I've been teaching swimming for over 30 years and I built Swim Teach so that I can share all my knowledge, wisdom and experience from the thousands of swimming lessons I have had the pleasure of teaching. Take a look back through my previous newsletters and see what you missed.
Make Front Crawl Arms and Legs Work Together - Timing Patterns To Suit You plus Resources for Teaching Front Crawl
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Do you think you've got your front crawl timing and coordination all wrong? There is a good chance it is actually okay. Confused? Read on. Hi, Mark here. I hope all is well with you. What Exactly Is 'Timing'?When we talk about timing, we usually refer to the number of leg kicks per arm pull cycle—that is, how many times our legs kick in the time it takes for our arms to complete one arm pull cycle. Which Timing Pattern Works For You?Some timing patterns will suit some swimmers better than others. Much will depend on an individuals levels of coordination. There are three common timing patterns:
Where one 'beat' refers to one leg kick. Click here for a more detailed explanation of these timing patterns. A Common Front Crawl Timing MistakeIt is easy to kick with a fast leg kick and unknowingly allow the arm action to also speed up. This results in a loss of arm technique and overall body shape, leading to poor and inefficient swimming strokes. 'Catch up' is the best swimming exercise to establish a correct timing and coordination cycle and experiment with different timing cycles as the delayed arm action slows down the exercise. The 'catch up' drill is illustrated and explained, along with loads more basic drills in my book How To Swim Front Crawl. Click here to check it out. Everything You Need and More To Teach Successful CoordinationPerfect arm pull, leg kick and breathing techniques to really make freestyle swimming sleek and smooth. Grab some basic drills and lesson plans and take your pupils’ front crawl to the next level. Find all you need along with tons of basic drills covering all four swimming strokes in the Swimming Teaching Resources section on my site.
Do you know a new swimming teacher learning to teach who might benefit from this information? Forward this email to them, or share the link. It could make someone's day easier. That's it for this week. Take care and stay safe. Happy swimming! Cheers Mark ps - did someone forward this to you? Subscribe here. |
Hi! I'm Mark, creator of Swim Teach
I've been teaching swimming for over 30 years and I built Swim Teach so that I can share all my knowledge, wisdom and experience from the thousands of swimming lessons I have had the pleasure of teaching. Take a look back through my previous newsletters and see what you missed.
Can you tread water? How often does it feature in your lessons? Treading water is an important skill to learn for many reasons. Also, this week, fine-tune your teaching practice to be even more outstanding! Hi, Mark here – let’s talk Treading Water. Ever found it tricky to teach treading water in a way that really clicks for your swimmers? Maybe you're a swimmer or beginner, and treading water is something you've always wanted to be able to do. This week’s focus is all about this vital skill...
We’ve all done it - or seen it done. A swimmer pulls hard with their arms in breaststroke, only to realise… they’re not getting very far for all that effort. Hi, Mark here. Hope your week’s been a good one! Let’s talk breaststroke arms. As swimming teachers, we know it’s the leg kick that delivers the real power. But many swimmers still rely too much on their arms to pull themselves through the water, and that’s where things go wrong. 🔍 Quick Breakdown of the Arm Pull Technique The...
'Why do I get so out of breath when I swim?' - one of the most commonly asked questions in the pool. There are 2 very common breathing mistakes that many beginners learning to swim are guilty of. Hi, Mark here. I hope you've had a great week. When it comes to breathing technique, whichever swimming stroke is being attempted, there are two common mistakes that many adults make. Breath-holding Breathing too late What happens when you hold your breath? Breath-holding is an unnatural act for a...