Freestyle swimming is the type of swimming in which there is no predetermined movement pattern to be fulfilled. In the freestyle competition the swimmer may swim any swimming style except in the positional swimming. The swimmer is allowed to swim any swimming style except breaststroke, dolphin or backstroke.
In freestyle and crawl competitions, however, only one discipline is swum in competitions, namely crawl swimming. Here swimmers reach the highest speeds. In 1875, the arms were alternately brought in front of the body for the first time.
In 1908 the alternating arm pull was combined with an up and down movement of the legs for the first time. Johnny Weissmüller was the first swimmer to undercut the 1 minute limit on the 100m freestyle distance with the crawl technique. Because crawl is a very economical swimming style, it is used in competition swimming between 50 and 1500m.
Competition rules
- At the turns and at the target stop the float must touch the wall with any part of the body.
- During the competition a part of the swimmer must break through the water surface.
- After the start the swimmer may be completely submerged for a distance of 15 meters.
Motion description
Arm MovementThe movement actions of the left and right arm are identical, therefore it is sufficient to explain the left arm movement during crawl swimming for complete explanation. The stretched “left” arm dives into the water with the fingertips first (grasp water). To stretch the body optimally, a slight rolling movement to the action side is necessary.
The elbow joint is increasingly bent during the pulling phase (up to chest height). At this point, the pressure phase begins. The forearm with stretched hand is guided backwards under the body.
At thigh height the hand leaves the water. This is followed by the pre-swing phase. The upper body rolls to the right (left shoulder comes out of the water), so that the left arm can be led forward more easily.
In the pre-swing phase, the elbow is significantly higher than the hand. Leg movementDuring an arm pull cycle, 6 leg strikes are executed. In the downward action, the movement of the legs is led by the thigh.
Lower leg and foot follow in a whip-like fashion. The movement amplitude is 30- 40 cm and should be close to the water surface due to the optimal water position. BreathingThe exhalation takes place explosively under water and the rapid inhalation takes place when the elbow leaves the water.
The head is not lifted, but only turned to the side. When the inhalation ends, the head is put back into the water. During the entire swimming movement the gaze is directed to the bottom of the pool. A detailed and illustrated, as well as animated description can be found under our topic: Movement description crawl swimming.
