, so the more body out of the water, the greater the speed.

The slowest swimming style

O quick view they learned swimming, but the slowest is the breaststroke, and the braking moment is to blame when bringing the hands out in front of you. When figuring out which style of sports swimming is the slowest, it is worth pointing out that for a long time in Europe, breaststroke was the main trend and the first records were set in this technique. Swimmers during training and the competition themselves tried to increase their own speed in various ways, for example, due to the movement of their hands.

Rare swimming styles

There are not only four main styles, but also other directions that are not so common. Some swimming styles in the pool and in open water forgotten, for example, the Colchian-Iberian species is rare, the main difference of which is that the swimmer does not use the limbs, but swims, performing dolphin-like movements of the body. During this, the arms are pressed against the body, and the legs are held tightly closed. In the summer of 2002, G. Kuprashvili tied his hands and feet and swam across the Dardanelles in 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Swimming style trudgeon

The name of this type of swimming is associated with an Englishman who borrowed it while traveling in South America. It is believed that the breaststroke style of swimming is the basis of the tredge, so the technique involves the position of the swimmer on the chest, with the head above the water, and the hands making strokes in turn. A feature of the style is the movement of the lower limbs in a horizontal plane, which are similar to scissors. For each stroke, only one movement of the foot is made. There was a tredge until 1912.

Overarm swimming style

FROM of English language the name of this style is translated as "over the hand", and it implies swimming on the side. It is believed that this direction was inherited by England from the Indians. It is impossible to say which stroke is the most beneficial, since they all load the body, so the over-arm technique involves the arm that is below, stroke under water, and the other limb rises above the water and is transferred forward to make a stroke. The movement of the legs is identical to the swimming style of the breaststroke. Over-arm continues to be used by rescuers.

Swimming style Sueijutsu

Already from the name it is clear that this type of swimming appeared in Japan. In the Middle Ages, samurai early childhood studied suei-jutsu - Japanese martial arts, which is devoted to the study of various combat swimming techniques. This unusual style of sports swimming of that time taught people to move in the water in ammunition, and also to swim and carry a banner above them or shoot from a bow. Even samurai were taught to swim with their hands and feet tied. Suei-jutsu included the development of such techniques: walking in water, jumping out of it and wrestling.

After training, the Japanese warriors were tested, and the masters performed the trick - "calligraphy on the water", that is, the swimmer had to swim and write hieroglyphs on the board at the same time. If the ink, board and pen remained dry, then the training was considered successful. Japanese ninjas also received similar skills, only they had to be able to swim silently. In modern Japan, this style of swimming is almost forgotten, but the masters of the technique are still trying to preserve the tradition.

Sazhenka swimming style

It is believed that in Russia they sailed in an unusual style, which was called "saplings". Today it is used as one of the names of the rabbit, but judging from the technique, this is not correct. This old Russian freestyle is faster. Rare Styles and the ways of swimming have an unusual name, so it is believed that the “sazhenki” came from the depth of the pools where people learned to swim, because a fathom is 2.13 m.

Basic moments

During breaststroke swimming, the movements of the arms and legs are made in the water without rising into the air. Breaststroke is the most silent style. With the movement of the hands, you are unlikely to have problems. But with the legs it can be more difficult. In this case, you can pick up a board and train your legs separately.

With regard to proper breathing, for a deep breath (through the mouth), the head rises above the surface of the water at the moment when the hands go back. In fact, this is facilitated by the movement of the whole body, so in the water such movement feels much more natural than when reading. Exhalation should be done through the nose and mouth into the water.

The main rule is that movements in the water should be smooth. The effort should not be excessive, and the breathing should remain deep and even.

Of course, breaststroke should not be considered something elementary. When you want to noticeably increase your speed, you will most likely need the advice of a coach to correct mistakes. But for starters, you are quite capable of learning how to swim with the help of the following videos.

Video #1: body position

From the head to the feet, the body should be in one smooth line. The face is lowered into the water during exhalation. During inhalation, the head is pushed out of the water in a single movement. At the same time, the spine remains straight, and the shoulders and neck do not overstrain. Particular attention should be paid to: the stomach should be pulled in while swimming.

Video #2: Legs

It is the correct repulsion with the legs that makes the main contribution to the speed. Pull your heels as close as possible to then make a strong push. During the movement of the legs towards the center, the feet also move towards each other.

Video #3: Hands

Hands should rake in as much as possible more water, guiding the body forward and up out of the water to inhale.

Video #4: Breathing

Proper breathing allows you to feed the muscles with oxygen, which is necessary for strong, efficient movements. Do not tense your shoulders while inhaling. Smooth exhalation while moving the arms back helps to lift the head out of the water to inhale.

Every person on the planet at least once found himself in the water and wanted to learn how to stay on it, swim well. Someone was taught by parents, someone went to a special section in the pool, where he was taught by real professionals. Watching the next Olympics on TV, the viewer will be able to see competitions in reservoirs in different types swimming: breaststroke, crawl, freestyle and butterfly. Why did you choose these types? The answer is simple - observing all physical laws, with the help of such methods, a swimmer will be able to cover the greatest distance with minimal energy consumption. But an athlete always needs to remember that all his movements of the arms and legs must be in harmony with breathing, debugged to a fraction of a second, otherwise you can lose a couple of extra seconds and lose the race.

But which style of swimming is the fastest? Many experts believe that top speed a swimmer can develop by crawl swimming. This style has a long history, back in Ancient Rome some inhabitants boasted of their lightning speed in the water. The crawl came to Europe only at the end of the 19th century, until that moment representatives of the old world used only the breaststroke.

To understand what kind of mechanism a swimmer uses with this style of swimming, you need to imagine the following picture: the athlete is in the water down with his stomach, alternately, then with his left, then with his right hand, rakes the liquid under him, while his head is down, only occasionally turns to the side to gain air, the legs make wave-like movements, similar to small repulsions from some surface.

The history of the formation of the fastest style

Strangely, it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that crawl was first used on the international stage. It was used by the Indians, who easily bypassed the rest of the rivals, leaving them several tens of meters behind. At that moment, professional swimmers considered this style barbaric and did not want to swim like that. In their opinion, it lacked a hint of aristocracy, because numerous splashes in all directions and incomprehensible hand movements could not be something beautiful, worthy of blue blood. But in any society there are people who think differently. John Trenden, traveling through Latin America, noticed the benefits of crawling and wanted to use this method at home in England. But his leg movements left much to be desired: he brought the lower limbs to a horizontal position, which was rather unlike the style of the Indians. A few years later, Richmond Cavill modernized the Englishman's approach. Now it is he who is considered to be the founder of this style, which is why experts so often like to call him the Australian rabbit because of the origin of the "discoverer". And Charles Daniels changed the Australian method a bit, approaching the six stroke from the other side.

The main thing is the work of the hands!

All styles of swimming begin with this. Rabbit is no exception. Sequential parts of the general mechanism of hand movement:
1. Hands are immersed in water, a small influx is made.
2. First the support stroke, then the main one.
3. Hands come out of the water.
4. Arcuate movement over water.

The important thing for the swimmer to do in the first part is to bend their arm and lower it into the water at an acute angle. The hand enters the water first, then the forearm, and then the shoulder. In this part, the entire load falls on the shoulders, so it is necessary to follow the above sequence. After that, the hand is extended.

The second part consists of a reference and main stroke. Especially for the support stroke, the arm should be bent at an acute angle. And the main stroke is performed only when the hand has formed an angle of ninety degrees with the water. Then the arm is straightened.

For the third part, the location of the arm along the body, namely, parallel to it, is specific. Here you need to pay attention to the shoulder. The fact is that along with this phase, the other arm is immersed in water, which allows the shoulder to come out first, the action takes place in the reverse order (shoulder, forearm, hand).

The last part of the mechanism is the simplest. The arm is brought bent along the body to repeat the mechanism. It is important to know that with this movement, the swimmer's elbow is pointing up.

Leg movement

Leg movements are undulating. The main strength comes from the hips, you don’t need to bend your knees, you can only occasionally help yourself with them.

Breathing during crawl

One of the most important and crucial moments when swimming crawl is correct breathing. It should have a very rhythmic sequence. The mechanism itself can be described in several phases:
1. Formation of a respiratory pocket. The head turns towards the raised hand, a breath is taken.
2. The swimmer exhales with his nose and mouth already with his head lowered into the water.

You need to observe these few factors in order to always feel good in the water. If you get short of breath, you can choke and drown.

When turning the head in both directions from the vertical, the number of breaths should be equal. That is why the body of a professional athlete moves so correctly in the water. Inhale on the left side: Right hand located straight ahead. The shoulder of the left hand begins to come out of the water and make a domed movement. The athlete directs his head to the left side, takes air. The same applies to the right side as well.

Crawl Coordination

It is quite common for many beginners to have trouble counting the number of arm movements against the number of leg movements. Professionals divide the entire crawl, depending on the sorting of the legs into four subspecies:

1. Double;
2. Quadruple;
3. Triple;
4. Six times.

But when a beginner swimmer begins to count how many movements of the legs and arms he made at the same time, this only leads to a deterioration in the results. Only with practice does the internal calculation come to the athlete. various movements. To begin with, you can take the following as a rule: one stroke with your hand for a couple of swings with your legs.

Difficulties and mistakes in crawl swimming

Swimming instructors point out several missteps:

1. Pose seated person. In this position of the body, the head is adjacent to the neck, and the legs are pressed to the stomach. To prevent this from happening, you need to start swimming with a straight leg, clearly feeling the position of your body in the water.
2. Quite often when fast swimming the athlete's head is raised too high. This will not lead to anything good, it will only bring inconvenience in the form of a large amount of water in the airways.
3. Strong strokes will bring the body into the state of a rocking boat in a storm. Movements should be smooth and polished.
4. Straight arms during strokes. Productivity is minimal.
5. Wrong breathing.

Crawl is not such a difficult style. It is important to follow some rules and then you will succeed.